Social Transformation

The past few months have felt like I am emerging from a protective cocoon that I built around myself, without letting anyone else in. I’ve had quite the journey since February, when I first joined Enterprise, and it would be quite appropriate to compare this to that moment in a Bollywood movie when the protagonist realizes what he’s truly capable of.

Recently, I have evolved into a person who can interact with everyone and that was not me just a quarter of a year ago, when I used to talk to limited number of people who I was comfortable with at the end of the day. I was more of an introvert who used to keep everything to himself and sleep with all the emotions bottled up inside my heart, never to have heard off. I used to be all the same half of my school life, accompanied by a small group of classmates and one of the quietest or better termed by the teachers ‘disciplined’ students in the whole grade. My Enterprise journey was no different than joining a new school, only I aged to a 17-year-old boy. Always a shy child in the school with the best inner circle ever. Enterprise Journey was no different, started as an absolute  introvert with 0 contacts to making such amazing potential connections for the future.

Some ways I sense that at the start of my Enterprise journey on Feb 2021, I was not feeling anything different than myself in a new school which I had joined back when I was around 8 years old. At the Feb Cohort I was welcomed by numerous new faces and initially it frightened me because it was really new for me to socialise with strangers. I was frightened. I never developed the skills of socializing and talking with people in the school and all the memories were flashing right in front of me. There were a couple of incidents which I still regret because I could have achieved so much more. As a shy kid I never actually participated in any solo competitions like public speaking and skits. Always wondered what the audience will think.  I was a bright student with excellent grades yet always the last person in the class to probably raise their hand to answer any problems. As an introvert I never actually shared these experiences with any of my close friends or the elders. My feelings and emotions used to get suppressed every night. My heart used to feel heavy but I was used to it.

I did not know how to start conversations and continue with the conversations. This made me realise that people are going to judge me on the basis of how I speak and what I speak. Few months into the Enterprise and I was still unable to initiate conversations other than the project calls that I was making to the new partners. One project passed away, two projects passed away and still unable to spark the socialistic personality inside of me.

Then came the time when I had to host the Green Room for Enterprise and a miracle occurred. Green Room hosting was filled with interactions with bunch of strangers and connecting with all of them. I firstly had to interview the hosts, two complete strangers. After hearing their beautiful story, I understood what a lovely couple they were. Finally, I was made to host the event in front of 50 strangers and family members. It made me realize that communication is easier than I thought, it is less complicated and has always been a part of me hidden somewhere deep within my fears.

The recent Jamboree acted like a lubricant to my socializing skills. Hosted by Enterprise, made me connect with the rest of the fellows and team members even more creating so many potential growths in the future. The jamboree was such an important event at this point of time which made us meet physically and bond over each other In the Space. I was actually taking initiatives to approach the partners and old fellows to strengthen my bond with them. Shaking hands, laughing, chit chatting, making eye contacts and especially the physical hug can create an endless bond. Since then, I am not missing out on a single interaction with anyone. I could feel nothing but blessed and grateful for being part of such a beautiful community. At the end of Jamboree, I was filled with cherishing memories and 0 regrets!! After a very long time my heart was feeling itself and weightless. There was a transformation in my mental state. A lot of people from the Jamboree informed me that Hemang has a different approach now. I was proud of myself. I could now converse with anyone in front of me without slightest bit of hesitation. I am still transforming into a socialistic butterfly. It is a long way but I will surely reach there some day.