Breaking the Rules

Yes, breaking the rules can be fun sometimes. I'm sure you've done it. You might have even enjoyed doing so once or twice. There's always a certain way to do certain things, according to the common crowd. But what if we don't like the traditional way of doing things. How willing are we to break the rules? It could be fun...

Think about it in a business setting. What would it mean to break the rules? Maybe to see things in a different perspective. Or going against the status quo of procedures. It could even mean to break the rules of traditional thinking and thinking outside the box. I would summarize all these points in a simple phrase; disrupting the industry.

Disrupting an industry can produce immense amounts of satisfaction to you, and also to those who benefit of the product or service you provide. It means that you're actually thinking of better ways to solve problems. It also means that you truly care about bringing as much value to your customers as possible. 

Here's an example of a disrupted industry. The headphone industry. What did Skull Candy do? They brought coolness to a boring product. They gave music some swag. They gave earbuds a social and emotional value. Wearing Skull Candy not only improves your listening-to-music experience, but it makes you feel acknowledged, as if you had something others don't. Some people might be staring at you -- you enjoying it, of course -- saying, "Man! That dude's wearing Rasta Skull Candy Earbuds!" Yeah, exactly, you become the center of attention. 

So what's my plan then? Disrupt the industry? How? No clue, yet. But it sounds exciting, doesn't it? 

It's time to break some rules...

Change: Love it, Embrace it, Pursue it

                         

Have you ever heard that change is the most constant thing in our lives? I had heard it so many times throughout my life, and even considered it to be a very possible cliche. Now, its become one fo the most real aspects of my life. And you know what, its great.

Things that have changed in my life:

• Country of residence. Actually, Continent of residence.
• My major. From Economics to Accounting, then Philosophy and now Finance or Marketing.
• My perspective on an education. At some point in my life I had to stop "playing the game" and start becoming a life long learner, rather than doing the bear minimum for A.
• Food preference. I'm a big fan of California burritos now.
• Finances? Man, I have to live on budget now. Everything seemed so much cheaper when I lived with my parents...

Yeah, the list keeps going on and on.

So what now. I guess its time to embrace change. It sounds like a good idea to me. I really do enjoy the that extra spice that change brings to my life. I think some people could see change as the end of things they liked, loved, or felt comfortable with. I believe change simply means the beginning to new things. It opens doors to new and exciting opportunities. It truly brings life to life!

But is it really enough to embrace change? Why not pursue it, if it is as good is it sounds. Maybe I'll do exactly that. I need and want change in my life. I'm going to pursue it. Live in different places for the rest of my life, maybe? Or pursue a career formed by a variety of occupations. Maybe continue to explore the most exquisite cuisines in the world. Life just sounds so much more exciting now, doesn't it? 

Reinventing Oneself

Entrepreneurship seems to be such an exciting career path. Its adventurous, uncertain, possibly disappointing, but it can be extremely fulfilling if it satisfies a sense of vocation. I've been working on an on-campus internship with a venture capital company. I've had to investigate certain entrepreneur's career paths and write blogs about their lives. Such exciting lives!

Curiosity has struck me. I have identified myself with their stories, and have been able to picture myself as an entrepreneur. I have learned that self-motivation, creativity, perseverance, and a desire to change and improve are key aspects of an entrepreneur. But, perhaps, the most important element is having the ideal of reinventing oneself daily, according to Alfredo Ramirez, a successful Peruvian entrepreneur. Reinventing oneself means to ask oneself, what more can I do, what changes can I make, what can I improve, how can I exceed my limits. There seems to be no limits for the innate entrepreneur.

I have decided to explore this area. I might be breaking a few of my original plans to do so. See, a few months ago I had it all figured out. Study Corporate finance, and have a steady job as a financial analyst for a company. But I have recently recognized that I need a little more adventure in my life, so I've been changing things up. I'm leading the Marketing projects for my internship, and I will be a Marketing TA this semester. Why Marketing? Not sure, but it definitely sparks out the creativity in me, and it gets me going.

I have a few crazy ideas in mind for this year. I'll see how long I can push the adventurous side of me and explore career paths I hadn't quite considered yet. Although finance is still an option, because I really enjoy it, I feel like there's more I want to do with my career. 

Home

What a great Christmas break. I went home for the first time in two and a half years. I spent time with my family and friends, visited places I used to hang around, and ate my favorite Peruvian dishes. Home stills feels like home, even after such a long time.

After the two weeks I spent in Peru, I realized that home is where my I can be with my family. Even though I enjoyed visiting Peru, I enjoyed the trip mainly because of the people I spent time with. My family is definitely the most important thing for me and it's great to know that we have a very strong bond no matter where we live.

I have set in my mind to make my family a priority. I might be a long ways from home, but I'm sure I can find things I can do to continue to strengthen my relationship with them. My parents and grandparents live in Peru, my brother lives in San Francisco, and my cousins live in California, Las Vegas and Canada, but if we continue to build a strong relationship with each other, the distance between us won't really separate us at all.