Turning Anxiety into an Opportunity

Today I found myself in a situation where I felt rather out of place.  I was supporting a friend by attending her event on campus, a bipartisan labor day barbecue.  Now, I'm not the most knowledgeable or comfortable when it comes to politics.  Some of this may spawn from my dislike for conflict, something usually present when you bring the republican and democratic students together.  

I recognized that I could easily feel embarrassed and even possibly depressed from this situation.  It seemed easy to think that I was unintelligent, that I shouldn't be there, or even that I should speak up for fear of being uneducated.

However, I realized that I could look at this situation in a different light.  This was a learning opportunity, a chance to better myself.  It's impossible to be the best at everything, and that's okay.  I could be better by opening myself to the opportunity to experience something new rather than just shying away.  Overall, it was somewhat of exhausting of an experience, but I felt better after.  

There's so much to learn in the world.  When I was younger I used to think that there are so many things that exist in this wide universe that everyone must be the best at something, even if that something was something small and would go unnoticed.  Later, I was able to see that everyone has a unique story and how beautiful that is.  By opening myself up to this new experience, I was able to see both of these things in full swing.  I heard stories from friends that were deep and meaningful, and I got to see how passionate some of these students are with politics.  It may not be my forte, but that's okay.  It shows that there's more in the world for me to discover.  It also reminds me that I have my own forte in other fields.  By experiencing new things, anxiety can be changed into an opportunity.