Shelbie Marks
What makes Shelbie Wildly Capable?
“Hilarious and witty, I am truly never bored around this woman. If spontaneous had a picture by it in the dictionary, it would be a portrait of Shelbie. She’s also crazy smart and has the willingness to try something new that makes her a go-to person for any ideas you have.”
What makes you feel proud?
I’m really proud of my friends who are absolutely killing it in their relationships, careers and hobbies. I’m proud of myself when I accomplish a new goal I’ve set. I think it is really important to follow through with commitments I’ve made, so I’m proud that I’m able to follow through with those promises. I’m proud of the work I do with teenagers through my job as a librarian, youth group and local schools.
What keeps you up at night?
I honestly try not to dwell too much on the things I can’t fix that make me anxious because I don’t think that really benefits anyone. That being said, I do feel burdened for youth right now. I think the world is a complicated place and they’re receiving a lot of conflicting messages at a really tender time in their lives. That’s not really limited to young people, that’s probably all of us. Also I think social media stresses me out, so I find that I sleep better—and just generally have a more positive outlook on life—when I’m not regularly using it.
What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?
I often think I’m the biggest obstacle in my life! I really love new experiences and change, so I can get really bogged down when things aren’t going the way I dreamt of them in my head. My love of new experiences also does make it difficult to be really good at any one thing, since I’m always flitting around to something new before I’ve really given the other thing enough time.
What’s the single biggest problem you’d like to solve in your community?
I want people to have more meaningful community and friends. I think so many of our problems, both personally and communally, are because we don’t have people we deeply care about in our lives. We don’t have people who are there when we’re struggling, to celebrate our victories and joy, to encourage us when we need it or to call us out when we’re wrong. It seems to get harder to maintain as adults, but I think that is because people don’t prioritize friendships like they should. I would love to see people meaningfully invested in their neighbors’ and friends’ lives.
