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Close to You

What I Can’t Live Without

Family – This may be an obvious one, but words cannot express how much I love and need my family. My family here includes my Dad (remember Preeto?!), Mom (travel-planning extraordinaire), my younger brother, and my boyfriend. Each one of these people gives me the confidence, strength and perspective to keep me going in school and in the real world. They challenge me every single day to be a better person and I truly don’t know who I would be or what kind of person I’d be if it wasn’t for their incredibly positive influence in my life. 

Boundaries – As loud and proud as I am about being close to my family and needing them in my life, I also need a healthy balance of boundaries and good old fashioned “me” time. Once in a while I enjoy being alone either doing work or watching a movie. I’ve never been embarrassed eating alone at a restaurant or going to a movie theater alone – I love having me time and with that comes a desire to ensure I have this time no matter what stage of life I’m in. It’s my reset button that I absolutely cannot live without.  

Respect – This attribute is extremely important to me, and I would even go as far as saying that the mere existence of it (or lack thereof it) in all of my relationships is the driving force behind my being. If I feel as if I am not being respected by someone, I shut down and become a person I don’t like – defensive, snarky and insecure. This even goes when I don’t respect myself in situations. It is extremely hard for me to be myself and happy in life without garnering others and my own respect. This is one of the main reasons why earning my MBA degree means a lot to me. I truly feel that with a solid education from a reputable school, I will be able to establish my credibility with my peers and myself that will lead to a future that my family and friends can be proud of.

What I Care About

iPhone – I may be an anomaly here, but I really mean it when I say that I simply care about my phone but wouldn’t necessarily say that I can’t live without out. Ask my boyfriend and he will tell you that I am not the best at responding back to text messages and phone calls! I have always been the type to live in the moment and in my immediate surroundings. Yes it’s great to have access to my loved ones and emails at any given time, but when push comes to shove I don’t place as much emphasis on the necessity of my phone as others may.

Eyeliner – Okay so this one might seem really odd and probably silly to anyone reading this. But just ask my friends and Mom and they will be shocked to see that this isn’t in the “can’t live without” circle! The only thing I am really intense and serious about when it comes to my beauty regiment is my eyeliner! You will rarely find me without it on, and if you happen to catch me off guard without it on you may not even recognize me! But as of late, I have started realizing my dependence on eyeliner is a bit odd and I have naturally found myself leaving the house more and more without it. In fact, I have no eyeliner on as I write this blog! No big deal. 

Money – You may think I’m fooling myself when I say that I can’t live without money and that I simply just care about it, but the reason money falls into this circle is because I’ve been raised to appreciate it when you have it and work hard for it if you don’t have it. One of my family’s principles is the notion of work hard and things will come your way, and so even though money comes and goes I know if I am able to work diligently and honestly for it things will happen for the best. Therefore, it’s not that I can’t live without money but rather I care for it to live a comfortable lifestyle so I am working really hard for it.

Digital Ecosystem

 

Web Search – I use web search the most out of all the outlets featured in this exercise because I use it for everything – researching specific news and information, accessing key websites, and general web surfing. I use and like this outlet the most because it allows me to look something up quickly and efficiently, but the key here is that I usually have a purpose in mind and it’s satisfying to use web search to find what I need. I mainly use Google as my search engine because it’s easy to use, clean, and I can easily access my Gmail and Google Drive accounts from the main page. 

Social Media – Although I’m embarrassed to admit this, social media is definitely a main source of information in my life. I mainly use Facebook to keep up with friends all over the globe, update my own profile occasionally and just generally stalk, I mean read the news feed for updates. J I still believe it’s something I can live without, but currently it is a big source of information about my social network and popular trends/fads that people are talking about.

News Apps – I added this because I mainly keep up with national news through an app called Pulse, which is an app that allows you to create a mash-up of various news outlets based on categories that feature top stories and headlines. It’s an extremely easy way to access multiple news outlets and quickly browse headlines so I can dive into only those articles that seem interesting or relevant. I have category streams for news, fashion, celebrity gossip (yes, another embarrassing reveal) and recipes.

Typical Weekday

1 : Email and News – I wake up every morning to the alarm clock on my phone, which I then immediately use to check my emails and news apps. It’s a bad habit, but a habit that I just can’t shake! I enjoy waking up in the morning, as I’m still a bit groggy, to get caught up on any emails that may have come in the night before and trending world events/news. I need this catch-up time in the morning, and I utilize many resources and categories in the process! 

2: Team/Org. Meetings – This time of the day for me is one that is a bit exhaustive yet important. After a long day of classes, I stay on campus to conduct and attend any team or organization meetings. These meetings are usually filled with lots of web search (usually due to an assignment or project), calendar comparison/stalking, and innovative thinking that I will refer to as designing in this case. This part of my day is usually with a fairly large group of people, so I am constantly engaged in various digital outlets that allow me to multi-task and be an effective team player. 

