SEIZE THE DAY

 



“I may be going nowhere; but, what a ride?”

Shaun Hick

 

I started an online Personality-development programme (of ten sessions) today. I just concluded the first session. As it was online, I wanted only ten participants in it, so that I could interact with each participant individually. They were all teenagers. But, I had encouraged two eager parents, too, to participate.

From my years of experience, I know this very well: If you are clear about what exactly you want to convey to your participants, you, invariably, do. So, what was that I wanted to convey to this group through this 10-session progrmme?

‘Self-confidence and Communication Skills’!

Could I achieve it without a roadmap, a plan?

Yes, I had a roadmap in the form of a well-thought of PPT.  But, as we all know, a PPT is only a direction, a broad roadmap. As you keep going, there are scores of things that decide how the journey would be… You cannot plan every very word, line, example, story or whatever… You are on the road, and ‘the road has to take you’ where you want to go… You need to just trust this process… Trust your heart, mind, experience, intentions and, above all, your participants, the passengers in your taxi!

 I love this process; it’s exciting… Going somewhere, going nowhere… A great joyride, a great paradox!



 


I had asked Soha (15) and her dad to have a conference call with me, yesterday. Her dad had been trying to enroll her for over two years. Now, she had completed her tenth standard and had time in her hand to do this programme. But, I wanted we three to be on the same page… I did not want the young girl to be pushed into it. Therefore, I wanted to speak, heart-to-heart, with her and her dad. It was a WhatsApp voice call, which lasted more than forty minutes!

Had I planned my words, rehearsed my lines, several examples and stories I had shared with them during this conference call?

Nobody does that. Nobody should. I knew what I wanted  young Soha to take home from that call… I was absolutely honest. I wanted her to do it out of her freewill and pour her heart into it. So, keeping these broad objectives in my mind, I had embarked upon that conference-call journey, last evening. I was frequently asking questions, just to check if she was getting what I was saying, if she was enjoying it…

She was saying, “Yes Sir!”

“Anything you want to ask, Soha?” I asked her while concluding.

“Yes Sir,” Soha said sincerely, “When are we going to start with this course?”

“The course has already started, dear,” I said, and ended the conference call.





 

Life and learning! What a ride it is! ‘Carpe Diem’… Seize the day, Seize the day!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: gettyimages

 

Video: Melodysheep/Robin Williams

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