Into the infiniteness...

I have written and recreated this piece 100+ times in my mind and am still unable to capture the essence.

During my last semester of executive MBA, I spent a few days in the IIM Ahmedabad campus, One day our professor said, today you will not read a case study but live it… we were taken to a nearby blind school, to experience something quite unusual. As you enter an environment like this, the first emotion that embodies is sympathy, you create a notion in your mind that these blind kids are incapable of experiencing this universe as you do...

However, that was nowhere close to the truth as for the next 30 minutes, I was transferred from the realm of the sighted to the domain of the blind. With anxiety, I began to walk carefully, dependent upon my guide, to be taken through a pitch dark maze where we could not see anything and the infiniteness was chocking, we stopped at various odd corners to understand how they enjoy a movie, to play a board game and experience food better than ever as we immersed in the pure taste... In the absence of one, other senses were strengthened to extrapolate more out of life...

After the session, as I stood there gasping for air with teary eyes, one of the teenagers walked up to me and said in a deep baritone, “Don’t feel sorry for us, we are not limited by what we don't see… We are powered by what we dream” The sentence was so powerful that it still reverberates in my mind even today…

Consumed by thoughts and needless to say many negative in this complex world, my search for anchors is never-ending… In that same pursuit, I came across Erik Weihenmayer through his books staring at me in full climbing gear and his words are, What's your purpose in life? Erik has made an ordinary life extraordinary. His achievements, perseverance and relentless pursuit of his dreams are a celebration of life... When I was listening through how Erik journeyed while fighting the strong wind blowing over that ridge as he attempts to summit Aconcagua, It reminded me of that teenage kid's voice,".....Powered by Dreams"

Erik teaches us the power of embracing adversity instead of shying away from it. Rather than seeing his blindness as a limitation, he viewed it as an opportunity to challenge himself and push beyond his perceived boundaries.

No ordinary man or woman would dare to set foot on the 3,000-foot Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite let alone a blind man climbing the same, Erik defines his life through audacious goals, he challenges himself beyond his comfort. While hanging from the wall of a mountain trying to find the smallest crack that will elevate him to the next point he believes in himself. His inner drive is stronger than his limitations, he rises beyond that fear and takes one step forward at a time..!! ?

He enjoyed the infiniteness of this universe better than what eyes can see when sitting at the top of Mount Everest...He redefined life..!!!

I truly believe if you find a purpose in life even if that leads to a journey of discomfort, your mind unshackles you to carve a path.

Whether it is Erik Weihenmayer's life lessons or my visit to the blind school, what keeps me awake at night is …Why some people are extraordinary and some never try to be one…!!!

What makes me sleep peacefully is…. to know that there is so much inspiration out there we can draw from to live an extraordinary and meaningful life..!!

As I sit back and reflect, there is still time for all of us to let life be infinite.

Watch out for this space from 14th October to 22nd October as I try to stand where Erik stood once with someone he loved the most, his wife - Ellie Reeve

Enjoy and have a great life..?

See you next month..