No, not desserts unfortunately. 

Bring something sweet to the table as in being able to offer value to somebody else. 

To break it down, our world is composed of exchanges in value. 

No, not money. 

More like, words of encouragement, quality time spent, cooking a hearty meal, or lending an ear.

Our friends, family, colleagues, and peers like us more when we provide them value. And when we have something sweet that we can give away without giving away ourselves, they come to love us. 

Bringing something sweet to the table means to deliver something that others care about and will appreciate. 

Have you really arrived if they don’t know who you are? 

Frankly put, the answer is no. They won’t know who you are if you aren’t able to talk about yourself. yikes!!

So who are you? What do you do? And how do you do it? 

Why do you do what you do? What do you believe in?

What is your end goal? How can we help and join you?

If you can talk about your answers in a succinct and passionate way, then that means you can pitch yourself and that you’ve arrived. 

If there was one thing I would want to say to my fellow colleagues and friends, it would be this: Please, be a friend to yourself. 

There’s nothing more uninspiring than a burnt out mind. 

If you’re feeling overloaded, overwhelmed, overworked, please take a break—nobody is telling you that you aren’t allowed to. 

That, and your tears are a clear sign of distress. 

This is not what it means to be alive.

Yes, it’s the season of finals, a lack of sun, and client deadlines. 

But, your projects, assignments, reports, papers, and judgement from others can wait (especially the latter). 

This is your time to be humane to yourself as a person. 

We are not designed to be machines, so do not be discouraged if you can’t churn out 3 written reports, memorize 6 powerpoints, single-handedly code a functional app, and be a guru in tech by the end of next week. 

We are human, so treat yourself like one. 

Know that this moment does not define the remainder of your life; 

this moment will not define the remainder of your life. 

Please, be a friend to yourself.