Hi hi, great to see you again! Q1 and Q2 are long overdue, but oh well… In my defence, it’s still “better late than never.” Just let it slide… once again 🥲
Let’s jump right into the Ws:
Surrounded myself with AWESOME people who inspire me every day.
Got into a very selective living community at Babson, the eTower (entrepreneurship tower). Can’t wait to live with 20 other members next school year🫶
Was elected for the VP of Alumni position for the next semester at eTower.
Got an A in my Writing Across Context course. I’ve never gotten an A in an English course in my life before. Grades don’t define me, but this gave me an ego boost haha.
Got invited to be a panelist speaker on Admitted Student Day. When I was an attendee last year, I told myself that I wanted to become a speaker at some point. Still couldn’t believe that it had already happened in my first semester of college 🤯
Attended Collision, the largest tech conference in Canada, without paying the $1k ticket by volunteering. Also managed to get into the VIP lounge to talk to successful founders!
My first half of 2023 has been filled with Ws, however, a part of me still doesn't feel at ease. Here’s what’s been occurring on an average day:
The moment I open my phone to search for a useful screenshot, I end up remembering that I should respond to a few people on iMessage. When I get up from my desk to go to the bathroom, I find myself doing laundry that’s piled up throughout the week. I intend to do my daily Python-learning session, but before I realize it, I am on Indigo’s website, ordering books while there’s a promotion, and somehow I am now on a google docs page, writing this publication – while I have neither learned Python nor checked out my shopping cart yet.
Chaos.
While I’m genuinely proud of the Ws, there are personal traits that I value, but have yet to execute.
To my Q3 self:
People I look up to are grounded, mindful, and stoic.
They get a lot of shit done, but they also have the time and mental capacity to make spontaneous plans on the spot.
They are patient with the state of progress in their career because they learn to win long-term games.
I want to be like them.
There were many instances where my burning desire to achieve something prevented me from acknowledging that timing matters. These opportunities ended with disappointing results. Only if I was more patient with the process🥲.
I don’t want to lose long-range perspective by only aiming for the targets I see in the near distance; I’m still at the stage of compounding entrepreneurial acumen. For the second half of 2023, this looks like experimenting with new methods to build knowledge, reading many credible articles and books, and making bold requests for learning purposes.
Cultivating patience would also help me with emotional regulation, which I’ve struggled with severely in the past. I would benefit from taking control of how I emotionally react to situations. I’m slowly getting better at this.
Switching gears a bit:
Travel plans
After thinking about this city every day for months, I finally went to NYC again💕! When there was spare time between meet-ups with friends, I roamed the streets with my headphones and sunglasses on, and the sense of freedom I had in those moments was immaculate.
In August, I’ll be visiting my grandparents in China. I last visited Beijing four years ago due to COVID! As my grandparents are approaching their late 80s and mid 90s, I am learning to cherish the time I have with loved ones. I promised myself that when I go to China, I’ll be going with a present state of mind.
Conclusion
I’m looking forward to the remaining month of summer break. At the same time, I also can’t wait to return to Babson; the environment and people really do bring out the best version of myself 🌱.
Thanks for reading this newsletter. It’s all over the place since a lot of things have changed within the past six months. But these thoughts and experiences are what make life exciting.
Let’s kill Q3 together🚀
Be authentic, be vulnerable
Elena 💓
Resources
If you’re interested, here are some resources that have helped me grow.
Chat GPT(lol): learn to ask specific questions. The answers are accurate and educational most of the time.
Apollo: has one of the largest databases with professionals’ contact information. Can send bulk emails to people.
The Odin Project: free, up-to-date computer programming course.
Harvard CS50: Another free computer programming course, but the overall course design is older than The Odin Project.
Paul Graham’s essays: explores interesting topics in depth.
Love this, Elena!! <3
I love this newsletter, very proud of your wins and im excited for your Q3!