SURRENDER- an empowering attitude
Rashmi Shetty
Coach CXOs & Senior Leaders Globally to enhance their VOICE & Vocal Presence | Chair at ICF Foundation| Speaker| Facilitator|Podcaster
In a coaching session this week, my coachee was sharing how his upbringing shaped a lot of how he sees nature as his best friend. As he did not have very many friends in his age group, he learned to enjoy his own company. The discipline of waking up early this is ingrained in him because of the proximity to nature & the chirping of the birds in the place he grew up in was his alarm. Few houses & not many friends made him want to work on his innovation skills to create games he could play with himself & accept himself completely. This built his connection with Nature which even today is strongest. The biggest lesson he says he has learned from Nature is surrender.
This conversation triggered a lot of thoughts in me. Yesterday I was hosting an amazing event online for the Shankar Mahadevan Academy and the journey of the online academy has been fantastic in the last 12 years! When he was answering questions one of the students asked how he prepares mentally before any concert. Shankarji's answer was very simple, " Do my practice & then just before the concert I surrender to Maa Saraswati". For the little boy who asked the question that was a beautiful lesson from his role model, was a beautiful way to live life.
Surrender has been one of the amazing ways for me to see how life unfolded! When we do whatever we are doing with complete awareness and then let go of the end result & accept the outcome as it is, we lead more peaceful lives. The work from our end however needs to happen. This attitude connects me to the #voiceinme. The outcome is dependent on many external factors. This mode is tough especially when we all like to be in charge. The #bhagavadgita has repeatedly said this and is a text I go to. For me, however, the first time I embraced surrender was when I was studying the meaning of Chapter 11, verse 33:
tasmat tvam uttistha yaso labhasva
jitva satrun bhunksva rajyam samrddham
mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva
nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin
Meaning: Therefore get up and prepare to fight. After conquering your enemies you will enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasacin, can be an instrument in the fight.
" nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin" was the phrase that I embraced. Metaphorically, I see myself as Arjuna & life my battle. It has been a principle that I have followed from then on. This guiding principle has helped me in many situations to face the most challenging moments too.
What an amazing journey it has been meeting 100 guests on Season 1 of the weekly human library audio podcast "U n' I with Rashmi Shetty". It was with complete surrender that I started my podcast journey! Have completed 106 episodes in 106 weeks and also won the Hubhopper award On World Podcaster's Day!
These are the 101 guests featured so far:
This Friday the 17th of March I started season 2 of my podcast "U n' I with Rashmi Shetty". The first guest in Season 2 is Geeta Ramanujam?one of India's best storytellers globally recognized! World Storytelling Day?is a global celebration of the art of oral?storytelling & is celebrated every year on the?March equinox, on (or near) March 20.
Besides being an internationally renowned storyteller she is an educator, academician, and administrator. She is the Executive Director of?Kathalaya?Trust established in 1998 which is the culmination of her vision and wisdom. She also founded?Kathalaya International Academy of Storytelling?–the only credible and globally recognized Academy for Storytelling in the World with affiliations to the USA, Scotland, and Sweden.?She has completed 187 batches of her certified Beginners and Diploma courses so far. She has trained over 99495 adults so far. Geeta Ramanujam is an Ashoka fellow and has widely traveled to 48 countries and the 27 states in India to establish Storytelling as a tool of learning and also to set up centers.
Geeta has also performed and trained people at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, UK, Norway, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, Austria, Greece, Istanbul, Sweden, Poland, USA, Sri Lanka, and?Brazil to name a few. She is also the Indian Coordinator for the International Storytelling Network –RIC besides being the Indian coordinator of the Indian Storytelling Network. Geeta has several awards to her credit including the recent International award for the Best storyteller at the BOCADEU storytelling festival in Brazil and the Governor's award in Tamil Nadu for the Best Story Narrator. She has won the Bangalore Hero Award twice and was recently honored by Prime Minister Modi ji in his Man Ki Baat program. Geeta uses storytelling as an effective educational and cultural tool in training for parents, teachers, NGOs, and corporate sectors both in India and globally.?Geeta is also a consultant in Education and is on the board of several educational institutions and storytelling centers both in India and abroad.
“Geeta is the goddess of storytelling and Kathalaya her heart beating for the world.”??Linda Williamson – author and storyteller in Edinburgh?
Watch the extract below as Geeta shares her journey into becoming the world-class storyteller she is today.
Listen to the full conversation on any of these links:
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Spotify:
Spotify for podcasters:
Apple podcasts:
Google Podcasts:
?Amazon Podcasts:
Gaana Podcasts:
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XEJUSRImaE?( full audio)???????
https://youtu.be/Y7a2o8bpfYM?( video)
If you want to get in touch with Geeta or Kathalaya, here are the contacts:
Email:?[email protected]?????Webpage:??www.kathalaya.org,
Contact: 8277389840, 9845207073
Self Mastery & Limitless Abundance Coach | I empower you to Get Unstuck through Self Mastery, Unleash Full Potential & Experience Freedom | Corporate Trainer |Global Talk Show Host
2 年Surrender is the only way to be, we are the luscious drops in the infinite ocean and the only thing we can do is BE, with all our authenticity and sincerity. Thank you for the beautiful article Rashmi.
People Development Practitioner and Executive Coach at PGHR, Professional Certified Coach, Master Trainer Facilitator, Certified Group Life Coach, Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Professional Life Coach ,
2 年In an ideal world this aspect of "surrender" may be true. However, what of those unfortunate people stuck in jobs they cannot leave, not knowing where the next meal us going to come?
ICF-PCC | India's First Intuition Expert | Business Manifestation & Executive Coach | Mind Coach for Professional?Athletes | Author | Angel Investor | IICA Certified Independent?Director
2 年Beautiful Rashmi Shetty ! Surrender resonates so much ??!
Self Mastery Coach (ICF-PCC) | Enabling Busy Professionals to Thrive Consciously with Simple and Sustainable Solutions | Ex-Corporate Banker | Intentional Living Advocate | Author | Podcaster
2 年nimitta-matram - To simply be an instrument, how profound and simple at the same time, yet we find it so hard to relinquish control.... Thank you, Rashmi, for sharing this beautiful thought. And, congratulations on Season 2 of the podcast!