Speaking at PASS Summit 2018!

I found out a few days ago that one of my sessions was selected for Summit this Fall - I will be presenting an updated version of my "Getting Started with Extended Events" session that I have been working at SQL Saturdays over the last couple years.

I have submitted to Summit multiple times over the years, and every time the email comes in late May/early June my stomach knots up - I have been selected to speak once before (2016) but I still have that little bit of self-doubt.  Were my abstracts good enough?  Does anyone care about the subjects I want to talk about?  Who am I kidding anyway?

But when the email comes and one of the sessions says "Accepted"...

I have to admit for a brief moment it feels like this:

https://theworkingcaregiver.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/you-are-the-chosen-one-pl-ffffff.jpg

...but the moment passes pretty quickly, because I know that I am but a little piece of the big puzzle.  There are dozens of  Community Speakers and also dozens of Microsoft and Partner Speakers, not to mention the *HUNDREDS* of volunteers that make PASS and the Summit work.

It is still exciting to be selected, and each time it is a little humbling to hear people who don't happen to get selected in any given year offer up congratulations to those who are picked; we all support each other, and it's likely next year I will be congratulating someone else when they get picked and I don't.

Compared to Mr. T, I think in this case Emmet is more on-target:

At the end of the day we are all #sqlfamily and we all  have our own unique talents and our own unique voice - even if a particular event or venue doesn't select you, keep sharing - speaking/writing/whatever - because everyone has a story to tell.