This fellowship is as much about learning as it is about making an impact. For those of us struggling with the prospect of walking away from our year making less of an impact or having fewer deliverables than we expected, it is important to keep in mind those immense lessons we are learning. Even if those lessons happen to be comprised mostly of “don’ts” – those are often the most significant ones.I think many people would agree that it’s often easier to recall negative experiences than positive ones. For better or worse, it’s those memories of what we didn’t like that stick in our minds.
Responsibility for this perspective goes beyond simply surviving the situation; it is our job to take these hard-won lessons with us as we continue with our careers and implement them in our own lives. We will one day be the leaders of the fields we are currently breaking into. Hopefully, we will look back on our experiences in this fellowship and remember the vital lessons we learned in the course of this year – both the positive and the negative.