Reflections... on Walking My Talk!

Exactly one year ago, on April 20, 2022, I did something. Something that I had on my "bucket list" of things to do but was scared to announce or even admit to myself for a very long time. And all of a sudden, a series of events happened, when I had least expected it, which quickly turned into an experience that changed my life. An experience that I am so grateful for and proud of! It was an opportunity to share my story on the biggest stage I've ever been on. This morning I was shocked to see that my video has 486 views thus far! While 100 of those might be my mom's, I am so humbled to see that around 400 people took 13 minutes and 17 seconds of their time to watch it :-)

As I was reminiscing about this experience, an avalanche of feelings and emotions flood through my heart and my mind. And much of those quickly converted into reflections around my thoughts going into the talk, doing the talk, and a year after the talk, that I wanted to share here:

Opportunity knocks unexpectedly

I was going through a lot in my personal life when this opportunity came by. So, for a very long time, I contemplated whether or not I should audition for the Walk The Talk Indy Speaker Series. Finally, after a lot of thought, I decided to go for it and obviously, looking back, I think it was truly one of the biggest opportunities that I would have hated to miss.

Do not feel rushed to take up an opportunity

Quite an antithesis to my above statement you might think?! Well, if you have watched the talk, you may get an idea of why I say that. I was on a work visa up until 2021. So whenever I used to experience something unusual, I used to get scared. Scared of what would happen if my sharing does not land the way I had intended it to be. Fast forward a series of negative thoughts and I would land on, what will happen if this action ends up in my visa being revoked.

Get outside of your comfort zone

As a result of both of the above, I would say, take your time. Only YOU get to decide whether an opportunity, whether a time, is right for you or not. Upon introspecting, if you realize that the only thing that gets in your way of achieving your goal at the moment, is "this is too uncomfortable", ask yourself, "What if I were to do it"? What is the worst that could happen, you will not achieve your goal, at the moment, and then you can always try again. But you would never know if you do not take a chance, on yourself.

Be that drop in an ocean that creates ripple effects

Soon after the talk, I am still getting feedback at unexpected places and topics I would have never thought of. People who look and think like me (not just from Indian origins) thanked me for sharing a story that they felt like it was their own. People who look and think differently than I do thanked me for sharing something that they were not aware of. I did this talk only to create awareness around diversity, inclusion, and equity by sharing personal stories. But I think it did much more than that for me and impacted me in a way that I would have never imagined it to. I showed myself how I can be that change in the world I want to see! Even if it is in baby steps.

Inclusion CAN be a 2-way street

Saved the best for the last, didn't I :-)?! For the longest time, I used to think and believe that I am in the minority and hence, I expected people to do this, to do that, to make me feel included. And then I realized that most people, who are in the majority, do not know what they don't know. Isn't it my responsibility to help them understand where I am coming from? Then, I changed my thought and my approach. I walk a step and wait for them to walk a step. If they do, I take two steps, and if they walk two steps, I take another 4 steps. If they do not, I respect their discomfort and move on! Sounds simple, much harder to implement, but not impossible - I can vouch for this approach!

In the trailer for this event (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl2GW4ZFf6E), I shared this sentiment, "Can you imagine a world, where everyone would feel like they belong, irrespective of their ethnicity, their looks, or beliefs? Can you imagine a world where the notion of inclusion is reliant only on humanity, and humanity alone? Ya, me too!" I truly believe this and hence, I will gather the courage to walk my talk at every juncture I get to :-)!