CLASS OF 2017
HULT International
Business School.
Sending my deepest congratulations from San Francisco. Several of you I have had in my International Negotiations and Women’s Leadership classes or special sessions, and I feel privileged to have been a small part of your Hult journey. Each of you, in your own special way, has enriched my life and for that I am grateful. As you celebrate today and plan for tomorrow, I wanted to leave you with some thoughts to take with you. First is one of my favorite quotes from Maria Shriver, former first lady of California and noted journalist, offered at the close of her Women’s Conference in 2010. Her mother, Eunice Shriver a trailblazer in her own right, during moments of transition and change, would remind her daughter: “Now you have a job to do. Go and do it and do it well. Finish it properly. And when it’s over, then move on.”
The key in this sentence that struck me was the notion of finishing something properly. Maria went on to share that while her Mother was fully aware that her A-type daughter would put her everything into completing a task to perfection, with endless energy and determination, it was in the proper finishing that was most deserving of attention. And by finishing, she meant taking the time to process the closing of a task, a journey, a season of life... by taking the time to truly reflect, take stock, and find gratitude for those who have supported you throughout.
This quote deeply resonated with me as I think too many of us spend our time jumping from one task, one accomplishment, and one journey to the next without giving ourselves time to really reflect and absorb all that we’ve experienced. It is in the proper finishing of something — where we truly take the time to go inward — where we can grow. It may be deeply unpleasant and seem tedious at times, as I have learned firsthand. However, now it is part of a ritual I have practiced which has enriched my life in so many ways, and I hope it will do the same for you.
4