This past week I was given the opportunity to travel to Houston for an interview with a consulting firm. The experience was great and allowed me further insight into the culture of a company that I could possibly be working for next year. During the office visit, I was obliged to participate in two 45-minute interviews with senior-level managers from the company, a daunting addition to the day's schedule, to say the least.

In my second interview (the first had gone well, thank goodness), I was asked rapid-fire questions such as "What's your greatest fear?", "List five words to describe you", and "Tell me one thing you don't want me to know about you". After exhausting the list of questions likely given to him by the recruiter, my interviewer asked me, "What motivates you?".

That led to a candid discussion where he shared with me his own definition of motivation, a definition that struck me as simply spot-on. My interviewer said that he thought of motivation as an equation: motivation = need x faith. He went on to explain that if you have high need, but you have no faith, your motivation is zero. Likewise, if you have much faith but no need, your motivation is also zero. He believed that you must have need and faith to be motivated, but the higher the need and the higher the faith, the more motivated you will be.

My interviewer was native to Saudi Arabia and his English was broken, so it's likely that there are better words to describe what he means by "need", but I believe his inclusion of the word "faith" is perfect. Who is motivated when they have no faith to believe that they will reach their goal? Faith, typically considered a religious or spiritual term, is a motivating factor behind anyone, the non-believing included. It is simply an expression of hope, drive, and willpower that embodies that intangible essence surrounding someone's self confidence and self efficacy.

Now whenever I think of what I need to do to motivate myself, I wonder: do I need to "up" my faith or my need? I believe that this little equation will be a great tool to help enhance my own motivation, and whoever I share this story with's too.

About a month ago, at the beginning of the semester, I had the opportunity to attend the NGLP junior class "boot camp". It was nostalgic to look at them and know that they were just starting on this incredible journey, whereas I have less than a year left. However, since I've been in the organization for a year, gone on both of the trips that the program has to offer, have taken two of the courses, and have already been paired with my business coach, I felt that I had a lot to offer this group of 31, information that I feel could help them make the most of their experience.

As my fellow officers, Emily and Jim, and I took turns sharing our experiences and handing out little bits of our own wisdom, I said something to the junior class that I wanted them to take more seriously than all else. Our program manager had just taken the time to bring up the possibility of being asked to leave the program if behavior wasn't up to standard and a couple of the students were asking (what seemed to me) an awful lot of specific questions about the specific actions that would result in that.

After Kirsten finished answering a series of questions, I raised my hand to speak. I turned to the cohort and said that they needed to understand that it isn't just the faculty asking for this behavior of them. These expectations are something that the seniors demand as well, as we have become, to a degree, protective of Next Gen and will not tolerate someone taking the program's name for granted by acting unprofessionally or inappropriately in any situation. I described to them the recognition that they will begin to get as Next Gen students, just as my cohort has gotten when we all congregate together in the business school lobby before class, or when we end up out at restaurants or house parties together.

I wanted them to understand that this organization, as a professional program, will serve us well in the job hunt, in applications for scholarships and for graduate school, but since we are all now representatives of the program, they are all responsible for upholding and maintaining it's reputation.

In my own life, I've realized the responsibility of leadership. It was a huge issue in my sorority when chapter leaders were dismissed from their positions for illegal or inappropriate weekend behavior, and the entire chapter lost respect for them when they were unable to fulfill an elected position because they got too drunk on a Friday night to remember that boys aren't allowed upstairs in the sorority house.

I aspire to be a leader in the corporate world one day and know that there's a possibility that I'll run into my employees at happy hour or a late-night event. What would it look like if they saw their boss drunk and sloppy? Not good, and they'd undoubtedly lose respect for me in the short term, if not in the long term as well. Not only that, but I would run the risk of getting fired as a result of inappropriate behavior that could reflect poorly on the company.

Some may say, "does that mean I can't ever let loose and have a good time?" Obviously, that's not the case, but I do believe that if you set high goals for yourself professionally, you need to conduct your personal life in accordance. Do you really want to sacrifice a prestigious promotion at work for a wild night? I wouldn't.

