Midterms are finally over. Completely over, not a single one left. Nothing until finals. And last weekend? Definitely different for sure.
I spent it on a retreat out in the woods. It was meant to be a leadership getaway, but it ended up being more of a mirror. One of the workshops hit harder than expected. We talked about struggles, not the kind you show people, but the ones that live quietly behind the scenes, suppressed for years on end. It made me realise that everyone's fighting something invisible, and we rarely stop to take a moment and notice it.
Right after that, I had to switch gears and interview people for the position I'll be passing on in the Student Leadership Program next semester. That transition between reflecting on people's emotions to interviewing some of the same people who were going to facilitate by my side next semester was exhilirating. By Sunday afternoon, I was completely drained. Not just physically and mentally, but emotionally too. I went home, ate a bit of food and told myself I'd take a 10-minute nap. Set a timer. Hit snooze once. Then again. Next thing I know, two hours zip by just like that. Honestly, I needed it. It's like my body finally said that I've done enough for today.
Here's the thing though, when I first joined this leadership orgranisation, I thought all this self-reflection talk was overrated. I was in the "just lock in and move on" mindset. But if this semester has taught me anything, it's that reflection isn't about slowing down but checking whether you're still heading in the right direction. Maybe clarity doesn't show up in a single dramatic moment. Maybe it sneaks in quietly when life finally stops being loud.
This week I also found myself thinking about something I read about SoftBank, the same tech giant that helped fuel the AI boom. They sold their entire stake in Nvidia, just so it could fund its next wave of investments, including 30 billion dollars into OpenAI. It's wild. One of the bggest tech investors on the planet stepping back from, arguably the biggest name in technology. Not because they lost faith, but because they needed room to move forward.
In a world obsessed with acceleration as I've mentioned time and time again, sometimes the smartest play in the book is to pause and reallocate your energy before you burn it all out. SoftBank as an organisation isn't slowing down, it's repositioning. That kind of reset feels similar to what this weekend did for me in a way. I've been sprinting nonstop, without realising that reflection is its own kind of momentum. Just quieter and much steadier in practice.
Sometimes it's good to step away from the noise. To stop thinking about a million things at once. To breathe in, breathe out, and look at yourself with an open eye. That's exactly what this weekend was for me: pure reflection bliss. Remember the tightrope that I spoke about in my earlier blogs? Maybe next week I'll be back on that very same tightrope, trying to balance everything at once again. But for now, I'm learning to appreciate the calm between steps. Adios and see y'all next week.