2020 Reflection: Looking back so that the view looking forward is even clearer
It has been a challenging year and in one form or another, you were impacted by COVID-19. My close friends and family member’s lives changed, almost overnight, due to the pandemic. Whether someone lost a job or was furloughed, to mourn the loss of a family member, and everything else in between. Not much has changed from the start of the year to now except that we adopted a new normal, unknowing to how long it will last. More than ever before, finding clarity is critical to moving forward.
It is the start of a new year so I thought it was fitting to take stock, reflect and find clarity for my 2021. Author Richard Carlson said, “reflection is an underused yet powerful tool for success.” With these words, I encourage you to take the opportunity to reflect on your 2020 (and earlier if needed) and create a rough plan for how you want your 2021 to look like.
“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it” — Kahlil Gibran
Since high school, I’ve managed my anxiety levels in healthy ways (running) and unhealthy ways (stress eating) but nothing could have prepared me for 2020. Many aspects in my personal life began to shift beneath me and kept piling up. Little things that went differently to how I had planned or anticipated caused my anxiety levels to rise. Also, working full-time while pursuing a full-time graduate degree is not easy as I had academic and extracurricular responsibilities. Most of you felt anxiety levels higher than normal during this year. As Gibran said, anxiety comes from wanting to control the future and the reality is that we can’t control it no matter how much we try to anticipate scenarios and plan.
I wanted to find a new way to manage anxiety. In October, I came across Cold Hydrotherapy (a fancy way of saying cold showers) to balance the body and the mind. This technique goes back hundreds of years as primates endured physiological stressors like temporary cold and heat temperatures as part of daily life. It is theorized that brief changes in body temperatures, like a cold bath, helps the brain function. Once the initial shock of the cold shower is over, it is very invigorating. The wet and cold causes our surface vessels to tighten up, making blood move from the surface of the body to the core as mean to conserve heat. Taking cold showers increases the release of mood-boosting neuropterans that helps calm down positively influencing focus, attention and mood. Cold showers increase mental toughness. It is also a form of active meditation where you focus on one thing for an extended period of time. This was a game changer for me, and I want to share it with you. It is said that 9 out of 10 people see an instant benefit.
Here is my routine: Take a cold shower until your body adjusts to the temperature, which can take between 3 to 4 minutes. I use a stopwatch to gauge. Immerse yourself in the cold water. Your breathing will change from the moment the cold water hits you and you will be forced to actively meditate focusing on the cold. After your entire body is acclimated with the cold for the stated time, turn the water off and stand in the shower for a few seconds before drying yourself. As you dry yourself, focus on your body warming up. The release of endorphins reduces stress and may cause a euphoric feeling. You may start to feel tired but this is what calm feels like. Repeat this routine in the morning and before going to bed. I have found that my anxiety levels have decreased significantly and can sleep better at night. It is advisable to take a cold shower after working out, not just for muscle recovery but if you have any anxiety, the shift from hot body to cold water will help you calm down even more. In 2021, I will continue to take cold showers and also incorporate Whole Body Cryotherapy to reduce stress, anxiety and increase energy.
“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting get back to” — John Ed Pearce
I left New York in search of professional growth but I came out finding myself. Over the past seven years, I had the privilege of working and living in various cities across 4 continents with my previous and current employer, PwC and Barclays Capital, respectively. These cities included Cali, Colombia, Johannesburg, South Africa, Chennai, India and London, United Kingdom. The difference between traveling to a city on a holiday versus living in a city is immersion. I am thankful for the opportunity to have immersed myself in beautiful cultures where I learned about the music, food, traditions but also participated in them. Immerse yourself in the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable and the unknown.
Over the years, I would travel back to home to visit my family but I felt that living outside “felt better.” That feeling was nothing more than the crave to learn and experience what life outside home had to offer. While I lived abroad, I spoke with my family at least once a week, usually on a Sunday as I was doing chores. To my surprise, in August, I was given the opportunity to return home with my current employer and I reflected. I saw my parents getting older; felt that I had missed too many birthdays and social gatherings; missed making memories with friends and a family; and I missed immersing locally. I was ready mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for my return.
I was not expecting to move back home in the middle of the pandemic but living at home throughout was the best thing that could have happened to me. What I treasure most is the endless conversations that we would find ourselves talking, debating and even fighting about. I have always missed home and I needed to be away for a bit to truly miss it. To my colleagues abroad, thank you for your patience and your teachings. To my friends abroad, our memories will carry with me always. I am forever thankful for the friendships, memories and teachings that I took away. In 2021, I will reconnect with my friends and re-immerse myself back at home. Also, I would like to travel locally more.
“There are a few people in this world who you can just love and love, and love no matter what” — John Green
It is never too late to fall in love and at 35, I believe that I found it. I know what you may be thinking, how could you make such a bold statement so soon? (your second question is probably, why did it take you so long to find it?) Well, for one reason or another, I didn’t feel that “the one” was in front of me despite my sincere efforts to find it. I have no regrets because you learn from every interaction that you have. My partner once told me that “when you know [you found the one], you know.” Without realizing this, I knew that Cindy was the one from our initial conversations and it only grew stronger every interaction and experience that we shared. I read that “it’s so easy to fall in love but hard to find someone who will catch you” and I can definitively say that 2020 showed me that love is not just a feeling or emotion or a state. It is a way of standing next to someone that motivates you, challenges you, supports you and catches you.
