Who am I? A question we should be asking ourselves.
People often introduce and address me as a social entrepreneur, a businessman, CEO, founder, leader, and so on. The truth is that they know about me, but they don’t know me.
Why do we connect our identity with our profession, financial status, and family background, when our life journey is more about our experiences and learnings? When something major happens in our lives, positive or negative, sometimes our perception, or the perception of those looking at us changes, and we have to redefine ourselves. Instead, we settle for what’s easy and marketable.
When the outside world doesn’t connect with our story, they paint an image so different from the life we lived. This creates a disconnect and we get lost in the crowd. I believe that labels and taglines given by society inhibit a person from achieving their true potential by not letting them make mistakes and earn new experiences.
I started my journey with two looms and nine artisans. I believe it’s my Artisans uniqueness that made me what I am today. Sometimes, we need to trust the process and give in to earn the experience. Only then will we be able to reconsider our “I am” list.
The past four decades have been a unique journey filled with a lot of trials and tribulations but it has always been a celebration of love. So, don’t let other people define you. Your story is a lot more magical than you give credit.
