It is okay to be different

Recently, I was asked this question at a talk I had given at a local school, 'Why do you do this Abhishek? Why do you put in so much of an effort to connect with other young people and to show them they are special?'

This was my answer.....

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As students we are not very different. We all want to be accepted for who we truly are. We all want to find that one special thing in each one of us. We all want to contribute towards some cause we are really passionate about.

It is just that we are all differently talented. One student may be good in academics, another in sports, another in entrepreneurship. What is important is that it is time people understood that every student is good at something.

And it will be extra-ordinary, if we can in some way show this student that you can take this one thing you are really good at and make it the focus point of your life. This is what the Empower One Billion Campaign is all about. That every student is special and unique in his or her own way. And you can use that uniqueness to change the world.

Then it is important you do not only tell people you like to do something, but you also train really hard at becoming really good at it. Then you put in the efforts to not only become best in your school, college or country. But you find a way to become best in the world at what you really like doing. This comes down to the 10,000 hour rule I mentioned in a previous blog post. Put in this time to become an artist at your craft.

When a student understands this, it empowers them in a way like no other. When I see a student come up to me and tell me that they want to go home and work on their dreams today. When I see students telling me that I made them believe they are extra-ordinary. I realize I will do this for the rest of my life even if I am constantly rejected and even if I get a thousand No's. 

Today I have spoken to over 3600 students across Mumbai and Bahrain. I realize that through this campaign if I am able to change even one student's life, I would have made a big difference. If even one student will go home and say, 'Yes, I am special. I can be extra-ordinary!' Then I think I am successful, not because I am very rich or because I am very famous but because I was able to change one person's life and that to me is something I will take to my grave... 

As Mother Teresa famously said, "Do not wait for leaders, do it alone, person to person." 

Haruki Murakami and the Dalai Lama - Daily Rituals

1) Haruki Murakami's Daily Ritual

 

Haruki Murakami in the above memoir, described his love for running everyday and how it has changed his life

Michael Phelps and the Power of Habits

Michael Phelps the American swimmer that won 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is another benefactor of the power of habits. 

Many do not know that his feats are a result of one of the most physically demanding training schedules for any athlete ever. He has made it a habit to swim 80,000 meters a week, which is about 50 miles. 

He trains twice a day, and swims for nearly 5 to 6 hours everyday, six days a week. He lifts weights thrice a week. He also has a 12,000 calorie diet that he has committed to. 

The Empower One Billion Youth Empowerment Campaign

Objective : To empower one billion young people to find the Greatness in their lives

 

The EmpowerOneBillion Campaign is a youth empowerment movement dedicated to showing young people how they can design and create great lives for themselves by taking personal responsibility for their lives and working on their dreams from a young age. 

It also aims to show them how they can impact the world by creating extraordinary careers in work fields they are passionate about. In the process the movement aims to show young people how they can contribute to the world just by doing work that matters and leaving the world a little better than they found it.

 

Empower One Billion Keynote at the Mumbai Public School

        Empower One Billion Keynote at the Al Mahd Day Boarding School, Bahrain

 Empower One Billion Keynote for 350+ students at the Asian School, Bahrain

Academic Excellence Post 3 - Creating Genius Schools and The Power of Self Education

Every child is special...Every child is unique...

"Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each."

 - Plato (BC 427-BC 347) Greek philosopher.

Plato often talked about the concept of a a philosopher king. A king that had the right education  designed to his personal interests that contributed and developed to both his thinking and physical development. Filled with hardships and inspiring interactions. Filled with music, culture, books and sports. 

To this platonic thought I dedicate this blog post. Maybe as students we are put into education systems that are not designed to nurture and build our talents. But.......But what if we could design an Education System of our own and of our own liking....with people that share our interests....what if you  started studying only the courses that helped you build on your passion.... and met and constantly interacted with people that have succeeded or done well in the field of your dreams.

....Wouldn't that be wonderful? ....

Academic Excellence Post 2 Why procrastinate, if you can do it quickly ......and feel FREE NOW...

 “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone” 

― Pablo Picasso

 “You may delay, but time will not.”
― Benjamin Franklin

 Dangers of procrastination - Day 1 - It was a bright Sunday morning. I had lots of fun stuff planned for the day. I was too lazy to do my chores. So I taught I would put my laundry bag of my dirty clothes of the previous day (which was a saturday) out later. The day went by and by the end of it I was too tired and forgot to put my laundry bag out.

Academic Excellence - Post 1 The Academic Excellence Journey and The Power of Strong Beliefs

When you believe magical things can happen... magical things will happen in your life.

A book I have been working on for the past few months has finally been confirmed by the publisher. The book is titled 'Academic Excellence...The Start of The Learning Revolution'. It will be hitting bookstores across India in  January 2013 and I feel blessed to be given this opportunity to work on this project. But this was no easy task. Writing a book may look easy on the outside, but it really is something that takes a lot out of you. I really did enjoy the whole journey but there were plenty of hard times. In short it is an experience that best illustrates the power of a strong belief system.

Academic Excellence is a book about a personal experience I went through as a student in high school. An experience that showed me a different side of myself. It completely changed my perspective on life. It is the story of how I moved from being a below average student to becoming a great student. What I learned during this journey is what the book 'Academic Excellence...The Start of the Learning Revolution' is all about. I promise you a book that not only shows you why every student is special but also provides you with a  set of tips, techniques and strategies that are applied by the best students at school, university. By applying the same in your life you too can achieve the same extra-ordinary results.