peter
“I really wish I had been more confident when I was younger. I would’ve grabbed more opportunities and tried to make a bigger difference in people’s lives. Even when I was honoured with this opportunity my friends and family were really surprised that I wanted such a visible role. I never liked being the centre of attention. I always preferred boosting others and pushing them forward. I remember my first day in the Mansion House. I looked around and thought ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ I made myself sick with nerves. I couldn’t eat knowing that I had a speech coming up and trust me as an Ardmhéara (Lord Mayor) you have a lot of speeches to make. It’s incredible how much I have changed in just four months. I’ve found out that nerves can be a good thing. It means that you care about what you are doing. Stepping out of my comfort zone has given me so much more confidence. It’s wonderful to have good people supporting you and pushing you forward but the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I’m still nervous but I treat the feelings very differently now. It makes me better at my job. I think that if I wasn’t nervous I’d probably be doing something wrong.”