My Growth Story
Growth is the only thing in the world that we unconsciously seek. The second best thing we
seek similarly is love. Growth can be categorized into two sections, one that is self-growth
and the other that is collective growth. For centuries, our societies have managed to focus
on the latter. A growth that helps the entire community grow/flourish and reach to greater
heights, is considered to be a good one. Keeping aside, factors that make collective growth
happen in real, we, unfortunately, focus more on factors like religion, caste, gender
discrimination, economic disparity, and many others that become strong pillars for the
orthodox folks to really mend the community in their way. We fail to recognize the real
factors that can help us grow and hopelessly fall prey to such facades.
The thing about self-growth is, it doesn’t require external factors like the collective growth.
You don’t need religion to grow, you don’t need a caste to grow, your gender doesn’t define
your growth as an individual. Growth or let me put it in more definite terms, your growth as a
human, that includes your spiritual growth, your mental growth, and your emotional growth is
what matters the most. The entire concept later takes on a domino effect, when you and
every other individual starts emphasizing on their own-self, this eventually leads to all of the
mankind doing the same, we indirectly begin the journey of collective growth.
Collective growth sounds like a hoax, but it isn’t, a very recent example would be the country
of New Zealand. The collective yet individual effort of every citizen of that nation had brought
the country to its good days. New Zealand lifted lockdown just recently and reported no
cases of Corona Virus. The Prime Minister of New Zealand herself took the conscious effort
of keeping the country updated about everything and made efforts with the forces to
eradicate the global pandemic in the stated nation.
Growth is very subjective in nature. You, as an individual can define growth for your own
self. It doesn’t have to be weighed along the lines of the criteria of the world and its
parameters of improvement. Growth for me refers to reading books that help me cope up
with my feelings, my surrounding, and the people around me. It is writing my heart out, every
time I feel I am stuck somewhere in life, writing here becomes therapy for me. It allows me to
let out what’s beneath the facade that I put up every day in front of the world. Sometimes, it
is watching shows, interviews, videos of people I admire and look up to or follow, their
stories inspire me to do better in life, to chase a better version of myself.
Mathew McConaughey, in his Oscar speech for winning the best performance in a leading
role for Dallas Buyers Club, said, ‘​There are three things I need each day. One, I need
something to look up to, another to look forward to, and another is someone to chase…..​And
to my hero. That's who I chase. When I was 15 years old I had a very important person in my
life come and ask me 'Who's your hero?' I said, 'I thought about it and it's me in ten years.
So I turned 25 ten years later and that same person comes to me and goes, 'Are you a
hero?' I said, 'Not even close!' She said why and I said, 'My hero is me at 35.' You see, every
day, and every week, and every month, and every year of my life, my hero is always ten
years away. I'm never going to be my hero. I'm not going to obtain that and that's fine with
me because it keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.
So to any of us, whatever those things are and whatever it is we look up to, whatever it is we
look forward to and whoever it is we're chasing, to that I say Amen. To that, I say alright,
alright, alright. And just keep living, huh? Thank you.’​
Growth is exactly that. It’s a journey of self-chase. Its a journey of becoming better every
single day of your life. When you constantly seek a better version, you grow, that’s a sign of
self-improvement. While you surround yourself with positive energy, good people, books that
shape you, thoughts that make you, you work on your character development. These
become essential parts of your own-self, a person with a zest to outrun their own self and yet
hold onto the principles and beliefs, is a person people want to be associated with.
Growth can be achieved or attained in different ways for everyone. Like mentioned earlier,
the process is subjective and can be designed according to your requirements. In my
personal opinion, growth was more of a personal journey, it was internal and required a lot of
healing, all of this was possible because of external factors such as the company of good
and positive people, books by Dale Carnegie (he is known for his expertise in self-help
books), stories of those who have been through a lot, and their struggles have made them
what they are, a constant practice of reminding myself that better days are coming. Growth
requires, conscious effort. It requires us to learn, unlearn, and push boundaries. ​My
experience in the corporate world has been a learning journey so far, and it isn’t easy for
sure. Working with individuals of a different mentality, unique perspectives, and distinct
backgrounds makes growth all the more challenging and tempting
The process does take time, which is why we spend our lifetimes bettering ourselves and
becoming a different person as we enter every new decade. I am in my twenties and it
seems like a completely different version of me than that of the teens. I was always inclined
towards writings and speaking, that is something that has been with me even now. I know a
little more about the world today and I understand people better.
