🛶

TedxISH Speech

Introduction:
Good morning to everyone present here; it’s truly an honor standing before you all. They
say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes that child courage to express
themselves. Today, I’m here to express bits and pieces of my journey. Specifically, I’m
here to talk about some of my thoughts and habits that have helped me overtime and
get me where I am. I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better, and that’s all the closure I
need.
A year, or even six months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of delivering a Ted Talk. Like if
you met me then, you would see me as this guy sitting in the corner of the class, just
doing my own thing, too awkward to even talk to anyone. One year later, there’s this
sense of pride – that feeling when you’re on the right path of self-development, and you
start trusting that the harder you work, the luckier you get.
But as you guys realize, I didn’t always feel that way. I was one of those teenagers who
seemed to be "losing" at everything. I was called names, bullied, and I wasn’t even
excelling in school. Thinking about it, I realize I was chasing the wrong kind of
satisfaction. I thought that high school popularity was the most important thing of my life.

TedxISH Speech 1
 I convinced myself that I needed to fit in so desperately. Looking back right now, I can
say that I’ve got what I wanted and it only feels partially satisfying. I spent too much time
with the wrong mindset. As Kendrick said, “I was a black sheep, but now I’m just the
goat.”

Now let me get real with you all; I’m sure there is at least one person over here that has
felt like this, or is feeling like this right now. We all are the reason why I’m giving this
talk. This was all very personal for me, and I didn’t ever talk about this, but I thought if I
could make an impact, however small it might be, I’d be one step closer to smiling a bit
harder.
So the first thing to understand is that the only thing that's stopping you from where you
want to be is yourself. Nothing else. Let that sink in for a moment. Take a deep breath,
look in the mirror, and tell yourself that you’ve got it in you. Because the purpose of life
is a life lived with purpose. You should work for a cause rather than live a life that’s
worthless. This was one of the only things that kept me going.

I'll share something slightly embarrassing: last year when I was in 10th grade, I used to
see a counselor because I had anxiety attacks because of my finals. I remember telling
her, “I don’t know if I’ll make it to boards, and I can’t see myself doing anything after
boards.” But I believed in myself. I knew that I could make it. And let me tell you that
when I did make it through, nothing felt better.

Whenever there’s a problem, the first instinct is to pass the blame. Pause. Look
internally. Ask yourself, “What did I do wrong?” and 9/10 times you’ll find the right
answer. We tend to blame externally so much that we fail to realize the first wrong step
that went wrong was made by yourself. Let me tell you, it takes immense sense of
courage to retrospect, but the benefit it fetches is also that much more helpful. This is
my next advice to you. Be sharp, be alert and be aware. It’s harder than it sounds, but
it’s also really useful.

“Not sayin’ I’m the best at what I do, I’m just sayin’ that it’s me versus whoever wanna
lose.” that’s an attractive sentence right. It’s even more attractive when you have that
kind of a self confidence. And the only way to gain that is to have an irrefutable stack of
proof showcasing that whatever you say, you mean it. The question is, are you gonna

TedxISH Speech 2
 practice until you get it right, or you can’t get it wrong? That differentiates the good from
the best. I know it’s a bit cliché, but just trust the process with all that you’ve got,
irrespective of the end result. If you do not get what you want, fix the process, don’t
doubt yourself. That’s the important part. And whenever you feel exhausted, remember
that if you give up, you never wanted it in the first place.

Another powerful habit is putting people where they belong. People contain a lot of
negative energy, and you got to not let all of that affect you. At any given circumstance,
be real goddamn unbreakable. Dare to dream. And dare to conquer it. Because you’re
only as good as your word. And your word is only as good as the thing you accomplish.
On a small side note, another thing I’ve noticed is that instead of telling what you want
to achieve to others, write down your goals. Because as I said, people have a lot of
negative energy.

The last, and perhaps the most important thing I’ve realized from my journey through
10th grade and the people, amount of sleep and friendships I’ve lost afterwards, is the
fact that nothing is ever permanent. But begin developing a passion for living in the
moment. Don’t focus too much on what happened, or what’s to happen. Because the
truth is,
It might not happen. You’re only as rich as the memories you gather over time. Let that
sink in. Be kind to everyone, not for others, but for yourself. Because there’s gonna be a
moment where you sit by yourself. You’re gonna want to have the satisfaction of being
proud that you gave your best. Every single time. Stay humble and let your success
make the noise.

If there is even one person I’ve inspired, or one thought I’ve transformed, or one habit
that will have helped you, I will be going home with the satisfaction of accomplishment.
It’ll be easy to believe me when I say that I’m not perfect. But I know that I’m getting
better. And that’s the only closure you need. Have a good day.

TedxISH Speech 3