Basic Basil

Having just spent 20 months at Columbia Business School - I wanted to share my tips and tricks for getting the most out of an MBA program.   I was known in my class as the person who always found the most interesting events, speakers, classes, books, advisers, and constantly sent classmates interesting job opportunities.   I squeezed every last drop out of my time at Business School and I've compiled my top pieces of advice so you can do the same.   One general piece of advice is to try to hold onto that feeling of awe and inspiration you had when you first walk on campus; it was a real pinch me moment.   It's strange how quickly being at an ivy league university becomes normal background noise.  I found reminding myself of how incredible it was to be there helped me through some of the more stressful times in the program.   And apparently, practicing gratitude leads to more happiness, so be thankful! Second piece of overall advice - read the book...

There is something special about sitting in a room with 600 women in the heart of Manhattan.   In the audience of Mogul X in NYC this weekend, I slowly started to realize that I felt different than I normally do.   Normally I'm in a completely male-dominated room, measuring my words carefully, taking care to appear to belong. I'm not sure if I've really ever noticed it before - perhaps this inkling of self-awareness is the first signs of my short-lived attempt at daily meditation finally shining through (more on this in a later post). In any event, I recognized it, so I've decided to explore it a bit here. Lately, I've been doing a lot of soul searching. My decision to quit my job and attend Columbia Business School at 31 was a little daring, and completing my program last week without a decided career course strikes many as downright crazy, or lazy.   But, having worked 10 years already, I've chosen to take the time and evaluate what my career h...