Question of the Month: December 2015 Edition

2015 is wrapping up fast and 2016 is coming soon. Too soon. It’s that time of year when we reflect on the year that has passed and resolve to make good in the next 365 days (366 on a leap year).

Whether you’re trying to survive your family or the hoard of last minute holiday shoppers at the local mall, we hope you enjoy December’s Question of the Month.

We asked our team to fill in the blank: “All I want this holiday season is ______________”

Shawn:

All I want this holiday season is good company. And some food!

Kelly:

 All I want this holiday season is: 

-A video chat with my family
-A new pair of knee-high boots
-A beautifully written chapter of my thesis

 AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL IS: A! LOT! OF! SLEEP! 

Mina:

All I want is to spend quality time with my family!

Francesca:

A partridge in a pear tree.

But really, I am just hoping for an absolutely excellent year in 2016 full of love, laughter, and roaring success for jessLEARN Inc. I want our students to excel and to see what we, their tutors, know they are capable of when they commit to their goals and work in tandem with us. I want our team to become even stronger than it was this year. Anything else would be a lovely (and very welcome) bonus! 

Kim:

I have no idea! The older I get, the harder it seems to think of materialistic things I want. I actually told someone the other day that a candle would be awesome. But if I could choose anything this holiday season, it would be having more time to reflect. I have spent so much time investing in work and travel this year that it would be so nice to stop and focus on my mental health. I find it so easy to lose sight of what it means to be grounded and to appreciate everything you have. You can easily get caught up in all the holiday shopping and spending that you lose sense of what matters most. And even worse, I sometimes find you end up feeling like you don't have enough, which is completely far from the truth. So, cheers to more time with yourself, looking after your health and well-being, family and friends this holiday season!

-jessLEARN Inc. 

Question of the Month: November 2015 Edition

If you ever find yourself wanting to know more about us and what makes us tick, you’ve come to the right place. (We’re pretty cool people, so we understand your curiosity.)
Welcome to our first official Question of the Month! We asked our team a question. They gave us their raw, honest responses. Tada! 

This month, we asked our team: What advice would you give your former self?
The results are in. Let's see what nuggets of wisdom our team has to share! 

Shawn:

The number one piece of advice I'd give to my former self (really at any age) is to remember there's a wider world than the one you know. So always stay open-minded, and accept that you don't know everything. That means talk less, and listen more.

Kelly:

If I had a time machine, I would go back to when I was a high school student who found herself lost from time to time. 
I would tell myself: You are so unique and talented. Do not doubt yourself based on a few test results. Treasure the time you have now because once you enter adulthood, you may find yourself having less time to pursue personal interests as your responsibilities take priority. 
You are going through a lot of struggles and puzzles, however, that's only because you are getting closer and closer to the truth. Life may not be smooth or positive all the time, but the beauty of it is in its complexity.
 

Mina:

I’d tell myself to really be honest with myself. Not that I’m a dishonest person, but like many others, I sometimes have a habit of setting impossible goals. There’s a saying that goes, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Although I do believe in aiming for the moon, I have also come to realize the importance of setting manageable goals. While being surrounded by stars is beautiful, the nagging feeling of missing the moon can weigh you down even in near zero gravity. But that’s natural. So just as it is important to push your limits, it is equally important to set good goals and also take the time to do something for yourself. It’s all about balance.
 

Francesca:

Eat more vegetables. Do your homework. Get more sleep. Aside from that, I’d tell myself to get out there, just do more, and then learn to roll with what life throws your way. Is this scary? You bet. But you can spend hours/days/weeks trying to make the best decision, and life will find a way to throw curve balls that you don’t anticipate and can’t plan for.  We don’t always have control over our situation, but we do have a choice about how we view it. Perspective is key.

-jessLEARN Inc.

Decisions, decisions. What do your decisions say about you?

The other day, while sifting through streams of baby pictures and blurbs of upcoming getaways on Facebook, I came across a post that piqued my interest. This post questioned our traditional understanding of "smart" and suggested that it cannot be measured using academic success - at least not completely. Being the oddball that I am, I was fascinated by how this post challenged socially accepted norms. The main message boiled down to the idea that being truly "smart" meant making the right decisions, at the right time. This got me thinking about the decisions we make every day (and thus, the birth of this blog post!)

The thing about life is that it's full of choices. Our identities are shaped by all of these choices - from the seemingly minute, to the major life changers and everything else in between. To choose well, it really helps to understand what the outcomes of our decisions entail, and then be prepared to face what comes next. Seems easy enough, right? (Hint: It isn't.)

yEAH, THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT.

