Yesterday, the president of Smith College, Dr. Ruth J Simmons, came to give a speech where I work. The speech was exclusively for women and there was such an overwhelming response, that I almost couldn’t attend it.

She told us a little of her life story and how she made it to where she is. I liked some of the points she made so much, that I wanted to record them. Please note that these are my interpretations of her words, not her actual words.

One of the things she mentioned was how she never had a true mentor. She had many people help shape her life and future but no one person she emulated fully. She said that for the most part, she tried to make her own journey. She used the word journey in conjunction with life often and advised us to ensure our journeys are not imitations of others. I think that’s precious advice. When you see someone at a spot you see yourself reaching one day, try to observe how she got there. Approach them and ask questions. You’d be amazed at how many people love to be approached. But when it comes to your path, lay your own. We all have one life to live, at least one that we remember, and we should make it memorable. Don’t take the easy road by stealing other people’s experiences. Make your own. At the end, even if you haven’t reached the desired goal, the journey will have been amazing.

Another point she made was about working at a place where you can be who you are. I think most of us try to fit into the culture of a firm instead of finding a firm where the culture fits who we are. If you work with people who appreciate who you are instead of telling you to change, you will flourish and be immensely more productive. Not to mention, happy. I think it’s crucial, for personal fulfillment, to work at a place that celebrates who you are instead of trying to stump your growth.

Similar to the above comment, she mentioned being loyal to your firm. She said that if you’re loyal during the good days, be even more loyal during the bad ones. One of the values that disappeared with the booming economy is loyalty. One of the things that makes you loyal to the firm is how you feel about what they do and the kind of people who work there. If you’re proud of your firm and think it to be exceptional, leaving becomes a difficult decision. Take the time to think about the place where you spent most of your day. Are you proud of where you work? Does it represent you as a person?

Dr. Simmons gave a lot of other great advice. Some of which I agreed with and others where I had a differing point of view. Either way, it was a really interesting and enjoyable hour.