Reflections on "the Good Life"

As a part of the Autodesk Ambassador program, I had the chance to hear Sarah Ellis , co-founder of Amazing If , speak about ways to navigate and continue growing in a non-linear career path: "5 Skills to Succeed in a Squiggly Career."

I am in the final year of my architecture program at Columbia. It wasn't always clear that I wanted to pursue an architecture degree even though I understood from growing up in different scales of urbanism and traveling how the built environment greatly influences quality of life. My high school experience was split between Model UN and Wind Ensemble. American Studies and Chemistry were some of my favorite classes. I've always been fascinated by the rapid pace of technological change, and in between I've had experiences in F&B, retail, real estate, marketing, graphic design, and the list goes on; I felt energized by sinking my teeth into a new domain, and I still crave that variety today. But all of this is to say, before architecture, my path toward it had been "squiggly."

Still, each phase contributed to my personal development and growth. While those turns sometimes left me feeling like I wasn't making significant progress, subsequent life experiences revealed the value of those detours through how they clarified my own voice and interests. I’m grateful for voices like Sarah's that help normalize non-linear journeys. Each phase has contributed to self-discovery.

In particular, Sarah introduced the process of an "Energy Audit," which reminded me of an impactful idea I learned from a reading in college: Aristotle's concept of "eudaemonia," or happiness. Artistotle posits that everyone seeks happiness, defined as a deep sense of fulfillment derived from flourishing.

In Sarah's talk, the Energy Audit asks you to look back on your week and identify, (1) when did you have the most energy? And (2) what personal strengths did they tap on? The purpose of this exercise is to gain clarity on your values and help you focus your efforts on and identify activities that align with them. Applying this lens of reflection to a "squiggling" path of trial and error formalized the organic process by which I gained clarity on my interests. In turn, the talk made me realize that often what energizes you is also what makes you happy - fulfilled and flourishing - and an Energy Audit offers a noteworthy approach to that Aristotelian vision of "the good life."

Thank you Grace Hathaway , Cloude Porteus and Alex Young for putting these opportunities our way. A special thanks also to Matthew Luhn for the great workshop on storytelling.

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