By Anam Kibria

Reflecting

I’ve been struggling with reflecting recently. Writing SCAB’s is all about reflection of your time at the course and this one has been more daunting than anything.

A few weeks ago I decided to step away from  the world of advertising to begin my own adventure as an ideapreneur. It was a terrifying yet liberating decision that I had to make. Henry was a wonderful partner, we were making some good work together, and I was having a ball working with him. But I knew deep down that I wouldn’t last. The more I tried to convince myself that advertising was right for me, the more I knew it wasn’t. I yearned to be my own boss and grow something through my own sweat and tears.

So I took the plunge. And it’s scary. Jumping ship. Going against the flow. And I think that’s why I’ve ran away from reflecting. Having to face the things you’re most scared of. In the past few weeks I’ve felt a multitude of emotions. I’ve felt the most free and liberated I’ve ever felt.. I’ve felt excited and eager to get the ball rolling. I felt belief in my idea and at the same time tons of doubt. I’ve never felt more scared about the decision I’ve made and what I’m about to encounter. And I’ve also felt a tinge of regret for not having made this leap sooner.

Every entrepreneur speaks about the highs and lows of starting up their own gig and I know what I’ve felt so far is a fraction of what I will have to face in the coming years. But it’s given me a rush like no other.

SCA is great. It definitely equips you with the best of skills to win at advertising. But it also gives you skills to expand to other things if you wish. I’m definitely a lot more prepared to start a business now than if I had tried before SCA. It’s weird and I’m not sure I can explain it well but SCA teaches you to use your brain efficiently. Like really engage with all parts of your brain. I knew I was creative before but I had no clue how to tap into it and really use it to my advantage. SCA teaches you that.

I guess another part of reflecting is acknowledging what areas need attention. I can be quite shy, but a major part of growing a business is reaching out to people and networking. I also like to do things by myself and hesitate immensely before asking for help. But my vision seems like a mammoth task that I know I will need support for. And the third most pressing area that I need to address is being more meticulous with my time. If I want to get the ball rolling, I know I’m going to have to squeeze every single minute out of everyday.

But most of all, I know that I am going to need to prioritise reflection. More regularly than I do right now. Reflection allows you to ground yourself before you get too carried away. It allows you to internalise the learnings from the world around you. And most of all, it allows you to better yourself for the future.