Main Goal I worked on this semester: Gaining an Internship for the summer of 2019 B
The book that changed my perspective on how to become “successful” and guided me in my internship search:
#1 Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know
Figure 1: Google Calendar used to call 5 Contacts per week to Network
Description: I made it a goal of mine to schedule and call 5 contacts per week that I know through my past experiences/internships as well as family friends and my parents professional contacts.
Why I did this: Through my reading of Rise and Grind one of the things that Daymond John touches upon is the importance of relationships in the business world as well as in life in general. In any interview process a candidate that knows someone at the company is more likely to get the job than a candidate that does not, all things being equal. People simply want to help out people that they know and think highly of, thus it is important to put yourself out there in the networking world to get your personal brand into the hands of those that can help you. If you network with someone who cannot help you out directly for different reasons such you are interested in a different field than they work in, chances are they know someone that can help you out and it eventually snowballs. A Final note is that it is imperative not to burn bridges. What I mean by that is you may come across people that you do not get along with or do not have a good relationship with, but is imperative not to do anything drastic in ending a relationship for example, because you never know when It can come back to hurt you later on.
How it worked out for me: I made it a goal to schedule 5 calls with contacts I know in the professional world each week. It took a little bit of time to get into contact with different people, but I was happy that I put in the effort because I learned a lot and got some very good advice from people who were once in my shoes and know what it takes to land a job in today’s world. During some weeks, I would only be able to call 3 or 4 of my contacts because things would come up, however I found it very helpful overall and would advise anyone who is looking for a job to make a schedule in which you take the time to call at least 5 people a week.
Side Note: I had a contact at PwC who was very instrumental in getting me a final interview with the firm this fall. (It’s not always what you know, but who you know!)
Takeaway: Taking a few hours out of your week to call people and grow your network can have an enormous effect on your future. You never know if one of those calls could be to your future boss one day.
#2 The Importance of Changing the Little Things
Figure 2: Sleepbot is an Application that I used to track my sleep habits and improve on getting maximum sleep every night
Figure 3: I used Google Calendar to physically map out my schedule for an entire week
Description: I used a few applications to track and improve on my personal habits such as using the app Sleepbot to track my sleep to make sure I got at least 8 hours of sleep a night. I Also used a Google Calendar to write everything I needed to accomplish during the week down with built in notifications that kept me on track.
Why I did this: Throughout the semester within this class and my reading of Rise and Grind it became apparent to me that in order to be successful in life you must take care of yourself first. I have really been thinking about improving my personal habits since last semester when I pulled two all-nighters in preparation for an important exam. I thought that if I studied really hard without sleep I would be able to push through the exam and get the grade I wanted. I got to the exam and my mind went blank. I ended up forgetting a lot of the information for the exam and ended up getting a very poor grade. Since that day I have thought about changing my personal habits such as sleeping, eating, and charting as well as scheduling the important things in my life. Through reading this book this semester Daymond John talks about the importance of putting yourself before your work in order to get the most out of yourself down the road. Although it is tough to make changes in one’s life due to the difficulty of maintaining these habits, one small change can drastically change one’s life for the better.
How it worked out for me: I knew one of the things that I needed to improve on was how much sleep I got in a night. I usually went to sleep around 1 or 2 am before I worked on improving my sleep. I wouldn’t be up until that time studying usually, which is why I knew I had to get to bed earlier. I used the application Sleepbot to track how much sleep I got for a week with my regular habits and it was around six hours. So I knew I had to go to sleep at least 2 hours earlier each night. I used the notifications portion of the app to set off an alarm at midnight every night that would notify me it was time for bed. I kept this up for about 3 weeks and after about 3 weeks, I was so used to going to bed at midnight that I didn’t have to set the alarm anymore. Since going to sleep at midnight during the week, I wake up feeling more rested than I did with my past sleep schedule. I no longer hit the snooze button in the morning because I am ready to go. I also made it a goal to map out my whole week using Google Calendar. I have always been someone who doesn’t think I have to write down what I have coming up because it’s “up there” (meaning my head). Through my reading of Rise and Grind I have learned that if you do not write things down it will eventually catch up to you and you will forget about something important which will ultimately hurt you. I had a personal experience that pushed me into writing everything I need to do down when I forgot about an assignment for one of my classes. I knew it was coming up but the assignment was only on the syllabus and not on carmen so because I didn’t write it down I forgot about it and received a zero. Since writing down everything I have in a week, I feel less stressed out as well as haven’t missed an assignment in any class.
Takeaway: These were little changes that I made in my own life and they have made me feel better physically as well as reduced the stress in my life.
#3 “The power of rise and grind is a state of being”
You’ve got to know where you’re going. You have to have a map you can follow. But it is also imperative that you know when it’s time to recalibrate your route.
Figure 4: My personal goals for 2018-2019 as well as my long term goals
Description: It’s not flashy but I used a pencil and a piece of paper to write out my short term and long term goals for this year and beyond.
Why I did this: The underlying message and thesis to Daymond John’s book is that Rise and Grind is a state of being. He states that you must know where you are going and have a map that will guide you on your journey. John also explains that it is imperative to know when to re-route and change that path to get you to where you want to be. When I read this, I knew I had to write down my short term goals for the school year from academic goals, to professional goals, to personal goals. I also wrote down my long term goals as a reminder of where I want to go. I taped these goals on my ceiling and it is the last thing I see at night before I fall asleep, and it is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. Although it may be a little corny that I taped my goals to the ceiling, I did it because of the fact that Rise and Grind is a state of being, and thus I am reminded of that every morning and every night.
How it worked out for me: My main goal for this course project and this semester was to get an internship for the summer of 2019. I am currently a 3rd year accounting student so I was very focused on getting an internship with a big 4 Accounting Firm. It was a very difficult but rewarding search and interview process, and I am happy to share that I recently accepted a position with Deloitte in their Audit practice for the summer of 2019. I am very thrilled that I have the opportunity to work for a firm such as Deloitte next summer and I am confident that this class as well as the book Rise and Grind helped me along the way. As for other goals I am still working on growing my network but I have made large strides so far this semester. I am proud to say that I have watched a Ted Talks once a week, as well as have communicated with my family twice a week all semester. As for the Bucks, I have only been to three games so far this season but I have the game circled against TTUN and I am looking forward to it.
Takeaway: Have goals, dream big, and do something as simple as writing down your goals on a piece of paper to remind you of your ultimate path and end objective.
Life Lessons:
Through reading this book I have learned a lot about what it takes to be successful no matter where you come from. It is not always a large change that will have the biggest impact on someone but rather the culmination of a bunch of small changes that can change someone forever. Something that I have also taken from this book is that it is important to know where you want to go. Have vision and map out how you will get there. I am happy that I chose this book because I learned a lot about myself for example, I never thought I could go to bed “early” and wake up “early” but now I am used to it! Below are some of the messages that I have taken from my book that I would like to share.
- In order to create significant change one must start with evaluating lifestyle choices
- Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and will help you along the way
- It is not always what you know, but who you know
- Be a lifelong learner
- Be a good person, life has a funny way of coming back around