3: TV – Ah the most beloved part of my day (after talking to my boyfriend and Mom of courseJ). Even though this time of the day is for me to unwind and allow my busy mind to relax before bed, I am still gathering and processing information – but for fun! This exercise further proves that I have a hard time just “relaxing” or being “disconnected” so even though I use the last minutes of my day watching TV, I am still learning and engaging with digital outlets in a non-professional and fun manner.

Let's Take a Journey to Asia...

Early December 2012, Richa Purohit sits in her living room on her laptop contemplating what to do for her and her husband’s upcoming 30^th anniversary.  Her very large social circle of friends are all suggesting that she host a big party, like they have done many times in the past. And let me tell you – Richa knows how to throw a party so I don’t blame them for asking!

 Picture: Parent's 25th Anniversary Party

But as she considers this idea, something just doesn’t feel right about hosting another large and lavish party. Even her husband has voiced his discontent with a boisterous party… it just felt to unoriginal. Richa is known to be a woman with enough energy to power a large building and the skills to multi-task and juggle many priorities. But above all else, she is a nurturing and caring wife, mother and friend that absolutely loves adventure, socializing and traveling. So it is only fitting that she decided to break the mold and plan an exotic trip to Southeast Asia!

 

Her source of inspiration for Southeast Asia was the desire to travel to a new part of the world, especially since both Richa and her husband grew up in India and have always been so close in proximity to this area. And of course, the food was a HUGE influencer! Richa absolutely loves Thai and Asian food, so this just seemed like the perfect opportunity to get away and indulge in amazing sites and great food. 

In addition, Richa and her husband were in talks with a potential business partner in Singapore so this also seemed like a great way to visit them and do some business - especially for her husband since this really helped convince him on this trip. The excitement and joy about this potential trip was palpable, and Richa knew she was on to something good!

Now came the fun part for her – research and exploration of their options! If Richa wasn’t a successful entrepreneur, her family always jokes that she should open a travel agency as a side gig because she is AMAZING at planning trips. That is her role for all family vacations and business trips, and she thrives on the opportunity to use her expertise to plan fabulous trips. She first started doing general internet searches and speaking to family and friends that have visited this part of the world. She realized quickly that using Google Maps to logistically plan the cities based on location was critical to ensure a smooth and logical trip. 

 

Another critical component of this research process was identifying which countries required a visa, as this really helped narrow down location options. Richa’s husband was overwhelmed at times of how many options there were, but Richa learned quickly to manage his expectations and conduct this research independently until decisions were made.

Since Richa was independently making the final decision on which cities to travel to, she was able to decide on the final five cities but not without a bit of pressure and stress. She had found so many great options and it was overwhelming at first to decide which cities were the right ones to visit. But it ultimately came down to choosing country capitals and locations with lots of sight-seeing options. And since Richa was booking most flight travel through American Airlines mileage and using strict criteria for hotel accommodations, price was luckily less of a concern. Now with the perks of booking mileage flights comes some pain – dealing with airline agents! 

Since mileage tickets have to be booked through an agent on the phone (their specific bundled ticket required this), Richa was constantly on the phone with agents any free time she had to come up with the perfect combination of flights. It was a “hit and miss” depending on the agent on the phone, but Richa clearly felt this step of the journey to be the most difficult and tedious. But without her knack of being extremely organized and savvy, she is confident that she wouldn’t have been able to get the flights she ended up getting!

So now that flights are booked, the planning and organizing went into go mode! Richa diligently called all hotels she hoped to book with to confirm availability and amenities, since this was a very important factor in booking hotel accommodations. An important amenity at the hotel was whether the property offered a breakfast package, because she has learned from past trips with family that this is an important and critical factor that helps start each day off right. 

She also asked about popular sight-seeing options and activities and was thrilled to learn that most bookings should be done when she arrived since prices tend to be cheaper and there is more variety to choose from. So this step was smooth sailing, and tying up any loose ends allowed Richa to feel even more confident and at ease about the upcoming trip. 

And they’re off! After a really comfortable flight in business class, Richa and Prakash reached Hong Kong well rested and eager to begin their exciting trip. Because of Richa’s meticulous planning and dedicated game plan of booking tours on the first day of arrival at each city, their trip was really smooth and relaxing! Although they managed to visit 5 cities in less than 3 weeks, Richa felt that they spent just the right amount of time in each city, except for Kuala Lumpur which got a bit boring at times. But no problems there – they just indulged in few extra spa treatments to kill time!

