I’ve been renewed for Season 2!

A few weeks ago, I received the news from the IMW that I passed my S1A and was progressing to Stage 2!  But to be completely honest, I had to read the email twice because I was expecting the delivery to be more in MY language with a lot of emojis and exclamation points about what fantastic news this was!!! The Brits are (obviously) a bit more subdued than I am.

While we students don’t get a ton of information as to how well we did (or did not do) on the S1A, thankfully we do each receive some feedback on our exam performance. What I did fairly well: essay structure, tasting ability and logical arguments. What I need to work on: sweet wines (identification and production methods), vintages and global examples. This was helpful feedback and wasn’t overly surprising – I’m well aware of my weak spots and also know that I can write a decent, logical essay (thank you law school!)

One key bit of advice I have for new MW students is to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.  We each have our own individual strengths, so embrace yours and use them to your advantage wherever you can. Case in point: my attention to detail seems to serve me well on exams since one of the Examiners’ most frequent comments about students is that they “don’t read the question!” And while you may not want to EMBRACE your weaknesses, at least be aware of what they are.  Don’t bullshit yourself and pretend they don’t exist.  Because they DO exist . . . and they’ll probably show up on your exam.

This “Season 2 news” also made me think about the future of this blog.  What started out as a goal to document my “MW Marathon” – honestly and transparently – unfortunately fell by the wayside fairly quickly this year.  And by the time I felt up to writing again, I needed to turn my focus towards preparing for the S1A instead of journalling my experience with the program.

But I do want to share my thoughts with future MW students and, selfishly, I’d love to have a log of my journey so when I’m a much older vintage I can look back, read these entries and think “what an adventure that was!” So – I’m going to continue, but with a couple of adjustments.  First, I’m a perfectionist (shocker) and am trying to let some of those tendencies go. Especially when they aren’t necessary – like in a blog post.  Future posts might not have all their t’s dotted and i’s crossed, but they will all be authentically ME.  And second – I have somehow felt the need to write lengthy posts covering LOTS of details. But let’s be honest: I don’t have time to do that on a regular basis and you all probably don’t have the inclination to read long and rambling musings. MW students are encouraged to keep our exam essays under 1,000 words – and there’s no reason why my posts can’t be too. 😉

And if you’re more of a watcher than a reader, please check out Elevage Wine Coaching’s YouTube channel where we’ve posted some of my IG Lives on the MW program!

So . . . now what?!  Well, my plan for the next couple of weeks is to actually help OTHER students over their hurdles (lots of Diploma students with exams coming up). But I’m easing myself back into MW studies, my study group has started up again and reconnecting with my fellow students & friends has re-energized me. 🙂 And knowing me, I’ll need to get a plan in place next month (November) so that I have some direction these next few months before the S2 seminar in February. Not exactly sure what that’ll look like – but I’ll share it with you when I figure it out!