If I have to speak about my talents and strengths then, ​I am an orator. I enjoy writing as well,
and I had the honor to be published in the UK publication called, Young Writers. I wish to be
a public speaker and moreover, a storyteller, who manages to touch a few hearts and bring
about a change in the lives of people. I intend to write poetry, to author my own book. My
academic interests lie in communication and the power it holds, I have a keen interest in
traveling and in history. I wish to pursue the field of journalism. Journalism that could either
range from mainstream journalism or travel journalism. I wish to work for a production house
and have a show that brings together the world through culture. In a world that is constantly
disintegrating, peace and culture and humanity can bring together all of us.
I grew up thinking, all the problems in the world can be solved by a simple discourse. I was
fortunate enough to have parents that allowed me to speak, be expressive, do what I love,
and stand against all that is wrong. Communication played a very pivotal role in my
upbringing, the most astonishing part about early school years was failing to comprehend
the reason as to, why peers didn’t want to talk or express or stand up and speak?
Communication has been my everything till today. I am what I am because of my ability to
communicate and make sure the intended message is understood and reciprocated by the
receiver. I learned Mass Communication, with the intention of polishing my skills of
conversing with people and making the most out of the talent and strength I have. I wish to
continue using this gift as an asset to those I meet. I wish to be able to author a book that
will touch millions of hearts, I wish to speak to thousands and tell them that I understand and
feel their pain and angst about something, after all, who will tell them if not their fellow
human beings? The reason for the current global turmoil is the lack of good leaders, good
communicators. If only the world leaders were good communicators and at the same time
good comprehenders, we would be living in a more peaceful world. Unfortunately, we aren’t
living in one. So I intend to do this. I aim to become a better storyteller. Stories are the gift of
mankind to this world. We are nothing but memories that will fade away with time, as
seasons do. We are only if not more than mere stories, and the best thing you can do with
stories is to tell them.
All my life, I have been a people person, and my strength takes that a notch higher that is to
be a global citizen. Moreover, to share my story and listen to thousands of them out there. I
hope to author a book about traveling to places in India and abroad, elaborate more on my
experiences of blending with different cultures, and tying it back to my upbringing. I really
want to make the most of my ability to weave a story or write a poem, and share the load I
have been carrying of sexuality, castism, bullying, gender stereotyping, gender
discrimination, body positivity and much more through spoken poetry, motivation speaking
session
When I wonder about why I should be getting a scholarship, it puts me in deep thought. It's
really a difficult question to answer when we say, Why am I deserving? There are millions of
students out there who are applying for a scholarship and are equally or more deserving to
receive it. Although, we all come with our histories and our own struggles. I come from a
family that was oppressed for years in my own country by those who stood adjacently
against the colonizers during the freedom struggle and the colonizers themselves. It was
because of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar, the man who fought for our rights, wrote the
constitution and made us inclusive in the country as equals. My grandfather, my father, and
his siblings have all sat down on the streets and stitched shoes of those who hold power and
take the calls. My history doesn't justify my situation now and cannot reason why I should be
provided help. If done so, I will be the first generation in my family to receive overseas
education and this will change the future altogether.
If you ask me where do I see myself five years down the line?
Five years down the line I see myself working for mammoth production houses and bringing
stories to life, this could range from film production to news production to travel channels for
that matter of fact. I aim to study more and attain a doctorate after narrowing down my
interests in the span of this course. Content creation will happen simultaneously as well, be it
writing blogs, recording podcasts, making YouTube videos, etc. There is so much to do and
this is just the tip of the iceberg. If, in any way, my actions, my work, and my writings can
inspire someone, help them dream more, and allow them to be a better version of
themselves and create the same space for others, I have done my job. I have served my
purpose.
I hope my essay does justify the topic required, I hope it really puts its forces together and
explains why growth is necessary and inevitable. It is a mere attempt to do nothing more but
tell everyone a story of growth. My growth story is built on the foundations of communication
and I hope it grows on the same. We are meant to change, we are meant to grow, and you
are the only hero of your story of growth, so you might as well make it worth it, don’t you
think?