I want to start off with a quick exercise. Think of someone in your life, past or present. Someone that you don't particularly like to be around. It could be a coworker, ex, friend of a friend, etc. Got someone in mind? Good, hold that thought.
Over break I crashed Jackson's National Sales meeting. I did this because Jeff and Jessica, the to partners I use to work with were in town. I wanted to see them. I also went to the office a couple of days to see some of my old coworkers (I didn't see everyone I wanted to, so of course, I went back.) And it got me thinking about why I wanted to see some of these people, and frankly, why there were plenty of people that I use to work with I didn't. There were so many people at Jackson that made and impact in my life, from the manager who hired me all those years ago, to the recruiters, coworkers and bosses. Some of them set out to make an impact. Some of them did not. Some of the impacts were positive, and some, well, let's just say I wasn't excited to see everyone back at the office.
It felt so good to hear the excitement from some of my old coworkers, seeing some of the external sales guys, a manager in a completely different department. Apparently, based on what they said to me, I made an impact on them. I will never know the breadth of the impact I made, but even more so will never know any negative impact I made.
So let's jump back to that person you are thinking about. The one that you won't be buying the next round for. I have a few in mind. Now I don't think they woke up each morning thinking about how they could be mean, rude, obnoxious etc towards you. There might be a few extreme examples, but other than that, I highly doubt they thought of you. Or more importantly, thought of their impact.
Everything you do is going to effect others. That is just the nature of the beast. You might be in a rush, and bump into a stranger on the streets, who might be having a bad day, who now (ir)rationally hates you. Or maybe someone doesn't appreciate your cutting in line. But on the other side, holding the door open might make someones bad day a little better. A simple thank you for a job well done. The point is, everything you do has the potential to impact others.
But how many people think about their impact on others? How many people try to make as many interactions they have positive ones? To me, it doesn't seem that hard to do. Start with the smaller things. Build from there. But most importantly, simply be aware of the impact you are making on everyone around you.
I am trying to continue making a positive impact through not only my life, but my blog. From some feedback I have received, I have been doing a good job at that so far. But i do ask one favor in addition to feedback (as always, good or bad is appreciated!), if you believe in what I write, and feel that it will help someone else who reads it, please feel free to share it. And as always, let me know what you think.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Monday, 2 January 2012
2011 - The Reflective
It has been a while since I have sat down to write, so I figure what better time than now to look back on the last year, and just as importantly, look forward to the next year. So here goes.
From 2011: Things I have done/am proud of.
- Moved to a new country: This is obvious. Having been accepted to Manchester Business School, I wrapped up my 4.5 years at Jackson, packed my bags, and jumped the pond. This is the first time since I lived in Australia I have been so far from home. It has been the adventure of a lifetime. And there is still 15 months left, it will be amazing to see where it goes.
- Ran 26.2 Miles. That is a marathon. And more importantly, I trained for the marathon. That was the challenge of the marathon, not the race, but the training. The dedication of running 2-3 times a week (ideally, more!) But it taught me a lot, the perseverance of it all. And I am like many marathoners, excited for the next one.
- Acted Academic. That is right mom and dad, I have been a student. And a good one, or at least I think so! I have studied for tests, I have attended classes (over 90%), and busted my ass on projects. And I have enjoyed it. Who know, being a student isn't all that hard. Working hard for classes doesn't kill you. I just need to keep that momentum into 2012
- Watched Every episode of Glee. And Merlin, and countless other shows. Hey, we all need an escape, and as a result, I have become a gleek.
- Made new friends from every corner of the globe. That is the nice thing about MBS. We are from everywhere. And everyone there is amazing in their own right, and it has been amazing to learn from them.
- I got engaged. Yep, this is the most important thing I have done in all of 2011, and can't be happier. I have found the woman that supports me and completes me. I would not survive in school, overseas, running marathons or anything else without Kathryn's support. And I hope (and she says I do) that I am half as strong for her as she is for me.
That is just the highlights for last year, and what a great year it was. From the move, to the MBA, to Kathryn, I couldn't have planned out a better year. But here is my attempt, my plans for 2012.
- Blog More. It is easier to find excuses than to sit down to write. I sometimes think more about the people reading than myself writting. But blogging for me is helpful, and even a bit therapeutic. It helps me process thoughts. It helps me learn from what I am doing. MBS talks about self reflection as a part of the learning process, and I believe that. I have done that to an extent, but I want to use this avenue to further it. I hope you find it interesting, but if you don't, I hope that I continue to find it helpful. Until the latter changes, I will keep at it.
- Study my ass off. I have 15 more months to go. It won't be an easy journey. But it will be an enriching year though. It will be a fun challenge, but a challenge none the less.
- Do what I need to do. This relates to Kathryn. I need to bust my ass in school, so I can get the job I want so we can start our life together. And after spending the last 2 weeks with her over break, I couldn't be more excited. Talk about strong motivation.
- Run more. And track my running better. I have marathon number 2 set up for April 29th, in Manchester. I have a full 4 months to train (better than 2!) I want to keep up the running more after the race too. I love running, but once again, it is easier to find excuses than to lace up the shoes. I have new shoes, cold weather gear, and new excitement for it this year. And lots of runner friends. Now it is just a matter of keeping it up.
- Live healthier. This goes hand and hand with the running. Go to the gym more, eat better, and balance the lifestyle. Now that I am not interested in drinking every night of the week, it is time to take the next step to a healthier living. I took out a lot of the bad, but never have added all the good, so that is my goal for this year,.
- Find an internship. My goal is to work for a consulting firm, and I have an application out there already. But I need to bust my ass, balance everything else, and commit to researching a whole lot of internships. I will, going back to blogging more, talk about the trials, tribulations and experience of finding one.
