My First Motivational Talk

On 29th May this year, I was invited to speak to the students of S R International School, Bareilly. The Chairman of the school wanted me to speak on 'achieving success' and had asked me to inspire the students to excel in life. The audience were Standard 12th (A level) students. I had spoken to many different groups in past, but this was my first motivational talk and I was really excited about it. 

Realizing that these students were going through a very decisive phase of life, I started my talk with the issues that were most important to these children. I was authentic here and truly understood the physical and mental pressures they were in. After this I moved on to the importance of 'Dreaming'. But the major part of the talk was on sharing my thoughts and experiences on how one can have fulfillment in life. After putting the dots in place, I tried to connect them. 

I have been too lazy to upload the video, but very soon when I do that, I will certainly share the link. The talk was well received but I have drawn some lessons that will help me next time. There are five learnings :

1.Connect with the audience within seconds. Warm them up right away. It took me some time to generate interest. However, I realize that children are restless by nature and that these kids didn't sign up for my talk. So overall, I am happy that within few minutes, I could get them excited.

2.Time management - I overshot the time. 

3.Rehearsing-I did not rehearse the talk even once. Not because of overconfidence but because of poor time management during preparation stage. I now realize that for a great delivery and perfect timings, rehearsing is of utmost importance. It would simply enrich the talk and make it so much more meaningful.

4.It should not be a generic talk. Having a theme is alright but the talk must deal with specific issues. In general talks, it is hard to draw lessons. After the broad introduction, one should cover core issues.

5.Stories and examples always help in conveying the message. This I did and it was a hit.

Very briefly, I spoke on the following :

1. On Friendship & Relationships...Your company decides who you will become. There's nothing quite like a good friend to take you through the world. On Relationship…Take your time before you commit to a relationship. Don't rush into them. Know that there is a difference between attraction and love. Don't mistake one for the other.

2. Don't be so angry…The world isn't a perfect place. There are a lot of things going wrong here. And I know you are angry with it. Don't be so angry with everything. Learn to embrace it with its flaws rather than fight it all the time. Know that being angry doesn't help. Be patient. Learn to let go.

3. Don't hurt people…Don’t hurt yourself…You are young and brash. Sometimes you hurt people without realizing it. Be sensitive. Be kind. It is equally important to be kind to yourself. Love yourself. It is said, "we are our best friend and our worst enemy".

4. Take better care of your health...You're young. You don't care about your health. But, please do, because when you are fit you feel better and function better.

5. Read books and write if possible...Make books part of your life. There is nothing quite like reading good books. It gives you a more rounded view of life.

6. Sleep better…Having a disciplined life may not seem cool but it is important. Take a good night's rest; it's the best gift you can give to yourself.

7. Finding our purpose...Have a purpose. Having one will keep you excited. I know it is not always possible to know what you want when you're less than 20 but keep trying so that you do not regret later. Let me tell you almost all of us lead very uninspiring lives. Ask yourself what is important to you, your true calling and make a leap for it.

8. On Clarity…We are all so hungry for clarity and let me tell you honestly that clarity will always be elusive. Steve jobs said on connecting the dots, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future".

9. On Mindset…How we limit ourselves in spite of having infinite potential. The happiness of our life depends on the quality of our thoughts. (This point is important and was covered in great detail. I will write a separate post on it later).

10. On Attempting and failing…We are brought up with a psyche that "failure is not an option". This is so damaging for trying out new things. I now realize that failing is the only thing that can help me learn and grow. So I am ready to embrace this change, this vulnerability, to fall and fail and to hope and believe in getting up again. 

11. Hard work matters…There are no quick fix solutions. Don’t wait for that one big thing-for miracles. Instead focus on doing small improvements regularly. I know it sounds uninspiring but that’s the way it goes. I may fill you up with big words but what matters in the end is your tenacity, your perseverance. Nothing comes easy. Big achievements demand Big time hard work.

12. On Cause and Effect. Life is all about making choices. You reap what you sow (Law of Karma). We alone are responsible for our present and no one else is to be blamed for the mess in our life(if any). Depending on the choices that we made in the past, our present has been shaped. Similarly, what we do today will decide the future.

13. What does not matter…What others are doing. Don't compare too much with others. Rather focus on yourself. A break year is OK. it is a good way to find out, what matters and what you want to do. 

14. Get your priorities right…The sooner you get your priorities right, the better it will be for you.

CONCLUSION...There is nothing that I can tell you that you do not know or have not heard of. There is plenty of advise, so please be discreet. The challenge is in implementing the learnings. 

In the end…let me just repeat the words of Vivekananda…Life’s battle do not always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can…

BE PASSIONATE-BE COURAGEOUS-BE YOURSELF

Thank you very much…