Weekly Thoughts From the Desk of the Senior Associate

When Thanksgiving comes around, is there a particular dish you share annually? Or do you find yourself making something different each year depending on what others are bringing? As someone who gets assigned a different menu item each year, my approach is to make that dish at least once before Thanksgiving Day, so I don't go into full crisis mode if something were to go wrong the day of.

This year, I was asked to contribute a dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. I decided to make tiramisu — don't worry, someone else will be bringing pumpkin pie.  Last week I tested my recipe for a small birthday gathering. As I was preparing the tiramisu I became stressed because the cream didn't form as planned. I thought I could save my dessert by keeping it in the fridge a little longer, but when I got to the party I realized that it had not set well. I got questionable looks from certain family members, though most were actually eating it. Before getting any feedback, I had already accepted the fact that they were not going to like it — to the point where I was already thinking of what else I might bring on Thanksgiving.  But to my surprise, a good number of guests liked it and encouraged me to make it again, with a few people giving constructive and helpful feedback for how I could improve it next week.

This was a salient reminder that we shouldn't doubt ourselves so quickly when something doesn't go as planned. If you're a candidate who is actively searching for a new role, and you've gone through a few interviews that haven't gone so well, don't give up!  We all face setbacks, and life is ultimately about overcoming them.  Moreover, my tiramisu experience has reminded me that we are usually our own worst critics, and those around us often observe the positive more than the negative.

Like I did, find those people around you who will help you build on your strengths but care enough to give you kind but honest feedback.  Whether at work or at home, the fear of failure can be daunting, but ultimately taking risks is what helps us grow the most.

Sincerely,

Micaela