In a world full of endless tasks and sedentary lifestyles, greater chances exist of losing fun times or oneself in the chaotic trend of busyness. As a “redefined introvert” (a term I coined after been misread by so many people as bold and pragmatic when actually I’m the shy bee yearning for its next solitude moment), I live my life by day and pull through all I can to earn a worthy future irrespective of my past.
My best and cheeriest moments have been those breaks reserved for self (soul searching and evaluating what has worked so far in my life, those that are still working, and that which has failed to work for me) as it’s only during these times that I truly understand myself better and get to redirect my next leap.
Although the rapid globalization of the century has no space for left-backs or non-networkers, people tend to lose themselves trying to over interact or are kept teetering in their own nests; to either I dread to be entirely a part. Hence, I ply both paths cautiously using both media to my advantage; never letting go of moments I so treasure but again tweaking them to both serve me well and the people around me. After all, life in itself is how well we’re inspired to make every day meaningful and that I consider a fertile soil to grow and blossom my lifetime.
The Atlas Corps fellowship has been unique in ways I never imagined-having a tree keeper, an elder sibling and colleague fellows from entirely different backgrounds (some of which there could have been no way of learning about the rich cultures and traditions of their homelands) and get to live together and share things in common. This I consider a splendor and fullness of an exchange program which not only seeks to develop fellows professionally but also culturally, socially and politically (yes I meant it); my life has been a testimony to this. My elder siblings who come from South Korea and Zambia were my very strong pillars who not only helped me crawl on my first day in my host organisation but continuously made sure I was supported till I could walk for myself. What more could I have opted for if not the close bond we so pride ourselves in which makes me feel home away from home and convinced that throughout my learning curve fellows are around to give me that boost of energy and creativity? This community is a wonder whose dimensions and uniqueness still remains untapped.
In one of the fellowship’s Global Leadership lab (a four-days quarterly training program carefully designed to teach marketable skills), I felt a strong wave of gratitude to the strong-willed and ever determined community. It was on the last day of that training quarter when the trainers from Deloitte asked each one of us to go around each other’s tables and write on a sheet of paper, something we know about the individual occupying that seat. To my greatest surprise, through these simple descriptive words I came to know much about my innumerable potentials and talents and even the exceptional charisma that I carry about, that my heart and brain could hardly ever foresee.
It’s through the selfless eyes of others that we mostly find ourselves and this continues to be the resounding bell during my low and tardy times. It’s only by losing ourselves that we can be found and that’s the spirit that the Atlas Corps fellowship has imbued in me-explore! If only the world (people of course) could stop, relax and redefine their thought process and spare a bit more of themselves to help the weak and vulnerable of society, living will be worthy for all with poverty and exploitation of all sorts being a concept of the past and read only in history books.
Today, not only have I learnt the power of interaction and been open about my feelings but also realized that when we give ourselves to others a part of us is reproduced in them and that keeps growing on to others too.