- Read another 5 books. Ideally, I would like it to be 10. I read about 15 last year, between fiction and non fiction. Jumping around books for fun and books on business and human behavior. I would raise the number, but I know that will be a challenge with studying. After school, the number will be at least 1 a month. But for now, 5 is a good goal.
- Work on goal setting. I have never been good at it. I have never put anything down, all though I have thought about it in the past. I have laid out maps in my mind, but nothing more than that. I am never going to make a specific goal based on a potential, yet volatile outcome. But doing something like this, will help me on this step.
- Continue my pledge and challenge I laid out to other people. Learn something new every day, and continue to go out of my way to do something nice for other people. This, in my opinion, is what is wrong with our world. People get complacent and don't treat other people with respect. If we can change that, just imagine what will happen in the world.
- Stay in contact with people better. I have to make a better effort to keep in touch with people. I have to make the effort, I am the one over seas (out of sight, out of mind, if you will.) And this is more than just my close friends. This is the old coworkers at Jackson, old business relationships, and people that helped me and touched me in my life.
Well, there it is. There was 2011, and a set of goals for 2012. This is not all I will be working on, but gives me some ideas, some points of reference for the next year. It will be added to, and subtracted from. But over all, I know it will be an amazing year.
From 2011: Things I have done/am proud of.
- Moved to a new country: This is obvious. Having been accepted to Manchester Business School, I wrapped up my 4.5 years at Jackson, packed my bags, and jumped the pond. This is the first time since I lived in Australia I have been so far from home. It has been the adventure of a lifetime. And there is still 15 months left, it will be amazing to see where it goes.
- Ran 26.2 Miles. That is a marathon. And more importantly, I trained for the marathon. That was the challenge of the marathon, not the race, but the training. The dedication of running 2-3 times a week (ideally, more!) But it taught me a lot, the perseverance of it all. And I am like many marathoners, excited for the next one.
- Acted Academic. That is right mom and dad, I have been a student. And a good one, or at least I think so! I have studied for tests, I have attended classes (over 90%), and busted my ass on projects. And I have enjoyed it. Who know, being a student isn't all that hard. Working hard for classes doesn't kill you. I just need to keep that momentum into 2012
- Watched Every episode of Glee. And Merlin, and countless other shows. Hey, we all need an escape, and as a result, I have become a gleek.
- Made new friends from every corner of the globe. That is the nice thing about MBS. We are from everywhere. And everyone there is amazing in their own right, and it has been amazing to learn from them.
- I got engaged. Yep, this is the most important thing I have done in all of 2011, and can't be happier. I have found the woman that supports me and completes me. I would not survive in school, overseas, running marathons or anything else without Kathryn's support. And I hope (and she says I do) that I am half as strong for her as she is for me.
That is just the highlights for last year, and what a great year it was. From the move, to the MBA, to Kathryn, I couldn't have planned out a better year. But here is my attempt, my plans for 2012.
- Blog More. It is easier to find excuses than to sit down to write. I sometimes think more about the people reading than myself writting. But blogging for me is helpful, and even a bit therapeutic. It helps me process thoughts. It helps me learn from what I am doing. MBS talks about self reflection as a part of the learning process, and I believe that. I have done that to an extent, but I want to use this avenue to further it. I hope you find it interesting, but if you don't, I hope that I continue to find it helpful. Until the latter changes, I will keep at it.
- Study my ass off. I have 15 more months to go. It won't be an easy journey. But it will be an enriching year though. It will be a fun challenge, but a challenge none the less.
- Do what I need to do. This relates to Kathryn. I need to bust my ass in school, so I can get the job I want so we can start our life together. And after spending the last 2 weeks with her over break, I couldn't be more excited. Talk about strong motivation.
- Run more. And track my running better. I have marathon number 2 set up for April 29th, in Manchester. I have a full 4 months to train (better than 2!) I want to keep up the running more after the race too. I love running, but once again, it is easier to find excuses than to lace up the shoes. I have new shoes, cold weather gear, and new excitement for it this year. And lots of runner friends. Now it is just a matter of keeping it up.
- Live healthier. This goes hand and hand with the running. Go to the gym more, eat better, and balance the lifestyle. Now that I am not interested in drinking every night of the week, it is time to take the next step to a healthier living. I took out a lot of the bad, but never have added all the good, so that is my goal for this year,.
- Find an internship. My goal is to work for a consulting firm, and I have an application out there already. But I need to bust my ass, balance everything else, and commit to researching a whole lot of internships. I will, going back to blogging more, talk about the trials, tribulations and experience of finding one.
- Read another 5 books. Ideally, I would like it to be 10. I read about 15 last year, between fiction and non fiction. Jumping around books for fun and books on business and human behavior. I would raise the number, but I know that will be a challenge with studying. After school, the number will be at least 1 a month. But for now, 5 is a good goal.
- Work on goal setting. I have never been good at it. I have never put anything down, all though I have thought about it in the past. I have laid out maps in my mind, but nothing more than that. I am never going to make a specific goal based on a potential, yet volatile outcome. But doing something like this, will help me on this step.
- Continue my pledge and challenge I laid out to other people. Learn something new every day, and continue to go out of my way to do something nice for other people. This, in my opinion, is what is wrong with our world. People get complacent and don't treat other people with respect. If we can change that, just imagine what will happen in the world.
- Stay in contact with people better. I have to make a better effort to keep in touch with people. I have to make the effort, I am the one over seas (out of sight, out of mind, if you will.) And this is more than just my close friends. This is the old coworkers at Jackson, old business relationships, and people that helped me and touched me in my life.
Well, there it is. There was 2011, and a set of goals for 2012. This is not all I will be working on, but gives me some ideas, some points of reference for the next year. It will be added to, and subtracted from. But over all, I know it will be an amazing year.
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