MBA here I come!

hanging out at the knowledge center

Sitting in the University of Nevada‘s  library knowledge center for the last time as a graduate student feels good. Everything I have worked for has come to a head. I wait impatiently (patience has never been a strong point for me) for my last final to begin tonight. Let me take a trip down memory lane as I reminisce about the past few years…

let’s take a trip back in time together to 1985

I am one of those people who went to college right after high school only to find myself unfocused and unprepared to commit to an education. After two years in school, my future seemed nebulous as I got married at age 20 (yeah I know it is young) started a new life as an entrepreneur, then a mom, single parent, newly remarried, etc, etc.

Fast forward 20 years to 2005 (sound effects should be beeping as we travel in time) First, where did all the time go? I don’t feel that much older. While I was skating through life, my husband completed his MBA and passed all the CPA exams. His accomplishments were amazing. He was amazing.

Yet for all of the admiration, I was bitter that I never finished college. Not completing a degree felt like I was missing something big. As one chapter in life closed (Formals Bridal), another was opening (Miriam Gomberg; student) right in front of me. Rather than sulking or hanging out at the gym, Robert sent me back to school to finish the education I left incomplete 20 years earlier.

In 3 years I had a BS in health science. Did I just do that? Now I was amazing too. I cried like a baby during the graduation ceremony. This was a colossal accomplishments. One problem was that I graduated in 2008 right as the economy was falling apart. Better to stay in school and keep going. After all, if I didn’t continue while in the mode, I probably wouldn’t ever go back again.

what did I get myself into?

Enter the MBA program at UNR. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the program after taking the GMAT 3 times (yeah, I felt dumb too). The difference was that not only was I a wife, mom and student, but a full time retail manager as well.

It was expected for students to work in the field, but in retail, there is no office in which to do homework during off-times. Long stretches of time are spent on your feet and the hours can be crazy as well. This was to be a bigger challenge than earlier expected.

girls in hoods

Yay! I’m done!!

December 10, 2011 was graduation. It was exhilarating putting on the cap, gown and hood. Funny I didn’t cry at all during this graduation. The past few weeks have been unbearable in that I suffered from an acute case of senioritis.

I always prided myself in the quality of work I presented while in school. College is a privilege, that I did not take for granted. There are not many people who are allowed the chance to return to school after a 20 year hiatus.

lesson learned: I can do anything (with perseverance of course)

A substantial lesson I hope to pass on from this is what it takes to complete something as important as higher education. There were sacrifices I made, along with family and friends in order to make the dream a reality. My children saw how hard I worked for the past several years and that even when I would complain, I never gave up as It was never an option.

So where do I go from here? Which path should I take? At this point, my future is still cloudy. There are no guarantees that people (employers, etc.) will find my  education or services valuable. Just because I graduated, does not mean I will discover a dream career right away. It is all part of the journey, and it fulfilled a personal need to grow. What else could I possibly ask for?

Related articles

• Foreign Enrollment Surges at U.S. B-Schools (businessweek.com)
• Is MBA your ticket to a bright future? (rolipolli.wordpress.com)
• I’m getting an MBA? (travellearnlove.wordpress.com)

Show some enthusiasm! #trust30

Avery's cheerleader box

Enthusiasm by Mars Dorian

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” is a great line from Emerson. If there’s no enthusiasm in what you do, it won’t be remarkable and certainly won’t connect with people on an emotional basis. But, if you put that magic energy into all of your work, you can create something that touches people on a deeper level. How can you bring MORE enthusiasm into your work? What do you have to think or believe about your work to be totally excited about it? Answer it now.

(Author: Mars Dorian)

What is enthusiasm?

Admittedly, the first thought that ran through my head was that enthusiasm = FAKE!  Like a cheerleader shouting at you trying to engage you in a football game in which your team is losing. So I did what I typically do when uninspired by a prompt; look up a key word in the dictionary. I normally don’t post what I find in the, but this definition moved me.

enthusiasm |enˈθoōzēˌazəm|
noun
1 intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval : her energy and enthusiasm for life | few expressed enthusiasm about the current leaders.
• a thing that arouses such feelings : the three enthusiasms of his life were politics, religion, and books.
2 archaic derogatory religious fervor supposedly resulting directly from divine inspiration, typically involving speaking in tongues and wild, uncoordinated movements of the body.
ORIGIN early 17th cent. ( in sense 2) : from French enthousiasme, or via late Latin from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthous ‘possessed by a god, inspired’ (based on theos ‘god’ ).  Oxford English Dictionary

As a customer experience leader, I strive to motivate both the staff and my customers each day. In order for me to do so, I need to believe in what I am selling. This goes way beyond whether I like a product, and into the realm of believing in the company and the leadership that I work for. When I question a company’s ethics, it is impossible for me to remain authentic in selling their product or brand.

