When I grow up, I want to . . .
My lovely RWS professor assigned this blog today, and I wanted to include the words she used to underline its importance:
If we don’t have goals, we probably won’t achieve the things we dream about. If we don’t identify those things, we may not reach beyond what we are currently doing, right this minute.
I’ve always been a goal-setter, and year to year they vary widely. I consider myself to be a social chameleon – feeling just as comfortable among engineers as I do and often in my younger (ahem..last year) days, I found myself subconsciously adapting someone else’s goals; whether it was someone I saw on Instagram, a friend, or even a cute boy I liked, I’d splice their goals into mine.
These past few months, I’ve retreated. I realized I could no longer reflect a kaleidoscope of differing goals and interests and passions. It was “ambitious” when I was younger, but lately, I’ve been told by many people that I respect that I can’t be “a mile wide and an inch deep.” So here I go, off into the horizon that is developing one’s identity. And screw a mile, I’ll make it a marathon eventually.
I said in my last post that a good showman reveals his tricks, but P.T. Barnum, arguably one of the best showmen, “recognized that his public wanted to feel involved in his shows”(Green 253). So, I’m getting you all involved. Here’s a small selection of my recently adjusted goals:
- Increase equity for women in tech – As a female in technology, it is frustrating to look around a room and not see more people that look like you. I plan to achieve this goal by helping align women with opportunity as I progress in the tech world, providing the type of mentorship that I received that has been so beneficial to my career.
- Build deep relationships with friends & family – To me, human connection is crucial for every aspect of life, and I expect myself to treat it as such. Nurturing my relationships by being there for the people I love and making them a priority will elevate my mental health and my life in general.
- Quit & say no to things that don’t feed me (mentally/financially). Enough said.
- Own an investment property(or two, or three) – I want to build a legacy for my future family, and investment properties are definitely something I will have in the future. As Robert Kiyosaki always says, “Don’t work for your money; make your money work for you.”
- Graduate debt free from undergrad at SDSU and a highly-ranked MBA program – First part almost complete. I was blessed to receive a full ride to SDSU on account of all the work I did in high school, and have been working to support myself since I was 17. Second part in the works. Stay tuned.
- Explore my interests in data science and venture capital more deeply – I just recently realized what my two main areas of focus are, so I’m excited to explore them further through a range of projects.
This is my last blog of RWS for the semester, which is a little bittersweet. I enjoyed having an accountability buddy in the form of a syllabus – I’ll be writing again soon for sure. Reflecting on my past experiences and future goals through writing is so rewarding, and I love going back and looking at what I’ve written years ago. Hopefully, I’ll be able to look back on this in 10 years and be proud of what I’ve accomplished since the writing of this blog.
Another excellent post, Paige. (It does seem you have some skills at creating lists, which of course you can use in the next major project.)
Your writing is clear and focused. Scientists who communicate well can change the world, I think. I know this blog wasn’t just for the class, so I hope you find the accountability to you need to keep writing., (You are so right about the power of accountability.)
I look forward to reading your next project.
Erin