Summer Plans: DC 2011

I just finalized my plans for Summer 2011. Looks like I'll be DC all summer, interning for the U.S. Department of the Treasury!

I'll admit that although I am happy that I did get something, I still feel a tinge of dissatisfaction. I had setting my goals high, I wanted the big name firms and I wanted to start doing Finance (whether it be Asset Management or something Trading related).

This summer is looking to be an interesting experience already, I'm going to have the opportunity to spend an entire 3 months on my own - earning my own wage and paying my own bills (for once).

Bring it on!

Reflection

Sometimes, it's easy for people to become obsessed with discovering who they are. Maybe the point is, part of that self-discovery comes from reflection. Always remembering two simple things: where you came from, and where you're headed.

Up up and away...

It's unreal how quickly college is passing by. It feels that yesterday I was just a naive freshman, with dreams of meeting new and exciting people, becoming a "better" person and falling in love. Impatiently chasing after a new "me", that I could be happy with.

Who says that this is what will make me happy? In the pursuit of these three goals I have:

- Created far too many shallow friendships and became "too nice"
- Examined, cross examined, beat to death - all of my flaws, and have become dependent on the advice I get from others
- Fallen in love too quickly, been hurt, obsessed endlessly, been frustrated and lonely

I wish that at this point in my life, I had more things figured out. Wish that I could be both mature and exciting. I feel that my personal growth has made me boring and hardened me into cautious indifference.

I miss being able to surprise myself.

"Do Interesting Things" - zenhabits

"Write a book. Or an ebook. Write poetry and publish it on the web. Create interesting, lovely or funny videos, put them on You Tube. Be passionate. Write a web app that will solve a problem in people’s lives. Become a watchdog to replace the faltering newspapers. Explore the world, and blog about it. Try something you’ve always been afraid to try, and put it on video. Be yourself, loudly. Start a new company, doing only one thing, but doing it very well. Start a business that does a service you’ve always wanted, or that you are frustrated with in other companies because the service sucks. Put your heart into something. Say something that no one else dares to say. Do something others are afraid to do. Help someone no one else cares to help. Make the lives of others better. Make music that makes others want to weep, to laugh, to create. Inspire others by being inspiring. Teach young people to do amazing things. Write a play, get others to act in it, record it. Empower others to do things they’ve never been able to do before. Read, and read, and then write. Love, and love, and then help others to love. Do something good and ask others to pass it on. Be profound. Find focus in a world without it. Become minimalist in a world of dizzying complexity. Reach out to those who are frustrated, depressed, angry, confused, sad, hurt. Be the voice for those without one. Learn, do, then teach. Meet new people, become fast friends. Dare to be wrong. Take lots and lots of pictures. Explore new cultures. Be different. Paint a huge mural. Create a web comic. Be a dork, but do it boldly. Interview people. Observe people. Create new clothes. Take old stuff and make new stuff from it. Read weird stuff. Study the greats, and emulate them. Be interested in others. Surprise people. Start a blog, write at least a little each day. Cook great food, and share it. Be open-minded. Help someone else start a small business. Focus on less but do it better. Help others achieve their dreams. Put a smile on someone’s face, every day. Start an open-source project. Make a podcast. Start a movement. Be brave. Be honest. Be hilarious. Get really, really good at something. Practice a lot. A lot. Start now. Try."

- (http://zenhabits.net/do-interesting-things/)

Extroverted Vs Introverted

Does a leader have to be extroverted to succeed in driving innovation and change?

After reading an interesting article title "Leadership is not just for the extroverts" in Financial Times, I'm starting to reconsider my thoughts on the traits of an effective leader. According to this author, introverts can succeed and even surpass their extroverted counterparts depending on the dynamics of the team that they are managing. For instance, an extroverted leader will succeed in driving change and innovation if the group of people are passive and willing followers.
On the other hand, if the group is filled with pro-active members, people who are extroverted, it is best to have an introverted leader. What studies have shown is that proactive members tend to "butt" heads with their extroverted leaders, which results in those extroverted employees feeling under appreciated in return for their efforts. Intoverted leaders (i.e Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg) can provide a more positive environment for ideas to flow because they listen to their proactive members without criticizing or edging their idea's out of the big picture.

Even in college, this is extremely evident in group projects. With willing followers, it is easy for one extroverted individual to lead and oversee the completion of the project. Since I consider myself to be relatively extroverted, I always find these types of groups the easiest to deal with. And not surprisingly, those groups that have one or two proactive members can be very difficult to work with (especially if we end up having different project goals and underlying values)

The other day, I caught the last few minutes of "Vanilla Sky" and it really reminded me of brevity of life, and the choices that we make. In two quotes or less...

Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.

Everyone make mistakes, it's human nature to take a gamble and see where the dice fall. In my own life, I have made more life mistakes than I can count on my hands and toes. Despite it all, I've turned out alright. Nothing is set in stone, and everything can change - all it starts with is some motivation and discipline.

Most of us live our whole lives... without any real adventure to call our own

Life in itself is an adventure, but without direction and purpose - it falls short of expectations. This is a fact that I've been coming to terms with for a long time, in my life I have been lacking an intrinsic purpose, something that motivates me to get up every morning and be the best person I can be.

Sunday Morning

There's something awe-inspiring about being up early on a Sunday. You get to witness the stillness, the calm quiet that preludes the rush of students and people flocking to and fro - I can't describe how good it feels. I need to do this more often.

Blogging from a bench in Kogan Plaza at 6:45 am. (YEAH, NO SLEEP.)