Welcome to my blog!

The latest chapter on my Voyage of Discovery begins on September 15, 2016, with my first day of classes.  I’m working on a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) through the Executive MBA program at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each week, I’ve noticed a theme—usually something that I experience from more than one direction—that feels like it needs more exploration/processing/discussion.

You’ve probably noticed that when you learn a new word or idea then you start to see it everywhere. I want to share those ideas here. I’ve been keeping a list. But I’m writing this post on October 30, 2017; what’s up with that?!

Ha! Writer’s block, fear, the saboteur, and general life getting in the way. Yet, isn’t it nearly always fear that holds us back and taking action what moves us forward?

So, I’m jumping in where I am. (Because really, isn’t that all any of us can do is to start where we are?)  We’ll learn along the way.  There may be some bumps on the road, but I’m learning to celebrate the trying and the failures because they are all part of the adventure, part of the growing, and part of what moves us further forward.  Dear readers, I hope you’ll follow along and engage in the discussion with me.  I welcome your comments below each blog.  I hope you will forgive my faults, encourage other’s ideas, and add your own wisdom and perspectives—but above all, I hope this will be an encouraging place to share and grow.

I plan to post new blogs as topics come up (with a goal of at least once a week) and I want to post blogs on the topics I’ve already collected. I’ll back-date these latter blogs with the dates they were inspired by but also post the actual publication date for transparency. I think the timeline as ideas are sparked and evolve is also interesting.

What kinds of things can you expect to read about?

• Topics I love: creativity and the science of innovation, travel, learning and exploration, people, genealogy, good stories, improv, fitness and good health, playing in the outdoors, art (especially glass), and the wonders of creation and the environment.
• Worlds that collide: I like to integrate seemingly diverse ideas. For example, as an undergraduate, I double-majored in Mechanical Engineering and Zoology. Most people would think that would be an unusual combination, but I explain it to people that Zoology is just reverse engineering. With Zoology, you have a working system, and you wonder what the components are that make it function. In the world of Mechanical Engineering, the goal is usually to take a series of components and build them into a working system. It’s all a logical connection (in my brain anyway.)
• Hints of nerdiness: As you may have guessed from my majors, I love math and science and technology so you’ll probably see math and science connections in this blog, and they may include unabashed hints of nerdiness.
• Business vocabulary and topics: This is probably a no-brainer topic because after all, I am in business school; it’s a major part of my life at the moment. Just like learning any new language, I learn it better the more that I use it. Plus, I’m learning all kinds of new ideas that I want to explore further.

Where is all this headed?  That is part of the adventure!

David McCullough is a Pulitzer Prize winning author who has written much about history; he knows history and how it unfolds. I find this comment of his so intriguing to think about: “Nothing ever had to happen the way it happened. History could have gone off in any number of different directions in any number of different ways at any point along the way, just as your own life can. You never know. One thing leads to another. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Actions have consequences. These all sound self-evident. But they’re not self-evident—particularly to a young person trying to understand life.”

After my undergrad, I went on for a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. Some people said, “well, that was the obvious next step.” Was it? There were all kinds of other things I could have done as well.

Now at this crossroads, was an MBA the next obvious step? What about after that?

After a company merger moved my job out of state, I’m unemployed while in school and searching for the next step. If the next seems obvious to you, please let me know. (You can find more of my skill sets at LinkedIn.)

I started business school because I love creativity, innovation, and advancing new ideas but felt I needed to “speak business” to be able to more successfully advocate for—and encourage—those ideas and idea generators. But what is the next step from here?

The next step isn’t so obvious from this perspective, but there is joy in the journey. It will be another adventure, and probably lots of discoveries along the way. Please join me as we see what’s in the backyard and what’s around the bend.