Turning Today's WEAKNESS, Into Tomorrow's STRENGTH!
This story is really close to my heart! It is about a Boy who was a shy lad, who wouldn't share his opinions and thoughts even with his parents. He was the kid who would bottle down every single feeling of love, anger, anxiety, and every other feeling. That's just who he was. And, talking or interacting was not the best suit for him. In his early middle school days, he sucked at talking to his own batchmates. Let alone interacting with his teachers. That's just how he was. He didn't like talking to people, would find a corner seat to avoid chitchats, and simply wait for the bell to go and somehow get by the day.! Though he happened to be a good student, who would participate in group discussions and quizzes and answered all the questions asked promptly, but that was all. He couldn't do anything beyond that.
You must be wondering by now, If I am telling you this story, This guy must have somehow found a way to turn his life around. He must have somehow learned the ability to be able to hold meaningful conversations with people, practised storytelling, and developed his capability in public speaking. Though he might have not been at his best in his early days, He sure would be great now.! RIGHT!! I mean that's how this works right! With the title, Turning today's WEAKNESS, Into tomorrow's STRENGTH... You would probably have guessed that much by now.
And Indeed, he did found a way to get over his fear of Public Speaking. He practised day in and day out to become the person he is today! Worked hard on his stuff, Honed his craft and kept going!
Now there are two questions to be answered here.
How in the world did he do this?? and Who is this person??
Now, let me make this story a bit interesting for you! I have answered the second part of this question in this video. Go ahead!!! Play it!!
Yeah, It's the same person who couldn't even hold a conversation with a single batchmate in middle school, Now, He is the Spokesperson of the biggest Youth-led NGO in the Wardha,
Active Buddies Club. Let me introduce you to,
Abdul Ahad Sheikh
Secretary and Chief Heart Officer at ABC.
I am your mystery guy!!
I, WAS the person who sucked at communication in Middle School, and I, AM the person who can talk to almost anyone now, Host events, Give a talk, Hold meetings, Make lucrative videos on Instagram, Write this blog and do much more.
Now to answer the first part of the question. How in the world did I do it?
To be honest, even I don't know the exact steps which lead me to who I am today... But having read too many articles on Public Speaking, Human Psychology and after watching like a thousand videos on Youtube, here are some points I can tell you which you can use to turn WEAKNESS, into STRENGTHS...
1. Identify the problem first -
Let's first address the elephant in the room. You can not hit a target you can't see!! Identifying the problem is a very crucial step in this process and you can not change your behaviour if you don't know what to change.
2. Have a vision in your mind -
Ideally, I want you to think of a person here whom you admire, and who has the qualities you would like to develop. In my case, I used to watch videos of Maniesh Paul, Gary Vaynerchuk, Simon Sinek, and many more. My youtube feed would be filled with video recommendations like, 'The speech that broke the internet' and 'How to ............' videos. This helped me get the cookie points which I gradually collected over years to hone my craft. So, the next step for you would be to watch the best of the best people in your field of interest and see what the best looks like, how they perform, how they function.
3. Look at their journey, not just their current state -
Now, don't just look at how awesome it is to be at that level in your game! Watch their journey. Learn how they developed their skills, Study their conditions, Follow their story.
Every CHAMPION was once a BEGINNER, Who NEVER GAVE UP.
You just have to plug in your earphones and listen to them giving away all their knowledge and wisdom in Videos.
4. Start reading more books in your field -
This is a no brainer! Almost 90% of the world's top 10% READ BOOKS! You want a shortcut to being the best in your craft, READ BOOKS! This has to be the most actionable step here which you can take right away if you are serious about this stuff. Get a membership to a good Library in your town and start your journey right now! And don't just read books for the sake of reading them, Study them closely, follow along and make notes. Here, have a look at MY STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS OF READING NON-FICTION BOOKS.
And in case you happen to live in Wardha, Maharashtra, India. You don't even have to buy the books. You see! I and my best friend have started a Book Club in our City. The Book Brotherhood, A book rental service and club for those who want to read more and spend less. At Book Brotherhood, You can read your favourite books at just 10% of their markup price. If you are interested, you can check out the catalogue of books we have right now and in case you want to join the Brotherhood, just fill out this membership form and we can get you started.
5. Practice rigorously -
All of the things you have done by now was the foundation! And now, it's time to build the damn building of your dreams. Practice like a mad man. At the very least, I urge you to give 10 - 30 mins a day depending on your field of interest and become comfortable with it.
6. Put your skills to test -
This is the final order. Challenge yourself to do what you have always hated, keeping in mind that, this time, you have practised and prepared for it. Look out for Open Mics and Stages where you can perform and try out your newly learned skills. Join some group and go out with them on an expedition to conquer your worst fears and though slowly but eventually,
YOU WILL TURN YOUR WEAKNESS, INTO YOUR STRENGTHS...
So that's about it for now. Thank you so much for sticking to the end! I hope to meet you in my next blog post, but before we depart, I would like to tell you that...
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"You are Cute!😍"
