The Dreams That Come True

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This year, I achieved something I had been working toward for years.

I got into three of my dream business schools: the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago’s Booth Business School, and the London Business School.

Now I know that there are many reasons out there to not go to business school (in addition to many reasons as to why to go!).

Entire articles have been written about the diminishing returns on investment with the rapidly increasing costs of attending an MBA program. Some argue that the value of an MBA degree has decreased greatly in the past few decades. As a result, many talented individuals now forgo business school in order to continue advancing at their firms or launch their own startups.

I myself have gone back and forth on whether I should even apply. Ultimately, I’ve decided that attending business school this fall is the best choice for me, for many reasons, both personal and professional. I’m excited to be attending, but more importantly, I want to truly take in this accomplishment and be grateful for a dream come true.

In 2020, the GMAT was my Mount Everest.

While everyone I know was locked away at home, bingeing Netflix’s Tiger King and Too Hot To Handle, I toiled away for months, trying to recall the many grammar rules I had learned back in high school and the geometry I hadn’t looked at since the SATs. In the end, I got a score I was happy with and decided to put a pause on business school until I had gained more work experience.

In the fall of 2022, I decided it was time for me to apply to business school and once again spent weeks writing my admissions essays, requesting letters of recommendation, and finalizing my applications. And while I was overjoyed to learn that I had gained admission to some of my dream schools, the excitement and pride quickly wore off and I moved on to other goals of mine: launching a business this summer, growing this newsletter, and figuring out what was next career-wise.

It was not until much later, during a conversation with my friend Kamelya, that she made me realize that sometimes we’re so focused on the future that we don’t realize we’re in the middle of what we used to dream of having.

It was true.

I was so focused on what was next on my checklist, on the next obstacle, the next challenge, that I forgot to truly appreciate what I had accomplished. In the case of business school, I had finally achieved a goal I had set for myself years before, but when the goal was reached, I was quickly off to the next thing.

As I started to reflect on this, I realized that at 26, I had already achieved so many things I had wished for. After graduating from college, I dreamed of moving to London and building a new life for myself full of wonderful new experiences. Though it seemed like only a dream at the time, I made it happen only a year later.

I built a life for myself in London that I had dreamed of. I had incredible new friends from all over the world, was working at one of the best finance firms in the world, living in an incredible apartment in Kensington (for free, believe it or not), and traveling to some of the most beautiful destinations in Europe.

If I told my 13-year-old self all the things I’ve already accomplished, both in my career and personal life, I’m not sure teenage me would even believe it.

That’s how far away all of this seemed only 13 years ago.

But why do I forget that? Why do I glaze over any accomplishment, as soon as it’s achieved, and move on to my next goal?

Why do we, as people, always want more, more, more?

Why does the bar keep getting higher every time we’ve finally reached it?

Why can’t we just remember to stop and reflect on all the things we’ve accomplished and be grateful for how far we’ve come?

Is it because we’re so conditioned to always be chasing the next best thing and we’re so quick to adapt to any change in our lives?

Or is it because we’re so connected to the world around us by virtue of being online 24/7, seeing what everyone else has accomplished and achieved in the meantime?

While it’s good to be ambitious and in pursuit of greater things, how much of it is truly coming from our deepest personal desires, and how much of it is being driven by comparing ourselves with others around us?

Constantly comparing ourselves to others and their accomplishments can lead to a never-ending pursuit of more and a feeling of never being satisfied. This can also lead to a sense of inadequacy and low self-esteem, as we may feel that we are not achieving as much as those around us.

While I was happy to be getting into business school, as I looked around me, I saw others building companies, achieving financial freedom, being named on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists, and more.

While I was initially proud of my achievement, I realized that this was not enough—I needed to be doing more.

Working more, making more, and just being more.

But that’s not the way it should be.

Everyone’s journey is different, and what may be considered a great achievement for someone else may not be the same for us.

We are all unique in our hopes, dreams, and desires. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we should reflect on our accomplishments and be grateful for what we have achieved. This can lead to a greater sense of well-being and happiness.

While finding a balance between pursuing our innate psychological needs and being content with what we have accomplished may be challenging at first, I think it’s the only way to achieve a sense of fulfillment in our lives.

Otherwise, we’ll always be chasing what’s next, trying to satisfy a goal that was never really there in the first place.

Until next time,

Sabrina

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🌊 Dive Deeper

1. If you’re in the market for a fun beach reach, I highly recommend Emily Henry’s books. I’m currently reading her latest book, Happy Place, and it’s just the right mix of romcom and summer living. You’ll feel like you’re right there on a beach in Maine with the characters. 😎

2. I’ve been bingeing Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s show on Apple TV, Platonic, and I can’t stop laughing every time I watch it. It evokes mid-2000s Seth Rogen movies, but with a new spin in which the characters are hyper-aware of their millennialism. So good.