“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
For me, HBS almost ended before it even started.
When I left the military the summer before moving to Boston, I felt lost, disconnected, and hopeless. Later, I would discover that I suffered from depression and service-related post-traumatic stress disorder. But I didn’t know it back then. All I knew was that Harvard Business School was the last thing on my mind, a place that seemed surreal and out of reach. The only reason I even made it to move-in weekend was because of my loving and supportive parents. I remember my father telling me that weekend, as we stared at raindrops sliding down a coffee shop window: “We really want to come back in two years to see you graduate, you know."
Life is dynamic. So is my changed perspective.
One month later, I'm at a noisy gathering – busy, bustling, lights. "You don't talk much," I'm told. Funny how he has no idea what’s going on with me. Amidst a crowd of friends and strangers, smiles and stares, I now remind myself – every day – that pain and struggle can be found in places where they are least expected. We won’t ever know unless we become still enough to notice, and courageous enough to ask.
I will be humble and I will be still. I will do my best to notice those hidden calls for help, no matter how big or small, and I will ask. I will open my arms and I will listen, because there were people who did the same for me: Like a man coincidentally named Phoenix, from the ashes, who smiled at me one sunny day and reassured me it was going to be ok. I will tell those who feel troubled this:
"It will get better. "
"I believe adaptation begins with neither strength nor courage, but a willingness to completely surrender to what is. I adapted by learning to accept and learning to let go. I started by giving to others what I felt I was lacking... and I was surprised at how quickly my empty suddenly became full.
"Most of all, I overcame it. You can too."
I will tell them I am ready. I will tell them I am stronger. And I will tell them how much I smiled at my parents when I walked across the stage to receive my HBS degree.
— Marla Metz