  

Richa cannot stop raving about the amazing food and service they experienced during their trip. A huge player in this was their business partners that took incredible care of them both in Hong Kong and in Singapore. They had a chauffeured car that took them sightseeing in Hong Kong, and then in Singapore their business partners personally took them out each day to the best sites and restaurants. Although they felt like they were on a marathon in Singapore, they thoroughly enjoyed their time! So much so that Richa would willingly move there!

On their return back home, they felt incredibly satisfied and thrilled with the experience. Richa and her husband proudly showed their family and friends all of their pictures, although they regret not taking even more to capture all the greatness they experienced! Richa and her husband both proclaim this trip as the “best trip we’ve taken alone without family” and her husband, the one who initially was wary about such a long trip, has officially declared “we need to do this every 6 months.” 

It is safe to say that Richa not only knows how to plan a vacation, but she also knows how to let go and enjoy when on the vacation as well. I can’t wait to go on the next family vacation planned by Richa, which happens to be this December to wonderful India! Bring on the fun, food, and memories! 

Understanding Preeto through an Empathy Map

Meet Preeto – a 58 year old successful immigrant from New Delhi, India. He has been married to the same woman for 32 years, has two children and is the youngest of four siblings. Although having made a name for himself in his industry of work, he chose to start his own business that has been growing and excelling since inception.  I chose Preeto as the focus of this blog because he, like many men with his background and environment, are typical in some ways but unique in so many other ways. 

Preeto is a simple man from the outside, but quite complex when you take a deeper look. His thoughts are generally on a few common attributes: financial stability, business success and companionship. However the key between all three themes is the preservation of his reputation. 

Ultimately it all ties back to his reputation, whether it is with his peers or with his family. When he feels his reputation is being compromised, his guard goes up and his short temper may flash red for a moment. Those who know how to manage this generally gain his trust quickly, which at times can be hard to come by for the average person. However if you were to ask him if this was the case, he would likely deny because he is quite prideful in the moment. And I say in the moment because he may be tough to crack in a heated debate or discussion, but he has the capacity to wave the white flag further down the line. If you have patience and are willing to concede early, you are likely to get the apology you think you deserve! 

What does Preeto see? Success. 

He is a success-oriented man, which is a principal that has driven him to his own success today. Ask his children and they will tell you that grades and professional success were the most common topics of discussion. Again, this ties back to his sense of reputation and pride. Preeto takes great joy and pride when his son gets an impressive scholarship for school or when he is recognized for his business accomplishments. Although he strives for success for himself and his family, this does not necessarily bleed into those outside of his immediate world. He is not judgmental about others successes and material belongings, or lack thereof. He sees people for who they are at face value, and as a result he and his wife have a very large social circle with a set of core friends that he socializes with on a weekly basis. 

This abundance of friends and a highly active social network is a prime example of his evolution over time. When he was a young man with the burden of his demanding job and pressure to provide for his family on his shoulders, engaging in social activity was more of a chore that was left to his wife to maintain. But now that he is an empty-nester and has an established business, you can find him indulging in social gatherings and travel excursions around the world. Preeto is learning to live life to the fullest and his family enjoys this new "laid back" persona.

Usually his response to a question or small request is “No.” 

This is where his traditional Indian background really comes into play. By nature he is a conservative man on many dimensions – spending money, values, the role of a man and woman in the household and taking risks. But his initial “No” can usually be changed into a “Yes” or at best a “Maybe” by reasoning and having a discussion. Now put this same scenario in a public setting in front of people he wants to maintain a positive impression with, and you will always get a “Yes.” This pattern tends to make Preeto a bit predictable at times and sometimes difficult to work with because you are left unsure about his actual and final decision. However, Preeto has a very big heart when it comes to his friends and family – another area that has evolved as he has gotten older. He enjoys giving presents to his family for Christmas and will willingly foot the bill of a big dinner with friends. 

Preeto hears praise from his peers and friends, and he also is not afraid of hearing his own praise when needed.In a large business meeting, he will often address his successes and accomplishments to establish his credibility with his audience. This is more common in the workplace and less in his social setting, where he is more of a friendly and unassuming man that will engage in conversation with just about everyone and make a positive impression doing so. As mentioned earlier, the fear of hurting his reputation, and losing the positive impression he has made on those around him, is crippling. It is extremely important that he feels well respected and loved otherwise you will see his defensive demeanor rear its ugly head. 

Assuming he doesn’t already have it, Preeto hopes to gain your respect and admiration. He is not a materialistic person so although he values business success, abundance of wealth isn’t his ultimate goal – stability and comfort are his main goals and metrics of accomplishment. 

Preeto is a fascinating person with so many layers that continuously evolve as time goes on. I’ve known him for 27 years and he continues to inspire, to surprise and to challenge me every single day – Preeto is my amazing Dad (name is being protected in fear of getting grounded - yes he still has that power). Happy Birthday Dad!