(originally appeared in Huffington Post)First, it was me and my mom. We were the original Brooklyn girls. From my earliest days, my mom was my partner when it came to navigating Brooklyn and its eccentricities. She had a no-nonsense and straightforward disposition that taught me that if you didn’t speak-up for yourself, then you risked living your life on someone…
Category: Totable Muse
IMPACT
The past year, in my life as a professor, I asked myself daily before I walked into each class what my goal was. That kept it real for me. It helped me to get out of my own way, forget my to-do lists, and set the tone for each session. The goal, always, was to engage my students, share knowledge,…
Where are you going; Where have you been?
I moved. After ten years in one place, I displaced myself. There were mounds of clothes and books and stuff to give away. There were items to sort through—papers, letters, writings. I found over 60 short stories that I had written as an undergrad and later as a graduate student; often, there were endless drafts of each one, including notes on how to rework the stories…
Advice to Students: Dream Big
The end of the semester always makes me nostalgic and reflective of my own school days, when the promise of all that was to come was palpable. Throughout the school year, I’m privileged to be surrounded by college students, although some days, between teaching, office hours, and grading papers, the experience is reminiscent of trudging through quick sand. It is…
Writing Tips for Professionals
Writing is a part of our everyday lives from early on. We write during our scholastic careers—narrative essays, creative endeavors, research papers, and academic arguments—and we keep on writing as we delve into our professional careers, in the form of resumes and cover letters, and on to corporate and/or creative proposals. Not to mention emails, texts, white papers, and presentations.…
Tips for Professionals Looking for Gigs
If you currently consult or are thinking about joining the gig economy – characterized by freelance work or short-term contracts as opposed to permanent work—LinkedIn ProFinder is a great resource. As I ventured from a longstanding career in the corporate world to starting up my own career-coaching business this past year, networking was a key element to my success. I…
Why We All Need to Practice More Yoga
“Life means to be living. Problems will always be there. When they arise navigate through them with yoga—don’t take a break.” – B.K.S. Iyengar In Sanskrit, the word yoga means union. While it’s easy to get allured into perceiving yoga as a physical practice that burns calories and offers an outlet for cute clothes and gear, yoga, which can be…
Tips for College Grads Before You Graduate
For college seniors, January is a great time to create a plan to prepare yourself for post-graduate life. Sure, you have another semester ahead of you to tackle, which means classes, exams, papers, not to mention finalizing graduation details, but planning ahead can alleviate a lot of the pressure you’ll face when your college life ends and it is time…
Legacy
For the past five years, I have visited my mother’s grave weekly. Each time I stare at her name on the headstone, I journey somewhere inside that I don’t always frequent amidst my frenzied daily routine. I pause. I reflect. I think about the night before she passed away. Her faraway gaze. Her tone, which was both matter-of-fact and soft.…
The Road Ahead: 2017
Back in the days of sleepaway camp, we had cheesy themes for each summer: “Super great in ’88.” “Feeling fine in ’89.” You get the picture. With that in mind, why not aim to be “supreme in ’17.” We leave each year committed and convinced—or at least hopeful—that we are going to be better versions of ourselves the following…