So, as I emphasized the importance of respecting the program to the juniors, I also subconsciously emphasized it to myself. I want to make sure that when these underclassmen see me off campus that I'm acting in accordance with my own rules, and by holding myself to that standard, I hope other people will see me as a better leader. That's tough to do in a college environment, but I say it's all part of the plan. I'm not going to let one wild night get in the way of my future as a CEO.

Yesterday marked the conclusion of legacy project pitches in our Team Leadership course. After 3 days, 32 pitches, and even more questions, suggestions, and concerns, I feel inspired. Although many of the legacy project pitches are admirable, not all of them piqued my interest-- and I didn't expect them to. However, the ones that did left me thinking "oh- I want to do that! Or that... or maybe that one."

As I mentioned in my first post, I tend to over-commit. With the understanding that this habit can make or break me, I knew I needed to hone in on one legacy project to which I could commit to fully. I have come to the realization that I will probably not pursue my original idea because there were so many others that I'd like to be a part of. However, does that mean that I've abandoned my initial idea?

No, I've realized that this just means this isn't going to be this year's legacy. It could very well be a project that I spend my lifetime fulfilling and as of yesterday, I've set that as a goal for myself. When Daniel presented his idea and mentioned that he worked consistently with a non-profit to not only build a network of support, but also to gain experience working in a non-profit environment, I thought, why am I not doing that? I am so incredibly passionate about animal rights and truly enjoy spending my time working for the fair treatment of animals, that I believe working more closely with that cause would bring me great joy.

Although my senior year in college, while I'm in the midst of this legacy project, the job hunt, an internship, and countless other supply chain-related projects is not the ideal time for me to begin a long-term legacy, I got almost giddy yesterday thinking about the possibility of working my way to the board of the DFW SPCA. Think of the impact I could have in a position like that!

So, although I'm looking forward to working on my legacy project through Next Gen this year, I have challenged myself to begin moving towards what I refer to as my "lifetime legacy". Right now, I want to research volunteer opportunities that work with my schedule so that I can begin to get more experience with rescue organizations on my resume. Then, after graduation when I become settled in whatever city I move to, I want to find an organization that I can see myself growing within. It could be the process of starting up a volunteer team that stems from my company or it could be the development of an existing organization in the city.

Whatever it is, I want to take on the challenge of finding myself a role within a non-profit to fulfill not only its needs but my own developmental needs. To grow as an individual, I believe I need to incorporate more service in my life. I'm not typically a service-oriented individual, but realizing my passion is the first step towards "rounding" myself out. Animals have always been my passion (take a look at my arms, if those cat scratch scars aren't love I don't know what is!), but now it's my responsibility to use that interest for an impact and to create a legacy.

Get back to me in 10 years, maybe I'll be the youngest member of the board of directors for DFW SPCA!

Today was the first day of project pitches in our Team Leadership class. To be honest, I was looking forward to the 80-minute reprieve from active thinking, but this wasn't at all what I experienced.

Instead, I found myself leaning forward in my seat, watching each of my friends walk up to the front of the room and pitch a proposal for something that they found passion in. For many of them, their expressions changed, their voices grew earnest, and their obvious interest in the topic at hand was inspiring. Many of them spoke of purposes that I had an interest in: girls' empowerment, depression and anxiety counseling, cancer patient support, and the opportunity to bring our valuable business school knowledge to the entire student body.

Although I already knew my friends were great-- after all, we'd spent a year together in class and I knew how driven and intelligent we all were-- it was incredible to see that each of them had a passion beyond their personal success. For some of us, this passion is outward. Jim, for instance, makes it clear (on a daily basis, if not hourly) that he devotes much of his life to countless efforts to improve the lifestyle of people in the Fort Worth community.

