Introvert Goes An Extra Mile

Wherever we are right now, whoever we are, it wasn’t only our own efforts. I t was because of people we went through. People who meant something to us, still mean something, or people with whom we had nothing but an unknowing connection. A stranger smiling at you at your worst moment might light up your mood and teach you how to spread light through a simple smile.

At this point, take a moment, and remember all those people due to whom you were changed, grown, or learnt something, either it was of good experience or bad. You might figure out that nothing you went through was meaningless or unfair. Everything had something to teach, something to tell you. A new secret, a new law, some new knowledge of this world.

By now, you must have remembered some people who influenced your life in ample amount, their actions touched you greatly, and they impacted your life a lot. But how many of them have you appreciated, how many of them have you actually been thankful too? Do they even know they were a great influence for you?

Then comes another perspective of the topic. Have YOU ever become that person for someone? Did YOU ever take the responsibility to help someone, or even if not help, just, generally influence their life? Were you able to move someone? Stop, stop right there, and make a mental list of the people who told you that you impacted them in some way. That’s when you were a leader of the situation!

Yes! A leader. Some of us are afraid of the term ‘leader’, thinking about immense pressure, while some of us aspire for the power and authority. They only become leaders when they are given the opportunity. Let’s shake that concept. Leader is someone, who takes responsibility. We don’t need to be given power or position to lead something. We are all leaders, if we grasp the idea of self-belief, initiative and responsibility. It’s not courageous to wait for the moment of being given the status of authority to become a leader, what actual bravery is to take the action wherever you can, just go for it, go do it.

The people who impacted you, helped you become who you are now, were leaders. Were you a leader at any point? Can YOU become a leader?

I am an introvert; an unexpressive person who has a nice social support. I had, still have, many people who do so much for me, teach me lots of new stuff and give me moments to learn more. I am bad at expressing. If I miss someone, I won’t tell them, if I’m hurt by them, I won’t tell them, if they made something good, I won’t say the words. But inside, I feel all of it. Lately, I joined Amal Academy to fight my shortcomings.

They had a project to find a few people from my life who impacted or helped me greatly but I have never appreciated them for it. Then we had to write a thank you letter to them, appreciating them for what help or influence they gave us.

I found quite a few of them. I decided to make gift packs of letter for an old friend (13 years old friendship) and my maternal grand-family.

My friend did something for me in my worst time of life, that nobody else did. And I never appreciated her for it. Because of her, I could survive my school life. So I went along with her personality type. She likes to eat a lot, hence, I chose the poison apple idea from Snow White. I prepared a basket full of apples, and crafted a hollow poison apple. It contained my letter for her. I am very bad in arts, but still I worked hard because I wanted it to be something special even though the apple didn’t work out so good.

Here is what it looked like…

The best thing was her feedback. Her replies. More than making her day, i guess i made mine, technically. Because her happiness made me so much happy for a moment that I could bounce. I am so grateful to Amal Fellowship for this project, to let me feel this bliss.

Following were her replies:

There were even other people who heard about what I did and appreciated me.

So my second gift pack letter was to my maternal grand family. They are the people who literally brought me up, and care for me as I am their own daughter. That house is my first house, my home, my primary family. They helped me grow up. they are my origin, my present and my future. But i never appreciated them, or told this to them. So i made letters for them too. One for my grandparents, one for my aunts, one for my uncles, and one for uncle’s wives. I also put chocolates those were for my baby cousins.

I love my maternal family a lot, but as i am introvert, i could not express it any time. and this might have hurt them. I am so glad to Amal to give me this chance to finally express myself to them, and put their hearts in peace too.

This taught me something very valuable; life is short. Help people, take responsibility and express what you feel, just say it, until it’s too late. The other can’t know what’s going on inside you until you spell it out.