Despite all the eye-rolling at the start of each year in school, I’ve grown into the kind of person who enjoys goal setting. This year, I made a list of ’14 things I will do in 2017’ (five crossed off, three in progress, one going backwards and the rest waiting on a miracle). The underlying challenge: pursue growth through discomfort. AYLI and being a part of this delegation wasn’t on that list. To be honest I didn’t know anything about the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund until the training weekend, but it’s this very aspect which aligns with the theme of my 2017 goals.
On numerous occasions I’ve heard different female leaders talk about a woman’s tendency to feel the need to tick 80% (if not all) of the criteria in a job advert before applying; men on the other hand, would tend to put their name in the hat if they ticked off a mere handful. The point they were leading up to was, if you’re ticking all those boxes for an opportunity to grow your career, then girlfriend you’re already over qualified and should be asking for a promotion before you even start! Where’s the stretch if you can already do it all?
As a person who tends to doubt her own abilities, this fully resonated with me. So I thought, how better to overcome the inferiority complex than by throwing myself into the unknown, force myself to use what I’ve got and just see how it goes! And that’s what brought me here. I’m interested to learn more about the role the World Bank and IMF are playing to eradicate extreme poverty, but my knowledge on the topic is somewhat superficial. Heading into the upcoming conference and meetings with experts in this area, I am definitely feeling inadequate but I’m going to trust in my skills to be able to absorb, observe and add my own thoughts to the conversation.
The next three weeks is going to be a multifaceted learning experience. I’m thrilled to be engaging with issues that really matter to me, like fundamental human rights and the irony of systemic injustice in an institution like the World Bank; I’m eager to realise the value in my own voice, opinion and views; above all else I’m pretty damn excited to run up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial then shadow box like Rocky Balboa (I realise he ran up different steps in the movie, but close enough for me).
In the lead up to Washington DC I’ll be reading up on as much material as I can, watching YouTube videos on long-haul travel hacks and preparing witty responses for every time my accent is mistaken for an Aussie’s.
Time is flying and soon I will be too!
--
All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences.