Gratitude

Five things I am grateful for today: 1) slide deck in 2) going to the world bank 3) hometown coffee 4) education 5) sleep in any increment


In 2007, back in MySpace days, I started writing my status update with-
Five things I am Grateful for today: and then started filling in the list for each day.

I stopped once I fully converted over to facebook and deleted my MySpace account and then restarted with Facebook again in 2010.

I don't remember the day I began in 2007, but I do remember the mood. I was drained, emotionally exhausted and felt defeated. I don't remember the cause- maybe it was something simple like the weather-too many grey days in a row in Seattle, or maybe it was something fierce like a broken heart. I have no idea. I remember being in this mood, and turning on PBS (when tv traveled through the air and we didnt have to buy cable).

I started watching a pbs program on either how to be successful in life or how to unlock your happiness or something of this up lifting nature- and one of the keys the program touched on was the Neuroscience of gratitude and how being grateful has the highest impact on your well being and how gratitude aligns you with your success (how ever you define success).

I thought -genius- so simple. I can even do this.

So every day I was on MySpace and now facebook I usually will fill my status update on what I am grateful for. Sometimes my friends follow along and post their own grateful list on their status, sometimes they post their list on my status. Sometimes they just comment on my list- sometimes they say nothing for months and then when i see them they say something or dont- either way-its just there for a reminder of gratitude.

Tonight I got an email from a friend asking me if I would mind if she would start posting her own list on her status... And I replied "Please do!!!" I find it sweet and very silly she asked me - I think she was just being overly polite in asking- as if I own or think that a gratitude list is somehow me or mine. [I got the idea from someone really smart on PBS.] There would be nothing more that would make me happy then a world where all our Facebook statuses read a list of things we were grateful for. The power of gratitude is immense - and I would love to see gratitude flowing out of everyone.

Imagine a world that we were all consciously aware of the things were were grateful for- even starting with water-access to clean water. That thought makes me realizing how lucky I am to be in an area that has a system for delivering fresh drinking water to all my taps in my home- so many people in this world are living with out fresh drinkable water. Something happens inside of me and I get that feeling of gratitude and that immediate reaction of how can I help. In DC there is an art exhibit going on of empty school desks to represent the fact that a high volume (I forget the numbers) of kids dropping out of high school each hour. [due to my school schedule I am missing the art show]- imagine if our high schoolers knew how lucky they are to be educated. Education is not a right in many parts of the world. Some areas- women are not allowed to go to school- or maybe less severe -just discouraged.

What if we were grateful for the stuff we had?

Would we take better care of it?

Would we be more inclined to find solutions for people that don't have access/opportunity?

What if you wrote a list every day- how would you change? Would you change?

The tool of writing down three to five things you are grateful for each day has scientific evidence for improving your life! I encourage you, if you don't already - just try it out. It won't make Seattle sunny but it has for me aligned my life with my priorities and reminds me of my privilege, my responibility, my accountability and my dedication of service to make this world a better place.

Gratitude. The most powerful force for good we got. Truly.

Much love and gratitude,
Elizabeth

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MY GEMBA FAMILY

This is my GEMBA family :)
[I am kinda the where's waldo in this picture-but hey that kinda works for my camera shy personality.]

 A few little fun facts:
We are the 5th Cohort of the GEMBA program. The program is the brain child of Paul Almeida and Pedro Parada. You should google them-they are not only impressive-but also on the cutting edge for executive education - knowledge management and strategy-etc.

In only 14 classes I think I might want to get my PhD in policitcal economic theory.

Understanding Game theory is my summer side project- why wasn't this taught in conjunction with Biochem or Philosophy at Seattle U-I will never understand.

Accountants deserve much more respect in a company.  Business/Operations/RD etc.. are important. but I have a new found deep respect for accountants.  Financial Statement Management is not easy.
I think I have found the connection though between ThermoDynamics and Accounting by comparing the two:

Cash = Liabilities - All other asssets + Stockholders Equity

is the same as

   So G = Cash

U = Liabilities

TS = All other Assets

PV = Stockholders Equity

Once I put this association together, I somehow felt better about accounting class-and all was okay with the world again. Phew.


