I have the Best Job Ever!

I have the best job ever! By: Anita Davis, Senior Consultant Functional Trainer I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with my 13 year old nephew, who made a bold statement after being up at 4am, walking at least two and half miles, and meeting at least 50 American Cancer Society staff and volunteers, the statement, I have the best job ever! When I asked him to explain his reason behind such a bold statement, he broke it down into three categories, I get to go fun places (we were in Chicago at the time), I get to do cool things (we were a cheer team for the 700 athletes on the DetermiNation team running the Chicago marathon that morning and they had raised more that $1 million) , and I get to hang out with some really crazy people (we were with about 50 amazing staff and volunteers from all over the country, walking down Michigan Ave before the sunrise, making as much noise with our blue ACS DetermiNation cowbells, and stopping traffic when needed to get our athletes to the start line). I agree with his statement and for the most part his reasoning, but let me tell you why I have the best job ever! First I work for your American Cancer Society, Think about that word your, the American Cancer Society belongs to our donors and our volunteers. We together have one of the most loftiest goals, to cure cancer. There are not words to explain the feeling you get when you meet someone and they ask, where do you work, and you respond, I work for your American Cancer Society. The response you get is usually, wow or that is awesome. It often leads to further discussion on a more personal level, you find out their cancer story. Second, like my nephew said, I do get to go fun places. In my role I do spend some time on the road working with staff and volunteers all over the country. Most the time when I am traveling I see very little of the city that I am staying in, unless you count the hotel where the meeting is being held. The city itself is not what makes it fun, it is the connections that I make when I am training a group of volunteers and staff, the conversations they have about how they are going to make the world a better place because they are going to be able to raise more money, provide more services, find a cure. Third, again following the words of my nephew, I get to do cool things. In my role as a trainer and facilitator, I get to help staff and volunteers find ways to do their jobs better, ways they can work together better, ways they can solve the tough challenges ahead of them. I don't have all the answers for them, but I get to unleash their brains to think of ways to get the answers. A lot of my work is also with our fundraising staff so there are some days that I spend immersed in the event itself which could include creating a cowbell parade down Michigan Ave at 5am. It's not about the event itself, it is about the experience, the passion, the connection that everyone has to cancer, and the drive, making sure all 40,000 athletes running the Chicago Marathon and all of the spectators know, that we are the American Cancer Society, we are saving lives, we will find a cure. Fourth, I get to hang out with crazy people. Crazy is such a relative term. Were we a little crazy that morning, sure, are we a little crazy at 3 am on a track walking laps at a Relay For Life event, sure, but what makes my job the best ever, is that the people I come into contact with through my work all share something, they all share a underlying passion and belief that cancer is bad, and we need to do something about it. I have met people that have lost their mothers before they were old enough to really remember them, I have met people whose father never had the chance to walk her down the isle, a mother who never got to see her son graduate high school because cancer took his life. Your heart can not help but to feel when you meet people and here their stories and share your own. I have the best job ever because I get to work with people everyday who want and are making a difference. I have the best job ever because my team of 22 individuals who live in eight different states, across all four major timezones would work day and night to help me finish a project if I needed them to. We have a tremendous leadership team that allows us to use our strengths and develop in areas where we want, to work on projects outside of our normal role, a leadership team that sees our potential, draws it out, even when we might not see it ourselves. You don't find that everywhere, but when you do, you stay, you learn, you grow, you have the best job ever!

Learn more about all our Best Jobs Ever at www.cancer.org/careers