***Note: This is a re-post of a blog post I originally shared elsewhere on 9/18/2009. Thank you to those who granted me permission to re-share the content of this post.***
Good afternoon all! How are you??? Things have been pretty hectic on my end. Unfortunately, I had to leave early from an HR/Marketing internship I had at Aflac. It was a great place to work at with awesome people, but I just did not have the time and energy to balance the job with my studies and my assistantship.
In the past, I had done a pretty good job with balancing my time amongst numerous activities, commitments, and other opportunities. However, in this instance I found that I might be trying to take on too much. As such, I sat down and made a spreadsheet with time estimates for my weekly and semester commitments. In doing so, I realized that there literally was not enough time in my weekly schedule to honor all of my commitments. Had I not taken the time to analyze the situation, I would have continued to think that I was not being efficient enough. Efficiency is important, yet quality, health, and balance are also important aspects of work and life.
As I have said in previous posts, it is important to develop not only as a student or a professional but as a whole person. It is good for me to push myself, to both dream big and reach far. Yet, part of my personal growth is also realizing that I cannot 'do it all' or 'have it all'. As Aunt May told Peter Parker in one of the Spider-Man movies, "You're not Superman, you know." Well, I am not Spider-Man either.
Last year, in MBA 583 class, we watched most of the video The Smartest Guys in the Room. I remember when former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling made a bold remark about his intelligence and how we all laughed about it. When we stopped the video to discuss about intelligence, I recall saying something along the lines of "being smart is not just knowing what you know, but also knowing what you don't know." We need to know both our strong points and our limitations. In doing so, we can play to our strengths, improve upon our weaknesses, and know when to ask for help.
Even Superman and Spider-Man (who are fictional superheroes) have strengths and weaknesses. While on the surface level it is their super powers that make them seem superior, in the long run it is their knowledge and understanding of their abilities and limitations that sets them apart from their villainous foes. Like these fictional characters, we--the real people that we are--are all vulnerable at some point or another. It is up to us to admit this vulnerability and learn how to deal with it.
Good afternoon all! How are you??? Things have been pretty hectic on my end. Unfortunately, I had to leave early from an HR/Marketing internship I had at Aflac. It was a great place to work at with awesome people, but I just did not have the time and energy to balance the job with my studies and my assistantship.
In the past, I had done a pretty good job with balancing my time amongst numerous activities, commitments, and other opportunities. However, in this instance I found that I might be trying to take on too much. As such, I sat down and made a spreadsheet with time estimates for my weekly and semester commitments. In doing so, I realized that there literally was not enough time in my weekly schedule to honor all of my commitments. Had I not taken the time to analyze the situation, I would have continued to think that I was not being efficient enough. Efficiency is important, yet quality, health, and balance are also important aspects of work and life.
As I have said in previous posts, it is important to develop not only as a student or a professional but as a whole person. It is good for me to push myself, to both dream big and reach far. Yet, part of my personal growth is also realizing that I cannot 'do it all' or 'have it all'. As Aunt May told Peter Parker in one of the Spider-Man movies, "You're not Superman, you know." Well, I am not Spider-Man either.
Last year, in MBA 583 class, we watched most of the video The Smartest Guys in the Room. I remember when former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling made a bold remark about his intelligence and how we all laughed about it. When we stopped the video to discuss about intelligence, I recall saying something along the lines of "being smart is not just knowing what you know, but also knowing what you don't know." We need to know both our strong points and our limitations. In doing so, we can play to our strengths, improve upon our weaknesses, and know when to ask for help.
Even Superman and Spider-Man (who are fictional superheroes) have strengths and weaknesses. While on the surface level it is their super powers that make them seem superior, in the long run it is their knowledge and understanding of their abilities and limitations that sets them apart from their villainous foes. Like these fictional characters, we--the real people that we are--are all vulnerable at some point or another. It is up to us to admit this vulnerability and learn how to deal with it.