argentina · B school · family · friends · holidays · life in general

Happy New Year!

Greetings and Salutations!

I am happy to say that I’ve made it another year and it is now 2012.  I spent NYE with old friends at a nice, low-key house gathering and it was the perfect way to bring in the new year.  While I was the 11th wheel, surrounded by couples, I carried my head high with my chin up and did not shed a tear at the stroke of midnight.  I have so much to be thankful for, that there is no place to feel lonely or sorry for my self (and you’ll see why below).

Now it’s very common when the end of a year hits and a new one begins to say that this [new, upcoming] year is going to be the year.  Yet, more often than not, December 31st turns to January 1st and it ends up being just another day.  However, call it hopeless optimism but for me, I think 2012 is going be a really great year.  A close business school friend shared with me a gentle reminder a friend told her.  What she was told applies to me also, so I’ll share it with you.

In one year (this being 2012 for me), I will do four things that some people try but may not get to do in their entire lives:

1. Live in a foreign country – as you’re probably aware of by now, I leave for Argentina in 12 days and I’ll live there for seven weeks, taking three classes at UADE.  I’ll also be consulting for a company (with a group of other students) as a part of my seminar and I’m really excited about the possibility of really making an impact on a business in Latin America.  I’m nervous about some of the uncertainty that living abroad brings but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it again.

2. Get a graduate degree – Granted, getting an MBA or any graduate degree is not for everyone, but for me, it’s been a personal goal since 2004.  For so many reasons I pushed it off – not having enough work experience, being in debt (hello, student loans!), a quarter-life crisis and an attempt at a  temporary career switch, among other things all deterred me from my goal of getting my MBA.  When I had my job at “OCC” (old confectionery company), an MBA became a “need-to-have” as opposed to a “nice-to-have” and I’m so grateful it did.  While I loved my job and had a blast doing it, I knew there were bigger and better things out there for me, if I could just walk out on faith and jump into a program.  So two years ago, I celebrated the new year by putting the finishing touches on my b-school applications and here I am…two terms away from graduating from a top 10 MBA program with a great job at a great company, and I couldn’t be any happier.

3. Move to a new place to start anew – This one is with mixed emotions but that aside, I’m excited about truly leaving the nest and embracing a new city and a new way of living.  While I’ll always be a Jersey girl and my friends and family from home are the bane of my existence, I know that I am being supported in my decision to “leave the nest” and that friends, family and Jersey will always have me back when I come home to visit.

4. Start a job I love, working for a company I love – And finally, in this new city, I’ll be able to start working for a great company, where I really think I’ll be able to thrive, learn and grow.  I was so afraid when I left my OCC (which I loved) that I would never find another company that treated me as good, where I had as much fun and where I felt valued and appreciated.  Luckily, my fears were just that.  It’s so important to me to be happy where I work because I spend so much time there…and thankfully, I think I’ve found the golden nugget.  I know I’ll work hard, but I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get down to business.

And these four things are the things that are planned.  There are so many possibility of things unplanned that can only make these tasks/accomplishments that much sweeter.  So, with that said, let the year begin!  (And a gracious thank you to my dear friend who reminded me of how truly blessed I am).

Happy New Year to you and yours.  Many peace and blessings.

2 thoughts on “Happy New Year!

  1. so proud of your many accomplishments and so excited to see what else 2012 has in store for Ivan…or is it Brute…well…both really!! xoxo

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