Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Had a relatively good time at the Gala this evening. They announced us all, we did our thing, got our little 'betsy' pins, ate, drank and made merry.

Was most impressed with the 'Woman of the Year', Laureen Ong. She's from Nat Geo (our competition...yikes), but gave a memorable speech that covered passion and taking chances.

She told the story of how when she was little & would go out to eat with her parents, her father forced her to try something new from the menu each time. She used to get upset but learned to appreciate it later in life....

This is where her story of passion comes in. There were many times where she'd "try something new from the menu" of careers, only to learn that there was something missing. At one point when she was between jobs and sort of desperate, she tried the financial field. It's not that she couldn't do the work - she was smart and knew the mechanics. It was just that she had no desire at all, no passion and therefore just couldn't do it.

She had to try though - just as a way of testing the waters - and it ended up helping her to learn more about herself. She began to understand what she loved and was really good at, and what she didn't love...and years later, that led her to her current job, heading up a network which, after only 5 years, is profitable and a ratings success. Her passion.

As I listened to her, I realized that my passion has all but dwindled in my current role. Maybe it's time for me to start sampling other things on that career menu.

Me in my Betsy 'gala-wear'

posted by oren_ishii at 10:28 PM 0 comments