Self-Reflection on my MBA from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto !

I did it! I successfully got my MBA from #RotmanSchoolofManagement. I am now part of esteemed Rotman Alumni community …!

One of the questions, I have been asked gazillion times over the last two years is how I did the Executive MBA with both full time job and family and what’s next in life?

Following is what I would like to share with all of you today.

I recall the confirmation call following an email on September 22nd 2017, less than 48 hours prior the start of EMBA that I had successfully managed to enroll myself into the program. Being a father of 3y old boy & 3 months old girl, I opted to take the challenge of starting EMBA from the top business school in country with commitment of two years besides a full-time job. Clearly, I was not aware of what I was putting myself into. Had it not been support of my family, my colleagues at work and school this would have never been possible.

Fast forward November 2018, I got the grades of my final deliverable and I was made aware that I have successfully completed the requirements to participate in graduation ceremony along with my competitive peers from “EMBA38” to celebrate and enjoy the convocation on 21st June 2019.

Keeping many other things aside, I want to highlight the two key takeaways that I learnt in the last two years going through this transformative roller coaster ride at Rotman.

“Fear of Unknown” H.P. Lovecraft beautifully said “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”. It is nothing but the fear of failure, which limits us from being creative, from being innovative or authentic. We sometimes push against our personal values to play safe and not challenge the status quo. Living through this program, I was able to recognize my capacity and strength to come out successfully each time I doubted myself. I learnt to have faith in my abilities, believe in myself. I learnt not only how to survive outside of my comfort zone, but to learn something new each time. As our valedictorian mentioned "Try something new, you will either pass or learn new things"

Perseverance is the key “Success is a journey and not a destination”. There were many moments, days, weeks when I decided to quit. As Imran Khan says, “You only lose when you quit”. We all have our own ways of getting to where we want to be. Each one of us is unique with unique perspective, because our brains are wired differently. In this fast pace world, when success is dopamine driven, we have to allow ourselves to take our time on this journey. The goals we set for ourselves will constantly challenge us because of both “the knowns unknown” and “the unknown knowns”. Remember to take the first step, follow with second and third, it will only get you closer to your goal.

We all are on journey to success, to make a better tomorrow for ourselves. Some of us have just started, some of us are almost closer to the destination. Some of us might have failed numerous times and would be on the verge of quitting. With my MBA, I have equipped myself with diversified tools of skills, which has allowed me to be more effective in my personal and professional life.

I do have more courage & self-belief in my ability, at the same time more patience to realize meaningful goals in my life. I will continue this momentum personally and professionally and will take challenges for my community, my people and myself to make world a better place.

Do not allow people around you to write your story. Take control, take charge of what you want to achieve in life and put aside all the fears. Everything is possible, it's all in the mind.