One minute girl

When I was twelve years old, I was introduced to the world of youth meetings and conferences as part of my church activities. Since I was quite young, I would happily follow along with my fellow bhaiyas and didis to all these events. These events would most often be held within the city, yet quite far for what a twelve-year-old could fathom.

During one such conferences, in the far off distant lands of Gurgaon a.k.a. Gurugram, I was a part of an incident, though minor in the grand scheme of things, really changed how I viewed myself and my life. See, as a twelve year old, I was just slowly starting to build my personal identity and trying to find preliminary answers to the question - "Who are you?"

So on this day, the facilitator, an achen (priest in Malayalam) from the nearby seminary held a small game. He asked all of us to close our eyes and raise our hands whenever we felt a minute was up from the second he said "start". The mathematical me counted to a sixty in my head and raised my hand when I was ready, still with my eyes sealed shut. The achen asked us all to open our eyes and to look around. Then looked straight into my eyes and said, "There is only one person who managed to get it right. You, that little girl in the pink sweater. What is your name?"

"Sharlin"

"How old are you?"

"12"

He smiled and moved on with his speech about time management and one's perception of time. I don't really remember anymore. But, what I do remember is this: On the ride back home, in a bus filled with teenage and young adult kids from different churches across the city, I kept being called 'the one minute girl'.

The high of getting it just right lasted only about a day. No one around me ever recalled that instance ever again. But the twelve year old inside me still remembers that moment plain as day. Such moments shaped my relationship with time and how I manage it. This instance was just one example. I witnessed many. Thanks to all the kind people around me who never failed to validate tiny Shar.

These teenie-tiny moments of validations in my childhood bridged that road from external motivation brought by my father and school routine growing up to intrinsic motivation that made me believe that 'I got this!' The 'one minute girl' in me will get through the deadlines. She will finish the projects on time. She will reach that place on time. 

Now, why did I go on a ranting spree about something that could be summarized in a sentence? Well, it is to remind myself and maybe you, my dear reader, two things:

1. Whenever you are feeling down, remember the times when you beat all odds and excelled. That will give you the motivation to carry on.

2. If you are at a place to encourage someone around you, be it a child or an adult, Do It!. Who knows, it might completely change their lives and how they look at themselves?

3. (Bonus- I didn't realize I had it in me till I started typing out the list!) Think about the people who positively impacted your life. If there is something someone said that helped you become a better person or believe in yourself, let them know! It might be just what they need to continue doing what they did for you.

And that's my parting note- Believe in yourself, encourage one another and thank those who helped you become who you are today!

Cheers 🥂