Summary of Session 1 – Rithika
First session was about Rtn. Maruti, exploring the Rotary Club for opportunities. 80000 people benefitted from this program. The power of connections which one can make using this program, explained about how Dr. Balavenkat being on call during CoVID saved many patients’ lives by expanding the oxygen cylinder in many hospital setups by setting up a machine and he did this with the help of connections . This program has the possibility to bring about change in an individual. He also explained his experience in college life which was relatable and was engaging with the audience.
The second session was led by Rtn. Dr Balavenkat and was highly motivational. He introduced the “AS I EVOLVE” workshop, stressing the importance of starting each day with a crusade against mediocrity. Dr. Balavenkat expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend and urged participants to avoid setting small goals, quoting APJ Abdul Kalam, who believed that small goals are the biggest defeat in life. He emphasized that every minute spent productively contributes to improving one’s life. Dr Balavenkat also spoke about the importance of great communication skills and a positive personality, which are essential traits of a great individual. He encouraged the audience to watch TED Talks daily to unlock their potential and climb the ladder of success. The “As I Evolve” concept is about absorbing knowledge to become versatile and ultimately a role model to the world. Stephen, who has mentored the presidents of various countries, he had talked about a stimulus and response relationship. He teaches that when a stimulus is thrown at us, the response we choose is crucial, and between the stimulus and response, there exists a gap. The narrower this gap, the better our reactions tend to be, allowing for more effective chance to become a leader.
One of Sir’s most inspiring principle of “beginning with the end in mind.” This philosophy encourages individuals to envision their desired outcome and then work backward to create a plan that leads to that goal. It’s about having a clear vision of where you want to end up before you start your journey. Dr Balavenkat also believes that the biggest award a person can receive after leaving this world is the legacy they leave behind—the stories people tell about how legendary that person was.
Third session was about components of storytelling by Rtn. Pradeep. Session was introduced by motivating us future leaders on the importance of enthusiasm. The experience faced by Pradeep sir was spoken about, and despite the failures that have happened it was a learning outcome. Then there was a very fun experience on learning about perspective, of how the complex vs simple mind and generally the simple mind is always better, perspective involves viewing everything in 360 degree. Storytelling is one of the powerful factors in inspiring the world. The components involve – simple stories are better than complex example: theory of relativity is difficult to understand but that story that Pradeep sir told about his Palakkad friend who worked is NASA, who got his kidney stolen was easy to recollect . The power of stories to turn abstract to concrete example: in every religion there is various God’s, but if we dive deep into it, we realise the ultimate goal in each religion is believing in a Supreme Lord which is concrete. Stories take facts and turn them into emotions . Stories have power to bring unexpected into the situation. Stories should have emotion which is able to make it relatable to the population. Stories should involve credibility to be believable, cause Pradeep sir had told an experience about ‘his friend’ it sounded more believable. Stories have the power to convert knowledge into meaning.