Not many people can say they look forward to coming into work.

I do. Every single day.

For most of us, myself included, we’ve worked in roles that have brought us some level of anxiety, unhappiness and/or dissatisfaction.

For some of us, maybe being employed in a role that just helps us put food on the table is enough.

I’ve never been that person.

I refused to accept that the purpose of a job was simply to pay bills.

When I was 17 years old, I was completing my Tertiary Entrance Exams (TEEs) when I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Help people.

That was it.

I was a very ambitious teenager, with grand plans to make a difference. To show others that despite the adversities I had faced in my life and the lack of support I had received – that I was still strong enough to overcome them.

I filled in my 4 university preferences. All different university options for a Bachelor in Psychology degree.

I was absolutely elated the day I received my acceptance letter!

After taking a break in my career to settle down and have my family, I transitioned instead to Youth Work.

I became passionate about working with preventative measures.

Over a 10 year period, I have worked in Community Services, Education/Training and Community Development.

I have also dabbled in jobs that have taught me so much about communication, patience, active listening and confidence – however, those jobs also chipped away at my self esteem.

I recall being so miserable I would go to the toilet just to cry. I was a shell of a person, self destructing from the mistreatment of staff.

Working in toxic work environments showed me the absolute value and necessity of honouring your staff. The importance of really listening to their concerns, of providing support, mentoring and training. The importance of just being genuine, empathetic and treating others as people.

Having those monumental experiences helped to shape my view on a healthy workplace. It is why I go into every meeting with a smile, why I embrace collaboration, why I will always choose respect and transparency.

I have never met one single person in my current job who hasn’t greeted me with a smile, who hasn’t been happy to help, who isn’t a passionate person who just wants to help the community.

It’s easy to wake up every day and look forward to my job in local government because of the people.

Whenever I drive past our local government signs, I always feel a sense of pride. Pride from the work my Youth Services team does, pride from what my colleagues in the Libraries teams do, the Community Capacity team, the Recreation & Leisure team, Events, Sustainability, Marketing, Work Health & Safety…

Pride from the work that every single person does in my organisation.

When one of my colleagues wins an award, I feel as though this is a win for all of us.

Working in local government doesn’t just reinforce community, it reminds me that no matter who you are, where you are in your life –

We are all the same.

Individual differences like age, sex, gender, ethnicity, nationality, physical appearance don’t discount the fact that we are all essentially wanting the same things from life…

To just be happy.

So, I will keep doing my best to enact change in the Youth space in my local government. I will continue to lead by example, to believe in my ability to make a difference, to keep showing the community that we will continue to keep improving and growing.

If the pain of my adversities have taught me anything, if writing my first book has taught me anything as well –

It is that nothing is insurmountable.

If you can envision a better future, it’s up to each of us to believe in it, take action and make it happen.