Sometimes when I go to sleep I hear my classmates accents in my head. I like the way different cultures use tone, pitch and frequency.  It is like little melodies.  I think Seattlelites are monotone in comparison.

Georgetown coffee is not very good and they still use styrofoam cups. I like Seattle's ban against styrofoam for restaurants.
 
I have no idea the most efficient way to write notes-in word-in the power point note section or with paper and pen. I hope to figure this one out by next module. 

I like group projects-it makes me feel like I am actually in school again.  One project is on Danone and understanding their financial statements and drawing conclusions from those. And the other project is on Amrut, an Indian Whisky company, and finding a non market strategy to solve one of their problems.

To prepare for the Amrut presentation we had the Scottish Whisky Association come to Georgetown for a whisky tasting.  I am not a whisky drinker normally, but I had a few sips. ;)  And all I can say is that I could taste a difference between the regions in Scotland-and I don't think I had a favorite.


It is hard for me to sleep-I am so energized being here that I am still trying to find a way to unwind and sleep. I feel like one thought builds on another and another.. and before you know it-I have been traveling the world in my mind looking at these issues and trying to apply them to my past and to then create new things in the future.

So maybe I will just quit there for tonight-before I start dancing with more ideas.

Much Love,
Elizabeth



 

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First week of school!

School has officially started!

Instead of climbing on the bus to go to school, I took the midnight flight out of Seattle to DC. I landed in DC after a layover in Boston around noon on Sunday June 10th. Leaving me a few hours before I met my cohort in the lobby for orientation.

I was nervous. The elevator doors open and there was my first classmate Miquel -with the welcome packet held in hand. He has a PhD in Biochem and works for a large Pharma in Spain. I was immediately relieved- Business school contains my science peeps!

We exited the elevators- and my life had been a blur ever since. A blur compromised of constant motion, colors, sounds, accents, little sleep, and many new friends.

The GEMBA 05 cohort is diverse.
My cohort is 39 people-from over 17 countries-11 are females. Ages range from me at 30 to others that are wise. The companies represented here range from big banks, IT, Pharma, government, world organizations, foundations, media and public relations- large multinational firms, to small private companies. Job titles range from CEO, VP, Directors, Managers with concentrations in all different functions-Finance, Operations, HR, IT, Marketing, R&D, Program Management, etc.

The common thread between each person is the desire for knowledge, wanting and understanding the need for the global perspective, and a true respect for others.

The typical day goes from 9:30am to about 6:00pm, then an evening activity to about 9pm or 11pm and then studying/work till late in the night.

In the DC module we are taking four classes: 1) Business, Government, and the Global Economy 2) Financial Statement Management 3) International Business Management 4)Integrated Course and then we have Special Topics throughout the two weeks.

While we are here we had one paper due, and 2 group projects. After I leave I will have 2 more papers and a take home test that will be due roughly two weeks after I return.

Once I am done with that, I will start my reading for module 2 which will be in Spain in September.

I have so much to do-so that is a simplistic recap for now :) Just know that I am loving learning-my teachers are top notch! I love the diversity of my cohort and enjoy everyone's company and their stories of experience.

I am deeply thankful for this opportunity and feel like I won the lottery because the tools I am gaining is sparking fires inside of me ready to create, connect and facilitate. Temperance. Temperance. Temperance.

Love you & goodnight,
Elizabeth

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Month of May Activities

May of 2012 is a month full of excitement and a month full of first time activities for me...

The most exciting event was on May 12th, when I officiated my best friends wedding, Zachary and Shannon Urban.  They met in 7th grade and were each others first kiss and now will be each others last kiss too. This was the first time I have ever ordained a wedding, and got the crowd to both laugh and cry, I fulfilled my duties. ;)

To get ready for the wedding and grad school, I had to go shopping and get some new clothes.  I have two fashion designers that are my personal stylist, Krystal Wolf and Cameron Levin.  Both of them sent me ideas and fashion tips on what styles to look for, possible stores to visit, color schemes, ideas for outfits, etc.  I have anxiety when it comes to shopping so I enlisted two of the brides best friends, Kelly Rozich and Alexis Smith to come with me to the stores. We were in and out of downtown in less than 3 hours-success!

