Start small. There are a lot of elected roles in your community, and it can be a good idea to get used to the mechanics of running, talking (and listening) to people and perfecting your pitch about yourself and most importantly, losing sometimes. These can help prepare you for a public life or at least work out if it’s for you.

I’m in utter awe of people who can do this — I’m the ultimate introvert and it’s basically my nightmare to have to talk to strangers about myself for an extended period.