Lonely President

[Gusteau]

Disclaimer, I'm not a girl, but I don't think that changes much about my experience as chapter president.

I was where you were a year ago - it sucks. A lot. I think the worst thing someone can leave out of officer transition retreats is how things change. Your relationships with other members of the chapter changes, your outlook on chapter operations changes, and your position on major chapter decisions changes too.

Strive for congruence in decision making, make sure that your choices are in the best interest of your chapter (and not your own) and follow the rules so you have ground to stand on in opposition.

Reach out to other Greeks. Some of the closest interfraternal friendships I've made have come from the year I was president. I found myself wanting to talk about my Greek experience with people outside my chapter who would understand where I was coming from. These friends can be a great sounding board for new ideas and keep things positive.

A good thing to remember is to avoid the downward spiral conversation - you know, when you talk and talk about things that are going wrong and don't get anywhere. Instead try to take the negatives that come out in conversation and turn them into a solution for the issue. Semi related: give yourself an minute of self pity and then get over it - I think it can be productive to take a "woe is me" moment if you can move on quickly. "Superman" by Five for Fighting was (and still is) my whiny "I'm so misunderstood" song. Again, don't forget that you need to move on quickly.

You've mentioned other members of the chapter you are still close with - this is good, and they can be a great sounding board too, but be careful. You want to try to be available to everyone in the chapter and having your "inner circle" can create an us against them mentality. (I'm not saying you've done this, just that you should be conscious of it.)

Finally, don't forget that your organization is bigger than just your chapter (I think, you haven't mentioned...). It can be really comforting to remember that there is life in your organization beyond your college years and college drama. I grew to appreciate my international organization so much more when I felt a little isolated from my chapter

Good luck!

(Also, I'm not going to presume your faith life, but like TriDeltaSallie I found that to be very helpful - if you're into that.)