However, for many of us, we take time to talk about our dreams for ourselves and our careers, our recent accomplishments, and the accomplishments of our peers. My mom tends to blame that on my generation for being "selfish", but sometimes I just think we've entered a "dog-eat-dog" world and it's up to us to make ourselves valuable enough to survive the academic and professional rat race.

Therefore, when I saw my peers stand before us to explain how they wanted to spend the next year, I was in awe of their individual passions and have complete faith in all of them to fulfill their goals. Like I said, I already know that they're smart, driven, and success-oriented. So I had no doubt in my mind that, for instance, Michael will impact the lives of nearly 30 non-business majors with his leadership program proposal.

I'm passionate about my idea, because for someone who isn't particularly community service-oriented, animal rights has always gotten me fired up. I'd love to see more of my friends and the Fort Worth community adopt animals rather than buying them from breeders, because it pains me to know how many worthy dogs and cats must be put down simply because there's no more room or resources for them. That being said, there were a few other ideas out there today that I could see myself becoming passionate about as well.

Walking away from our classroom today, I had more respect for my classmates than ever before. I'm fairly attached to this group of people, but knowing what I do now-- that they are not only inwardly successful but also outwardly aware-- makes me even more proud to call them my cohort and friends. I look forward to seeing the progression of all of our legacy projects, because I know that by the end of this year, I'll be even more "obsessed" with them than I already am.

Recently, our class was given the opportunity to "interrogate" our professor as a means to get to know him better and to build a foundation for how our class dynamic would develop. One of the questions, and often a go-to for people getting to know each other, was "What is your favorite quote?". For a while, my favorite quote was the cliched shoot for the moon, if you fall, you'll land among the stars. Although I was aware of the immense overuse of this phrase, it stood for the future scenarios I would create for myself, setting incredible goals and hoping for profound opportunities. Although many of my dreams were unlikely (I was convinced until late elementary school that I was going to marry a prince), the aim alone was enough to get me some pretty great opportunities.

Although this still holds true for me, I've recently seen myself thinking about another quote on a weekly basis. The movie, "We Bought a Zoo" is incredible, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend renting it or finding it on TV. Throughout the movie, Matt Damon's character, Benjamin Mee, often refers to bursts of courage that direct many of his decisions. Specifically, the quote goes like this:

All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come out of it.

                                                                                                       -Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo

I tend to be an extroverted individual (no surprise there, right?), yet I often face hold-ups when I can't seem to push myself over that proverbial edge to do something out of the ordinary. However, when I think of this quote, I think to myself, "what would happen if I was courageous for just 20 seconds? I don't have to make these decisions for the rest of my day, just for 20 seconds." Incredibly, this little pep talk has allowed for some great things to happen for me.

Networking is a subject preached to business students on a weekly basis, but for most it's difficult to approach a professional and carry on a conversation. I'm generally more comfortable doing that than my peers, but I still have my hold-ups. So, specifically, this "20 second" mentality helps me approach people that I want to make connections with and allows me to create relationships.

One example of this took place over the summer while at a Women's Business Council meeting in Addison, which I was given the opportunity to attend with my boss. Our speaker, Marny Lifshen, was attention-grabbing and funny, and she spoke about the important differences in communication between men and women. She spoke to how these differences affect the way that men and women interact in the workplace, and how we can adapt to those differences to create more effective conversations. I was fascinated by her insight and interested in her experience as a personal coach and brander.

After the formal portion of the meeting was over, I spent time speaking to my coworkers and boss, before decided to take the opportunity to approach Mrs. Lifshen. This burst of courage paid off and we spoke for a while before being interrupted by another member of the council. Mrs. Lifshen insisted that I email her to set up a time to meet for coffee and we've been in email correspondence ever since. As I walked away, she said to me, "I would love to be of help when you start to look for jobs, please let me know what I can do!"

Marny has proven to be a great resource and she has offered to help me develop myself professionally. In addition, I've read her book, Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Women and have realized how knowledgeable she really is. That 20 second burst of courage has allowed me access to a great mentor and I look forward to working with her in the future. In addition, I also look forward to what else my courage will grant me access to!