Your Success Story & My 6-Month-Old’s MBA Pursuit
/I hope that this last week of October will allow you to fulfill your wildest dreams. With all the political craziness going on these days, I know our dreams may feel distant and unimportant. Think again – they are now more important than ever, and you must keep them alive!
Over the past two weeks, my dreams have been re-energized by reconnecting with other graduates and students from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (“Booth”), where I earned my MBA. The first opportunity to reconnect occurred over lunch with other Booth Wallman Scholarship Recipients, two of which are chosen each year by Richard and Amy Wallman. You can read more about Richard and Amy Wallman’s efforts here – they are amazing people! Their full-tuition scholarship award made my decision to attend Booth a no-brainer, and I wouldn’t be on the entrepreneurial path I’m on today without their generous support of me. Richard and Amy are part of my wealth story. (Richard and Amy are part of the Charisse Says community, and thus I THANK YOU Richard and Amy as I have eternal gratitude toward you).
At the lunch, I had several ‘ah ha’ moments that are relevant for you in your own wealth creation journey:
Our wealth journey happens, in part, because of the generosity of others – in your circle, who has played an outsized role in advancing your career? If you cannot think of anyone, I want you to think again as he or she is there. Or, if you are on the other end and have bestowed generosity to others, have you connected with those whose lives you touched?
Make it a priority to continue to foster the relationships that make it possible for you to be where you are, and where you want to be down the line. I know, sometimes it’s hard to break away from your routine and make time, but you will go further faster if you do.
Practice gratitude and I guarantee that you will see how your life will be changed for the better. Your dreams will be one step closer when you practice gratitude.
Recognize the story behind your success – I’ve never written about Richard and Amy Wallman on my blog, and I’m fixing that now. Others need to know the story behind my story because it unleashes an amazing energy that’s needed to move next level. How can you recognize the story behind your success? You will be re-energized in ways you cannot even imagine.
The second event I attended was the Booth Herman Fellows reunion, which brings together women annually to share, connect, and help each other progress. I am not a Herman Fellow, but Mike and Karen Herman have been gracious enough to let me sit-in with their esteemed group of entrepreneurial-minded women. This year’s speaker was Linnea Roberts, Founder and CEO of Gingerbread Capital, and she dropped some knowledge relevant for you too:
Take your place at the table. You must actively take your place in the conversations, activities, and decisions relevant to propel your career and money forward. The next time you have a question about a money or investing issue, make sure that your voice is heard.
Making yourself attractive to other people means making yourself great. While Linnea was specifically talking about company founders raising venture capital, her nugget of wisdom is very applicable to all facets of our life, especially when it comes to our money. Are you considering buying a home or starting a business? Ask yourself - how am I positioning myself to be great? This can be a humbling question, and you will learn a lot about yourself in your response.
Let someone dust you off and get back out there. When you fail (and if you’re accomplishing something great, rest assured that you will fail), it can be hard to get out there and try again. In times like these, let someone else (a family member, close friend, advisor) dust you off and send you back out there. Experiencing disappointment in the company of those who love you will not only help you to get back out there, but actually allow you to do so in full confidence.
I capped off the week with seeing the joy on my now 6-month-old’s face after putting on her own Booth outfit – check the jacket emblem. While she may never choose to pursue an MBA, she can at least sport the coat and pretend she’s in pursuit (smile). She constantly reminds me to bring joy in everything I do. She is joy, and I’m spreading her joy with you this week. As I said two weeks ago, your pursuit of wealth should create joy.
