Kellogg MBA Essay

I always have the belief that a person’s motivation on achieving his or her goals is crucial for his or her success. I have encountered individuals who are reluctant in doing physical exercises, individuals who are absolutely unmotivated and deprived of any enthusiasm as well as individuals who are reluctant to work. For instance, form my personal experience I recall a new consultant who is reluctant to interview the CFO and Controller of our client, because she has a low self-esteem and she is not confident in her own power. I had to talk to her to explain that interviewing executives to document controls is not a big deal. I told her that I had the similar experience as she did and I got nervous too when I was asked by the manager to interview the executives for the first time. After the short conversation we had, she was still reluctant to do the interview work and asked me to assign her with work that she does not have to deal with the high level executives of our client. She told me that even I gave her a bad evaluation; she still doesn’t want to do it now because she thinks she is not ready to do such a responsible job. After thinking for a minute, I asked her whether she had ever wanted to become a project lead and manager in the future.

Her answer was positive with no hesitation. Then I quoted an ancient Chinese proverb to her “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. I attempted to convince her that becoming a manager was her long term goal, and to reach that goal, she needed to take the first step, and the best time to do it was just at that moment when she had to interview the CFO . She thought a few minutes and then walked into the CFO’s office.

I am sure she figured out the meaning of the old Chinese saying I told her, and I am certain that anyone, who is reluctant in doing certain things because of the lack of confidence or laziness, can be changed as long as the correct message is conveyed to him or her by a confident and motivated person.

4B. I wish Admissions Committee had asked me”¦

I wished Admissions Committee had asked me “What is your greatest passion in life”. Everyone has different passions, and different passions leads people into different mindsets and different lifestyles. A lot of people have this great passion of making money like Bill Gates, and then live a posh life. I cannot deny that I have the similar kind of thoughts as well, but I am certain that kind of thoughts is not my greatest passion in life, since it seems to me too shallow and superficial and too insignificant. When I think about my great passion in life, I think about the millions of poor children in China and around the world, who are deprived of the normal nutrition, education, and conveniences we get used to take for granted. To help these children is my greatest passion.

Indeed, helping these poor children would satisfy me more than making a lot of money or being famous. I still remember my journey to China, where I visited a village at the countryside. Many children at that village did not attend a school, and they were wearing ragged clothes. As a rule, these children start helping their parents at farm as early as 7 years of age because they have to farm simply to survive. The situation in Africa and in many other countries of the Third World is even worse. Every year, I donate money to China to help village children, who are too poor to go to school. However, I hope I will be able to combine my career and my passion. If I am able to found a successful consulting firm in China, I will be able to use the money I earn and my professional experience to help the poor children in China and all over the world.