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Positivity through M.B.Attitudes

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How the MBAttitudes helped me stay positive through my first-year challenges

My MBA journey began with my dream of boosting my career. With these three letters attached to my name, I could already envision new opportunities unraveling, just like Ali Baba’s cave.

Once I began the program, I realized this journey would be fraught with difficulties. Although the program aligned with my schedule, I needed to find a way to transform each hurdle into potential growth and turn any doubt into constructive reflection.

From the very first class, the race against the clock began for the 50 members of my cohort. It was an academic endurance contest marked by readings, assignments, and team projects. I drew from these three letters — MBA — the energy I needed to overcome fatigue and stay focused on my goals.

Some courses were more challenging than others. Despite their complexity, I persevered even when the abstract concepts seemed elusive. In this avid quest, I came to realize that discouragement is an actual step towards achieving my MBA goals. I aimed to transform this Bartleby-like descent into an uplifting ascent that propelled me beyond my limits.

Gradually, I revisited the transformative learning I had envisioned and decided to shift my paradigm. Therefore, I adopted a new creed which I called the MBAttitudes:

  • Blessed are those who have a heavy workload, for you will discover your true endurance and the strength of perseverance.
  • Blessed are those who struggle with stats classes, for you will learn the power of determination.
  • Blessed are those who doubt their abilities, for you will learn far deeper lessons about yourself and life.Ray of sunshine on a forest path
  • Blessed are those whose motivation is declining, for you will learn to find within yourself a stronger willpower.
  • Blessed are those who grapple with instructions that seem incomprehensible, for you will learn to interpret and find clarity in chaos.
  • Blessed are those who are tired, for you will discover not only the strength of self-reliance but also the value of team collaboration.
  • Blessed are those who are facing crushing deadlines, for you will learn to master time management under pressure.
  • Blessed are those whose classroom is crowded, for you will learn the value of a single voice within a chorus of opinions.
  • Blessed are those who find the MBA challenging, for you are carving out a unique path, filled with unexpected learning and personal discoveries.

With great challenges come great opportunities. They shape us into resilient, thoughtful, and truly enlightened leaders.

This article was written by Loutchka Télémaque, a first-year MBA student at the Telfer School of Management. Her bachelor’s degree in translation along and her master’s degree in comparative literature bring a multidisciplinary perspective to her professional path, enabling her to blend her diverse skills into her approach to management in our ever-evolving world. Her goal is to make informed decisions that encompass the new realities of Industry 4.0 while embracing human-scale governance models.