Who are you

UVA's application asked for one word that was your favourite. I chose I. In hindsight reading that 10 lines of writing it seems kinda pretentious. Heck, who really knows what one word is a favourite. Maybe if it were symbolic writing like chinese which takes on more of an art form than anything, then perhaps we can talk about favourites.

4 years since applications for universities, funny how years of education lead up to that one last hurdle and in a blink of an eye it vanishes, poof. I scoffed at people who wanted to stay in school, who got PHD's, who never left and stayed on as professors, teachers. I now know why it's so appealing. Maybe I'll change my mind once I start work, who knows.

Who am I? Someone that realized that she can achieve anything if she puts her mind to it. Someone who seized the things she was good at, applied herself to it and realized that everything works out in the end anyway. And a B+ is not fail. Someone who has no regrets these past few years, none at all. I did what I did when I wanted to do it, and that is that.

I've always failed at one time goals that I place before myself, failed at achieving what others labelled "best". But maybe it's an acceptance that grades reflect nothing but your ability to run on the hamster wheel of education. It's everything you learn outside of it that truly counts, how to earn the respect of your peers, your mentors, your seniors, your bosses, and Michigan unlocked that for me. It's exactly like Pachella said, if you choose what you want and stick with it, it all works out in the end.

I had this conversation with a lovely friend from Tango yesterday about how I had NO idea how to execute a move that I was being led into, and stubborn me who thinks that she can master Tango if she just TRIES hard enough will never settle for realizing that she has limitations and not taking lessons isn't helping anything. Anyway, Tango is so Zen like in the realization that only when you master all the moves then do you return to the very basic, walking, feeling, musicality. But above all, it takes the struggle of learning all the other things in order to execute the simple things well ala Carlos Gavito. The hardest things in life (sitting still and emptying your brain) come across as the simplest don't they?

Anyway, the mark of a truly good leader is one who will make you feel comfortable, at whatever level you are at. However, I argue that you always need a little push, someone who takes you out of your comfort zone just a notch to show you what you can do next. Otherwise it's easy to settle into routine. But above all, embrace and musicality are paramount.

Routine really does change doesn't it. Surround yourself with the positive, create something within yourself that is solid and unchanging so you can cling on the rough sea of life, that's probably the best advice.