Some decisions are small and easy to manage. Take this morning, for instance. I chose to ignore my alarm and sleep in late. My sleep deprived mind was too groggy to consider that those extra minutes of sleep, while blissful at the time, meant that I'd be in a frantic rush to get out the door, leaving me no time for my A.M. coffee. Jump forward one hour later where the sudden caffeine withdrawal left me dealing with a killer headache and accompanying foul mood, which overshadowed the bit of extra rest I got from hitting "Snooze" on my alarm. Fortunately for me, my temporary lapse in judgement was easily remedied by a hot cup of lightly-roasted brew.

apparently, even choosing the "right" coffee can be complicated.

If only we had a voice of reason to guide us through our decisions and help us really understand what we would be facing, whatever we choose. I might have realized that opting to get a bit more shut eye was short-sighted, and I might have made the wiser decision to wake up on time and save myself a headache. Luckily, this particular choice was easy enough to fix. A trip to Starbucks was all it took. But not all of life's choices are so simple to manage.

During my undergraduate studies, and even throughout most of high school, I was certain I wanted to become a doctor. Passionate about Science and Health? Check. Consistently high marks? Check. Impressive list of extra-curricular activities? Check. Deep desire to help others? Check. I had all the right ingredients for a doctor-in-the-making. I put on my blinders and went full steam ahead down the path of Medicine. I was reassured by my parents, close friends and society that it was a smart choice.  In-demand career? Check. Pleases my family? Check. Good money? Check. All of my checklists and pros & cons tables led me to conclude that this was it - my true calling.

If I could only have a heart to heart with my past self, I'd ask her to dig deep and figure out WHY she wanted to become a doctor in the first place, then go into the long-term implications of taking this route. Maybe I'd have saved myself some grief.

Yes, I had all the right ingredients, but what I lacked was a guiding hand to lead me through the realities of pursuing Medicine. It was only during my final year of undergraduate studies that I started questioning whether I was prepared to do another 4-10 years of school (yikes!), or if I was willing to put myself through the endless exams or jump through the various fiery hoops. Beyond that, I questioned WHY I should put myself through this at all. Was it for myself? Or was it to please my parents? Or maybe I was lured by the promise of status and money? Would that ultimately make me happy?

anyone else completely lost on what to do after this?

Graduation came and I breathed a sigh of relief -- for about 2 seconds. Then, full blown panic set in as all of these questions remained unanswered. Freshly tossed off the boat of academia and into the open waters of adulthood, I was paralyzed with uncertainty. Sure, I could do anything I wanted, but that begged the question, "What do I really want?"

Ha, I had no idea!

Faced with this new-found freedom and desire to live a deeply fulfilling life, I wavered. I just wasn't so sure anymore. 

I felt like the protagonist of a movie who was dropped into an endless forest, then instructed to "find my way". I had a million decisions to make and no idea how to make them. Needless to say, I was terrified. However, unwilling to give up, I used the resources I had at my disposal and got to work. I got a well paying, corporate job because that's what all capable adults seemed to do. I filled my wardrobe with professional business attire. I quickly learned to walk the walk and talk the talk. This was it! I was doing it! Surely, I had it all figured out at this point, right?

Wrong. Again. This was becoming a frustrating trend. 

Corporate wasn't for me - and maybe if I'd had a guiding hand, I would have realized this much sooner.  I might have even followed my gut (which many of us ignore all too often) and traveled abroad to teach and experience the world.

Maybe I would have understood sooner that money, while an important factor to consider, shouldn't have so much control over my decisions. I've learned the hard way that it doesn't bring me lasting happiness.

Maybe it would have been easier to get out of my own thoughts and start actually making changes. It might have been clearer to see that happiness, to me, means constant learning and growth in a supportive, enriching environment. More so, happiness isn't so much a destination, as much as it is a journey. It makes sense, after all. Crossing the finish line takes one second. The rest of our time is spent in the actual journey. If we're utterly miserable during our path, will reaching the destination really bring about happiness - or just relief?

Life is a constant process of questioning and decision making. We use what we know from our own experiences. If we're lucky, with guidance from seasoned mentors, we can make better decisions for ourselves.

Every day, I make choices - big and small. I choose to get up and face a new day. I choose to try and be better than I was yesterday, whether that means making the time to finish a project I've been putting on the back-burner or cooking myself a healthy meal. I choose to keep learning and growing. I choose to share my experience with my students, so that they are better equipped to make decisions, understand the consequences and take command.   

What will you choose?

-Francesca