Beginnings & endings
A few weeks ago, I was giving a graduation speech for my fabulous data talents here at DataU.
My awesome team ensured that they had everything ready, all I needed to do was show up, take the photos and give a speech. Pretty easy, right?! (I’ve been secretly dreaming of being able to do this and I was pretty grateful for it)
Of course, it was a crazy week and my speech was ready an hour or so before delivery. And to be honest, had to listen to my own advice — don’t follow a script, remember the key points, talk from the heart and just talk as you would normally — no pompous words that you wouldn’t use on a regular basis.
As I was contemplating what to say and what to include, I just had this epiphany that we tend to look at graduations a bit like one chapter ends and another one begins.
In reality, life is a continuous journey, a circle of beginnings, middles, endings — a continuous loop of challenges and opportunities for growth.
And it all comes down to us and our perspective.
Everything we do in life starts in a way just like that, a change in perspective, a dream to redefine what is possible. Sometimes, depending on our dreams, we’re not only changing the status quo and paving our way just for ourselves, but we do so for others.
We start our journeys with no idea about the exciting things ahead or the challenges ahead and… without knowing how it will all turn out.
And, for most of us, those challenges are linked to our mindset, limiting beliefs, having confidence in our abilities, adapting to new ways of learning and thinking, juggling multiple things at once and even understanding that in this process we’re building a new identity, we’re doing something different, we’re becoming someone else.
And, in more ways than one…it’s supposed to be hard, it will be or else…you might not even want it.
I’ve once read this:
If it was easy you wouldn’t even want it in first place
It strikes me as being quite accurate!
In this quest, in our journeys we will have multiple challenges.
And like any good challenge, we go through a whole rollercoaster of emotions.
Some days you find yourself at the top of the mountain and other days you will succumb into the valley of despair.
But what you might not realise is that you build the muscle, you persevere, you overcame self doubt, you push through the challenges and at the end of it, you build a new identity.
As Nassim Taleb rightly puts it in his book “Antifragile”
…the antifragile system gains from stressors and external pressures
Just like that, we too, gain from our challenges.
This transformative journey changes your life in ways that you might not even fully recognise until later. Depending on where the journey takes you, you will find yourself in company of people who challenge your belief systems, who show you a new way, who trigger you and who ultimately help you become better — provided you allow yourself to metamorphose into a better you.
And, it’s important to move forward in life remembering you’re a leader and you’re in charge of change (and if you can pave the way for others even better!)
You have a duty not just for you and your loved ones, but for generations to come to pass on the baton and keep building the legacy you seek to leave on this earth.
Show up with passion and enthusiasm every day, focus your energy on what you can control and simply aim to be the best that you can be. Keep building the identity of a curious learner who is constantly challenging her / his own views and those of others, who is radically open minded and willing to have hard conversations that move things forward and drive change.
Humans are indeed one of the most adaptable machines — every transformation we undergo is a testament to that.
And what I want you to remember and take forward the most is this:
Everything connects in the end, the puzzle comes together.
You need to believe that everything will work out in the best possible way for you, even though you can’t see it, even though everything around you is spinning out of control.
This blind faith is, ultimately, what changes the world, it’s what brings innovation in our lives and it’s what redefines a new possible.
I always remind myself of this:
Pressure creates diamonds and it’s a privilege, never forget how privileged you are!
And last, but not least… without taking action every single day, without moving forward (baby steps, leap frogs, jumps), change simply doesn’t happen.
What action steps are you taking today?