On May 15th, I helped facilitate the World Affairs Council-Seattle event "Gay Rights as Human Rights" that brought together the Seattle community and international  and local gay rights activists to discuss the importance of Gay Rights as being Human Rights.This issue is very dear to my heart, as I think the abuse that marginalized populations have all over the world for simply being who they are, is inexcusable and that the world needs to protect vulnerable populations.  The first step is to be aware of the issues by joining in on the dialogue and then find how you can contribute to the solutions. 

Tomorrow, May 19th, I will lead a group of volunteers for Seattle Works Day. This is a day that over 1,300 people in Seattle volunteer over 4,000 hours around our city, in either public parks or non profits.  I have volunteered for 6 years now and have lead groups for the past 4 years.  This year, my team will be volunteering and cleaning up Golden Gardens park with over 100 volunteers. I am excited to see what we accomplish.

May 22nd will be my next major event as I am moderating a panel discussion on "Sustainable Science" at the WBBA.  I founded Clean Science in 2008, a group that dialogues about solutions to the waste inherent in Biotech-an industry reliant on sterile, one use products. I heard a statistic that Life Sciences is the largest waste generating industry in the nation. Is it possible to find a way to turn around our waste consumption and become an industry that has zero waste?  My personal goal is to try to make Seattle's Life Science Industry to be zero waste by 2020, and with vendors like Mt. Baker Bio, we may be able to accomplish this. I will keep you posted on how that event goes! Needless to say, I expect it to be inspiring and engaging!

May 24th,  I will be an art judge in this years Washington High School Science Fair- Student Bio Expo.  I have been a judge for a few years now.  The students research a disease or science topic and write an in depth 5 page research paper and then make an art project on their subject.  The kids projects are always intriguing and so creative. As a wannabe artist, I love seeing the youths interpretation of art and science combined.



I will keep you updated on the rest of May!

Elizabeth

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I invite you to follow me on my global educational adventure

Hello!

I hope this finds you well. As you may have already heard, I have been accepted into the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program through Georgetown University and ESADE University, and I'll be matriculating this June. This is truly an honor, as only 40 people are accepted globally a year, and out of the 40, only 10 are women. I am the youngest participant accepted, and the only Seattlelite (maybe the only west-coaster too!).

When deciding on which graduate program I would apply for, the options spanned the gamut: Public Health, Neurobiology, Whole System Design. During the time that I was weighing these choices, I was working with Pygmy Survival Alliance (a non-profit that I co-founded with Dr. Karl Weyrauch in 2009). I ended up traveling to Rwanda with the organization, and through a series of events that started on that trip, I was encouraged to apply to the GEMBA program. After much thought, I realized that a Global Executive MBA was exactly the degree I needed. I want to be a leader, someone who takes action, makes decisions, and organizes the best team possible for maximum effectiveness for the issue at hand. I want to sit at the table and have a vote and a voice; to espouse my values, looking out for the interests of people, animals, and the environment. I believe that the GEMBA program will give me the credibility, knowledge and connections to do this.

Sounds great, right?! My school is a part time intensive program that will have me traveling the world. The program consists of six 2-week modules, spread out over 13 months. I will travel and study in Washington DC, Spain, India, China, Brazil, and end the program in New York in July 2013. When I am not traveling, I will be in Seattle working, as my job has so  graciously allowed me to take the time off necessary for this program. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and I can't wait to begin!

I would love it if you would stay connected with me as I embark on this global educational adventure:

• Through email: Elizabeth.scallon@gmail.com, 

• By reading and commenting on my blog: elizabethscallon.blogspot.com

• Or keep an eye on my website: www.elizabethscallon.com

I'm always excited to receive travel tips, introductions to friends and colleagues, and feedback and dialogue on the topics I'm learning and writing about. I hope that you'll stay with me as I grow my network to make deeper connections with the global community.

Thank you so much, I look forward to hearing from you!

Elizabeth Scallon

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