Learning Through Changes

I was asked by an old friend, Fabio Henrique Silva Sales, to talk to some undergraduate and post-graduate Physics students from an institution in a state of Brazil I’ve always been curious to visit, Maranhão. I felt honored that he had thought of me since I left the world of Physics and Astrophysics some 20 years ago. But what would I have to say to them, or even, do I still remember anything from those days?

So, I thought I would somehow weave everything into what I do now and decided on a title for the talk that would have been very different than what they might have expected: A Non-Orthodox Journey from Academia to Entrepreneurship. I would give them a glimpse of my experiences as I navigated through career changes. 

If not for anything else, it was a very good exercise for me so I could get my act together and update my CV. And soon my LinkedIn too.

Anyway, at the Q&A, I got some interesting questions. However, a couple of them stood out. How did I manage the changes? Was I not afraid? 

I was taken aback. These questions were loaded (in a good way). And though I am someone who does a lot of self-contemplation, I did wonder how I managed it all.

I told him I am essentially a very scared person. I don’t like changes; I am highly risk averse; I prefer stability to uncertainty, and yet… Here I am. Having lived through so many life changes and now, more than ever, taking risks and big chances in my past experiences to carve a path into a very uncertain future, I asked myself “how did I do it?”– thoughts racing through my mind in seconds until I hit an epiphany. I said that the only thing that I was secure in and trusted implicitly was my ability to learn. I know and I have proved again and again that I can learn anything I set my mind to.  (Notice: “I set my mind to”. More on this in another post. 😉)

Well, I can learn, and I can adapt. In the extremely fast changing world we now live in, these along with resilience are key skills that can help us adjust to it and remain relevant. I also have a strong sense of purpose and hold values that serve me well as a guide. 

And tough as it may be to go up the steep initial learning curve, once you get up there you can look back and get a sense of satisfaction in your accomplishment, in the skills that were put to the test and the new ones you’ve acquired. (And the friends you made along the way. 😁) 

We just need to remember that fear doesn’t have to stop us. It just makes us cautious, as well as careful and deliberate about the choices and paths we take. 

I guess this is a pretty good way to start my blog. Come and visit every now and then to see what I’m up to.

Cheers 🙃 

Shobha