Life Lessons - A Note to Self

From the desk of: CM Manjunath
Dated: Feb 02, 2025

Yesterday, I wanted to experiment with something that I had learnt, recently – the power of storytelling with something insignificant.

When I was given an opportunity to speak, I grabbed it.

I believe, to the best of my knowledge, I spoke well.

But, I didn’t receive enough votes to be the best impromptu speaker of the day.

I failed. Here’s what I learnt.

Introspection and Realisation

I see a pattern in my behavior.

Just like you, I try my best in most things I want to excel at.

I give it my all.

Sometimes it shows in the results, most times it doesn’t.

And sometimes when I don’t get desirable results, I take it personally…

I wonder if others don’t like me and that’s why I’m not succeeding!?

Like what I happened yesterday at my meeting.

As I introspected, I realised a couple of things.

The reason I didn’t get the votes was because my story didn’t resonate with the audience.
Or because there were too many speakers already, and we were getting late.
Or maybe they were pre-occupied with something personal.

And these are all valid possibilities, aren’t they?

Here are a couple of possibilities to ponder upon:

I don’t know.

And then the negative thoughts creeped in..

Do some members in my group don’t like me for who I am or how I communicate?

Maybe.

I am sure they have their reasons.

And then I asked myself, can I do something about how I tell my stories?

Yes, I could practise and improve.

Could I do something to improve my body language and make sure my message, tone of voice and body language are all congruent?

Again, yes, I could train myself to get better at ALL of them. It’ll take efforts but I can do it.

Well, could I change people’s opinion of me?

I’m not so sure.

I believe my control in this matter would be very limited.

So, is there a point in worrying about something that’s not in my control?

And my answer is NO.

There we go, that’s what I learned.

People may not listen to you because they are pre-occupied with their own concerns.
Or the topic is not of interest to them.

Perhaps, the way I conveyed my story wasn’t the best. Therein lies an opportunity for me to learn.

And I have absolutely no control over whether people like me or not. Do I?

So, note to self: focus on yourself and your skills. Worry less about what other people think. That’s the road to personal harmony.

Thoughts? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time,
CM
Spreading love one speech at a time!