10 Things I Know to be True

Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet, has an amazing TED talk, "If I Should Have a Daughter" in which she describes how she teaches kids to write poetry. She has them write lists, one of which is "Ten Things I Know to be True."

In my Strategic Management class, we watched this video and then were encouraged to write such a list reflecting on what we have learned from grueling semester we have nearly completed. Here is my list:

1. All-nighters are still overrated. 
2. Tea is wonderful. So are coloring, naps, and playing with play-dough.
3. Being proactive and getting done early instead of the last minute is a beautiful feeling.
4. Trust and communication are hard, but they are vital. Teamwork does not exist without them. 
5. Ideas matter and have incredible value. 
6. People are complicated. So having FIVE people on a team is really complicated.
7. Time is precious, so use it well. 
8. I can do hard things if I choose too. Stop freaking out and DO something. 
9. To-do lists help me keep my sanity.
10. I have way more appreciation for smartphone apps and small businesses. Just because it looks simple and well-designed on the outside does not mean that it was easy. 

My classmates shared some of their reflections, too: 

• "You can do more than you feel but less than you think." ~Jeff
• "Asking for help isn't being ignorant, it shows a desire to learn." ~Rachel
• "People will always see things from a different perspective than you do." ~Nick
• "Be open to good things coming from hard things." ~Danielle 
• "Attitude is everything." ~Libby
• "Time is a crucial, limited resource."~Josh
• "Pushing forward is sometimes the wrong thing to do." ~Nadia 

My strategic management team. We created an app called
 ShareDat that is designed to make sharing items between
neighbors easier and safer. 

This class has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. In fact, I cried and got angry about it again today. But looking back at this list I see I really have learned some good things from the class. And, in addition to my 10 things, I grew in my business knowledge. We took five random people and made ourselves a team and a respectable business plan. I know more about smartphone apps and writing business plans and working with people and accounting and strategy than I ever knew was possible. I have overcome hard things and am better off for it.