Karen Swanay

I have been thinking about this for a while but when I read the final blog post by Ray McKinnis this morning I was moved to put my thoughts in print. My thanks to Ray for publishing his thoughts over this last year. His posts never failed to prompt me to think and challenge what I believe and that is something that is invaluable. I will miss his voice.

As I move towards the end of my time as a grad student, I am spending time thinking about life as a business professional. I’ve always noticed customer service type issues, but now these issues have a new importance. I’d like to think that I will not make these mistakes as an employee, and certainly not as a business owner.

I spend a lot of time thinking. I can’t help it really. Just this year I was diagnosed with Adult ADD when I was seeing a Psychologist for something else entirely. I never knew I had this but it explains a lot. This cognitive hyperactivity I call — The Committee. The committee is always in session, even when I’m trying to sleep. They argue, raise points of order, and are always adding new items to the agenda. Because my mind works this way, I’m distracted by some thoughts and hyper-focused on others. The committee has been a liability at many times in my life, but at others a blessing. Now that I am aware of this, I try to harness it to my advantage as often as I can.