Life lessons from a 2008 essay

Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons, doesn't it? I was scouring my personal inbox this evening searching for content to use on an upcoming podcast, when I found an old essay that I wrote for a graduate application almost 14 years ago. What's interesting about this essay is that the educational and business experience I was seeking coupled with global events at the time (remember the U.S. housing bubble, yes THAT bubble, that resulted in the 2008 global recession?) inadvertently led me down the path where I am today: Working for ConnectWise, a global tech company in the managed services industry, and helping our customers to navigate, survive and thrive during turbulent times. If you have a few minutes to spare, please read ahead to this 2008 essay; a snapshot in time that eventually became my reality:

What are your short and long-term career objectives; how and why will a MBA degree from X University, combined with your past educational and professional experiences, enable you to achieve these objectives?

I’m lying on my back, a hoof on my stomach, hoping that my horse won’t break my ribs. As soon as I see the hoof rise, I sit up and see my competition horse precariously standing next to the rusted barrels of a practice jump. My trainer kneels by my side, puts a hand on my shoulder and gently asks, “So, are you ready to get back on?” Without hesitation, I’m up within minutes and successfully tackle the jump.

This is one of the many moments that have defined who I am in my attitude towards life and work.

While friends and fellow competitors entered the ring on ready-made mounts guaranteed to win a ribbon every time, I had Traveller, a young Quarter horse my father bought for a steal. Time after time, experienced trainers advised us that Traveller could never bring home the blue ribbon. He was too small and too stubborn. But my family could not afford a top-level competition horse. We had to look within ourselves for the edge we needed to win.

One of the only advantages Traveller had was his commitment to me. My only advantage was my refusal to accept limits. But with patience, persistence and a willingness to take risks, we found our own way to succeed. Overcoming those challenges was a delight, even more than riding out of the arena as winners.

Today, the U.S. and global economies face difficult times. Success will belong to those who overcome challenges despite the odds, and who refuse to give up. Yet commitment and courage alone won’t do the job. Given our increasingly global economy, we need the vision, knowledge and skill to function in communities and cultures that lie beyond our own borders and outside our personal comfort zone.

On my first trip across the Atlantic, my family and I traveled to Rome, Italy. After checking into our hotel, we ascended the stairs to the roof café. I peered over the balcony. The streets were teeming with life and memories of an ancient civilization. A giant Egyptian obelisk reached towards the sky. It had been placed there by Marc Antony, lover of Cleopatra, rival of Julius Caesar, and a towering figure in Western history. There, before my eyes, lay a magnificent world; one which I had read about in books and was anxious to discover for myself.

That first experience was an inspiration. I felt like a door had been opened, but later realized that I had glimpsed what my ultimate purpose in life could be. Since then I have traveled to many countries. While they were called foreign lands, I never felt as if they were foreign.

My travels have made me hungry to learn as much as I can about other cultures. It is these experiences that encourage me to embrace lifelong learning. I have had the opportunity to travel and consider every moment to be a gift.

I have long been attracted to business as a profession. I am fascinated by the complex interactions of people, markets and the creation of value. What really excites me is the opportunity to pursue this interest while simultaneously experiencing foreign cultures, lands and people. I hope to find a way to combine my focus on business success with my thirst for learning about other cultures and peoples. I also hope to find a way to address what I view as a critical challenge for America – adapting to a new kind of world.

The 20th century has been called the American century. But already, it is clear that the 21st Century will be an era of globalization. Isolated by two oceans, America has only recently had to adapt to the rest of the world – for many years, the world had had to adapt to us.

Now many other nations and cultures are rising. Throughout most of my life, America will not be alone at the top. It is essential that the U.S. economy in general, and American business leaders in particular, learn to adapt to this new reality.

I would love to work in a management position in a global organization. My goal would be to find a position in a forward-thinking company that is committed to both customer and employee excellence. Now that’s a blue ribbon worth having.