You don’t find love, it finds you. When Cindy and I least expected, love came knocking on our doors as we were each pursuing an MBA at Columbia Business School. They say it’s common for classmates to find love in their peer group but I didn’t think it would happen to me. And so we embarked but starting a relationship during COVID was not easy. It gave a different dynamic and it challenged us to be creative for dates and experiences. Relationships take work and our journey was filled with many highs and fewer lows but in all, it allowed us to find ourselves in love, friendship and partnership. I am thankful to have found my best friend. I love you kiddo. In 2021, I want to be a better companion, partner, friend and lover.
“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later” — Hal Sydney Geneen
I had hands-on experience consulting for two luxury consumer goods companies.
I served as an advisor to the CEO of Toscana USA, a direct-to-consumer accessible luxury Italian brand that offers handcrafted leather shoes, boots, and accessories for men and women. I assisted in drafting a strategic marketing plan and assisted in executing social marketing campaigns. During this process, I discovered an interest in creating ways to engage with customers online that convert to sales. The company’s e-commerce went live in December and I invite you to get to know the brand and shop at (https://toscanausa.com).
I participated in the Small Business Consulting Program (SBCP), a Columbia Business School student led pro-bono management consulting project. I leverage the skills and experiences I had accumulated over my career paired with learnings from business school, to solve our client’s case study. Siddharth Tripathy was our engagement manager who challenged us, gave us direction and also listened to our ideas and research. Becky Shin, Sophie Tsou and Victoria Lin were my fellow consultants and we each owned an area of the study. I sought to leverage my background in accounting and technology implementation to conduct the Operational Analysis for our client, Hania, a New York based luxury cashmere knitwear client. You can visit their website at (https://hanianewyork.com) and I invite you to review our final presentation on LinkedIn.
I keep in contact with both client’s management teams. The relationship builder was important to me but even more rewarding was leaving things better than how I found them. The process of creating and implementing change was rewarding. I am truly thankful for this experience. Leaving things better than I found them creates a positive impact in my world. This is my personal mantra. In 2021, I want to do more of that for myself, my community and relationships.
“A good private equity investors create a lot more economic value than they destroy” — Bill Ackman
As you know, I began my MBA in the Executive Global Program in the dual degree at Columbia Business School and London Business School. I completed several elective courses including Mergers & Acquisitions, Foundations to Private Equity, Corporate Finance and Restructure, Economics of Strategic Behavior, Corporate Growth & Development, and Turnaround Management. These courses taught me ways to find corporate value by reviewing concepts and reviewed them in case studies. I am thankful for my esteemed professors who are leaders in their fields and are staple names at the business school, for your teachings, discussion and case studies.
I developed a close relationship with Professors Donna Hitscherich, Kathy Harrigan, and Greta Larson. I participated and presented at the Private Equity Breakfast Series. Refer to my decks on Linkedin where I discussed views on SPACs and the State of Private Equity amidst COVID-19. Lastly, I participated in a KKR competition pitching an LBO proposal in telecommunications. In 2021, I look forward to participating in Columbia Business School Private Equity Program and serving as a Teaching Assistant to the Mergers & Acquisitions elective.
120 months, 520 weeks, 3,653 days, 87,672 hours, 5,260,320 minutes equals a 10 Years Work Anniversary!
Over my 10 years at Barclays Capital, I had the opportunity to work from 4 different offices. It is difficult to say which office is my favorite office but one thing that stands out consistently is the remarkable individuals that Barclays Capital attracts. There is simply too much to talk about my experience with the firm and I will save this for another time. I want to thank the many managers who have supported me in my career growth. To my peers, I thank you for teaching me plenty and I hope that I was able to reciprocate. In 2021, I look forward to leveraging my MBA to not only grow within the company but make a positive impact on my team and colleagues.
“Don’t start a business. Find a problem. Solve a problem. The business comes second” — Robert Herjavec
Many students enroll in an MBA Program because they want to become entrepreneurs and learn how to grow a business by acquiring foundations in operations, management, marketing, economics, finance and all in between. We read case studies as part of an experiential learning. I entered Business School with a problem in mind that I was looking to solve. I was able to refine the problem statement and began to structure a solution through electives like Entrepreneurship Summer School (London Business School), Launch Your Start-up and Summer Start-up Track (Columbia Business School). I would like to thank Professors Jack McGourty and Bill O’Farrell at Columbia Business School and Professors Jeff Skinner and Rupert Merson at London Business School for their teachings, speaker series, experience and leadership in entrepreneurship. I look forward to taking the Entrepreneurship Strategy elective with Professor Jorge Guzman.
My biggest takeaway is that entrepreneurship can only be learned in the trenches. This year, I focused on customer discovery and designed a prospective solution to the problem trying to partner with great minds to execute it. I am thankful to my entrepreneurship mentors, Michael Dean and Brian Rich who supported me by constantly challenging me. I can never thank you for the guidance and mentorship. Last by not least, I want to thank our summer intern, Nishita Lamba who was just a pleasure to work with!
Stay tuned for more updates in 2021…
