Recovering perfectionist over here, and I often find myself wanting to reflect on the year, but being overwhelmed by the best way to do so. It is now (checks calendar) 6 days into 2021, and before I jump into goals for 2022, I want to document what I’m proud of, what I learned, and what I’m grateful for from 2021.
3 Things I’m Proud Of:
Starting business school at Kellogg: I met a Kellogg MMM student (MMM is an MBA + MS in Design Innovation) when I interned at Deloitte in 2016. I knew I wanted to ultimately take my career in a more design-focused direction, and I decided Kellogg MMM was a critical part of that journey. For the next four years, I optimized my career and extracurricular decisions to be a strong candidate for Kellogg MMM. Moving to Evanston and starting the MMM program was surreal. I loved it and it was really challenging at times. But I reminded myself that if it were easy, I would be indignant.
Being thoughtful about what’s important to me: It is quite frighteningly frictionless to get caught up in what everyone else is doing at business school. There’s a frenzied cloud of energy about which clubs to join, what to recruit for, what friends you’re making, and if you’re doing an in-quarter internship. For the most part, I had clarity on what is important to me in the b-school experience (building career capital in the design space and investing in quality relationships). This meant avoiding year-long commitments in favor of short-term activities, like the two case competitions I did with some good friends.
Writing this blog: Admittedly, I dropped off my weekdaily posting schedule. But I’m still proud of the reflection I did and how consistent I was for a couple months. I’ve always wanted to be a person who journals, but my many 10%-filled notebooks will attest that typing just works better for me. This blog has been a way to chronicle my thoughts more efficiently and consistently than my beautiful Moleskine journals. Here’s to getting back into the habit for 2022! (<– and some public accountability now that I’ve said that)
3 Things I Learned:
Initiate the things you want: Historically, I surrounded myself with Type-A people who plan social things, so I’ve never had to be the social initiator. I’m working on building this skill, and b-school has given me plenty of opportunities to practice! My partner and I have hosted a Loki watch party, a movie afternoon, Christmas cookie decorating, small group dinners, and brunch. I’ve also really appreciated the people who create the spaces they want and invite people in, like a ladies’ wine night, dinners, climbing, and trips. People love being invited to things, so just do it!
Do not get caught up on THE ONE THING: My mentality has been, “figure out what you want, what it takes to get it, then work your tail off to make it happen.” This worked for past internships, my job at Deloitte, and Kellogg. This did not work for an internship I was obsessed with. I convinced myself that this was THE summer internship for me, and I poured a lot of time and energy into preparing for my interviews. And I was very disappointed to learn I didn’t get the role. (That said, what a good opportunity to practice humility and resilience.) I learned to not pin my entire objective on one outcome. Instead, I should think about the skills or experiences I want to gain and have several outcomes that would satisfy the objective.
Don’t be the one who tells you “no”: Just go for it. Just ask. How many times have I self-selected out of an opportunity or accepted a sub-optimal situation just because I feared hearing the word,”no?” I’m still working on this, but awareness is the first step, right?
3 Things I’m Grateful For:
My partner: Specifically, I’m grateful that my partner and I are a team. He left a job he loved in outdoorsy, mountainous Colorado for a new life here in Evanston, IL without question. He leaned into the b-school social activities and our new Kellogg community. He is my sounding board, cheerleader, and best friend.
The covid-19 vaccine: Getting the vaccine and knowing I had minimized risk to myself and others was a game-changer. I finally feel comfortable(ish) traveling and socializing with friends and family after a year of anxiety.
My family: My younger brothers visited us in Denver last April, and it was the first time we’ve hung out without my parents acting as the glue. They’re adults now (what?!), and it was honestly a privilege to get to know them outside the context of our shared childhood. Similar story with my parents – I’ve loved getting to know them as humans outside their role as my mom and dad. They’ve become my confidants and friends. And special gratitude to my “new” official family – my partner’s family has welcomed me as one of their own for the past 7.5 years, but now it’s official and I love it. They are my foodies, sommeliers, and travel crew.
2021 brought a lot of excitement and life changes, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for 2022.
Daily Learnings 