I  generally communicate by sharing a piece of myself in hope of connecting on a deeper personal level. I often relate through story telling and ask others to share of themselves in return. Because this communication method is natural for me, I remain genuine and believable.

More please…

Now, back to the prompt. How do I bring more enthusiasm to work? I need to believe that what I do and how I do it is important and adds value. If I feel undervalued and unappreciated, I don’t want to give more of myself to the cause. If I feel as though a project is redundant and useless, I cannot easily convey a sense of enthusiasm to others. In my mind, it is an authentic experience that inspires both myself and others.

Servant leadership is a great example of managers inspiring employees. A great article by one of my professors at the University of Nevada, defines a servant leader as “someone that views herself as a resource to help employees achieve remarkable results, not the source, or oracle from which all leadership wisdom and direction must emanate.” Dr. Bret Simmons.

The achievement of results can be understood as sales or production but I prefer thinking figuratively.  If the leadership that directs me is concerned chiefly with my well-being and ultimate success,  I will be able to spread that feeling to my subordinates. Do I think that somewhere in an ivory tower a CEO is interested in a lower level manager somewhere in the field? Absolutely! It is all of the field employees that help make the business a reality. Without them, there is nothing left but an empty shell.

Like a pebble rolling downhill in the snow, the enthusiasm snowballs as it continues through the ranks. Through my excitement, others follow. Because what I ask of the staff is as important as what I am doing, they develop a sense of pride in their work. When they are gratified, so am I. The circle of appreciation and recognition is complete but also unending.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Self Reliance Post #7

Five Years by Corbett Barr

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

(Author: Corbett Barr)

Let’s begin six years ago (I can’t count)

A lot has happened in five years I never could have foreseen. Through what could be called a Butterfly Effect, I changed my destiny by closing my business six years ago. Instead of sitting in a hole wallowing in self-pity, my husband Robert suggested (OK he actually dragged me kicking and screaming) that I go back to school and complete a degree.

Now its five years ago

Fast forward one year later, and I was a full-time student at the University of Nevada Reno. I had not worked in over a year, volunteered for my daughter Avery’s cheer squad and loved every minute of it. I was still trying to determine what course my career would take once I graduated.

If I could go back in time, I would tell “past me” I would be OK, but that I need to plan better for my future. It is true that the journey is more important than where you go, but have some sort of destination in mind from the start.

Five years from now

The greatest piece of advice I can give “future me” is to take better care of myself. floss my teeth, don’t eat too much junk food, and continue exercising. In five years I will be almost 50! I don’t want to have spent all this effort on self actualization and education only to completely fall apart physically.

Lesson learned: don’t focus on who you were or who you might be

The future will take care of itself. I am doing the things I feel necessary in order to ensure success. Of course, success is relative. Take it from someone who has reinvented herself many times over; tomorrow is another day and a new beginning. Let go of the past, embrace the present and plan for the future.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Self Reliance Prompt #3

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

(Author: Buster Benson)

What is my passion?

Wow! This prompt is by far the hardest one I have done so far. I have many beliefs and like to think that I share some of them with my family.

I believe that my voyage into the blogosphere has become one of my greatest passions. If you would have asked me one year ago if I would ever consider blogging, I would have laughed hysterically until I peed my pants. I never thought much about writing, it was a necessity as a student. Writing for some other purpose was way outside of my box.

Bring it on!

As a personal challenge, I enrolled in a personal branding course at the University of Nevada Reno this past semester. I learned to blog, tweet. I also cleaned up my Facebook account by turning off Farmville (yes, it was hard for me. I was on level 80) and joined groups on LinkedIn. I soon discovered my love of social media and blogging in particular.

One of my greatest gifts is my ability to connect with people by sharing experiences with them. To the chagrin of my children, I talk to complete strangers (part of a sales background, can’t be helped) and make friends easily. Discovering a personal brand and finding a niche has been hard, but I knew that I had something to say.

Blabber on!

At this point, blogging is still new and exciting (started February 2011). It is great to see people actually want to read my posts. Friends know that regularly I talk to myself  and consider blogging to be an extension of my inner monologue. No one else in my family or my circle of friends blog. Robert and the kids respect that blogging has become a passion of mine.

Inspiration comes from everywhere; reading others’ posts, conversations on Facebook, LinkedIn groups, and Twitter are a constant source of material. Shopping with my kids or by myself gives me inspiration for posts on customer focus and sales. Experiences at work are a great inspiration as well.

Lesson learned: I love blogging!

I was ecstatic when Dr Simmons, my personal branding professor, offered me the opportunity to get more credit for continuing my blog. How awesome was that? After spending the past semester putting the whole thing together, I could not imagine letting it go. Getting credit for it was the icing on the cake. My belief in blogging is here to stay!