Written by Daniel Kim
Randy Komisar, a successful entrepreneur and writer, outlines his philosophy to success in career and life in his book- The Monk and the Riddle. He writes that the best decisions he made in life were not pre-planned but instead made by following his guts when opportunities presented themselves. While having a structured framework in life is safe, it is good to remain flexible. He suggests that we live by the principle of a ‘whole-life plan’ instead of a ‘deferred life plan’, in which you postpone what you really want to do until you reach some goal (such as making a certain amount of money).
In American society, there is a consistent tendency to always prepare for the future and anticipate what’s to come. There is a formula to success and we are rewarded for our preparation. Starting in middle school, students take high school courses to get ahead. Students in high school participate in extracurricular activities and load up on AP and IB classes to get into prestigious universities. Once we are accepted and begin our college years, we are in a race once again to receive high marks and to secure competitive internships. This hopefully would lead the students to high-paying jobs and renowned graduate school programs. JD candidates, for instance, would then join corporate law firms and work long hours in the hope of becoming partners at their firms (by early 40’s). The concept of the American Dream is still very alive today; however, during the process, we sometimes are blinded by our own ambitions and fail to recognize our “inner calling” or passion.
I understood what Komisar was trying to convey to the readers only after I lived,
studied, and worked abroad. People outside the U.S. tend to live life to the fullest by slowing down or even stopping periodically to reflect and appreciate their lives. We, Americans, are sometimes on autopilot and are in such a hurry to get to our final destinations that we sometimes fail to see opportunities along the way. If these opportunities are identified and leveraged, it could lead to more fulfilling work even though we might not necessarily reach our intended destinations.
I was very structured and tunnel visioned prior to my time in Europe. I had always wanted to go into investment banking for the sake of having a high trajectory career. I envisioned myself working at a bulge bracket firm for two years as an analyst after college. Then, I saw myself moving to the buy side of Wall Street and working in hedge fund or private equity before returning to business school. I believed that the MBA degree from a first-tier business school would be the ticket to a successful career in finance.
During my junior year in college, I studied abroad in Prague, Czech Republic. My parents wanted me to study in London (since London is the financial capital of Europe), my political science professor recommended Rome and Paris, but I ultimately decided to go to Prague. How cool is it to live in an Eastern European country for a semester? Everyone I knew at Brown was going to Western Europe, and I wanted something different. While I was abroad, I met a cute girl who I grew close to. I was able to experience the Czech culture and the way of life through the lens of a native Prague resident with my interaction with her, her family, and her friends. It was such an eye-opening experience, and I discovered and learned a lot about myself and what I wanted out of life- something I wouldn’t have had I continued the structure we are used to back home.
Upon returning to the States, I embraced the element of spontaneity and newly discovered philosophy of life by applying them right away. I worked for two different start-ups during the summer of junior year at Brown rather than pursuing an investment banking internship at Merrill Lynch. My passion for entrepreneurship, then, led me to an internship in Sicily, where I managed vacation rental network of
properties and created a new advertising strategy to drive revenue. My past training in working with smaller companies has been invaluable and it brought me here to Silicon Valley today. I am about to embark on a new journey and start as a Global Sales Organization University Rotation Program Associate at LinkedIn. I am excited to contribute, learn, and grow both professionally and personally.
Living in the moment isn’t about being recklessly spontaneous or carefree. It’s a principle to live your life by doing things you love everyday and following your burning passion. It’s scary to deviate from your original path, but I know that you will be just fine. Have faith and live your life today!
GSOU All In 