“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
"I do not wish to have a thriving career at the expense of my personal life."
When I wrote this as the headline of my sixth HBS application essay I figured I was an automatic "ding." I was honest and they let me in. Lesson learned.
Now it's up to me to accomplish that goal. Money is nothing more than stored time. I already have plenty of time…so why let life pass me by while trying to store up more of it?
I want to watch the game with my buddies. I want to keep in touch with my classmates. I want to meet the girl of my dreams…and this time she'll be single. I want to see humor in everyday life. I want to get a tan at the beach…OK, some things are not possible with time or money. I want to order an extra glass of wine with dinner…heck, I'll take some dessert too.
In the end, I want to reminisce on the little things that made everyday occurrences memorable, not the infrequent BIG things that only impressed others.
— Chris Williams