Reflections #0029

Sanjhi Sikhiya turned four this week. It’s been four years of constant strive and hustle (including two in Covid). It has also brought an abundance of Joy and Learning.

Here are four lessons for Young Social Entrepreneurs, Development Professionals and Policy Practitioners.

1. Practice Awareness — Keep your eyes and ears wide open to understand the challenges. Go beyond the conventional methodologies to frame the issues or design your solution. I have found the process of Action-Reflection-Silence far better than any other research method I have learnt.

2. Practice Curiosity & Continuous Learning — As the context changes, you must keep changing your lenses. The most important practice is looking back and honouring your stake in the situation. Being authentic about my emotional reality and seeing how it shapes my perspectives have been empowering.

3. Practice Compassion and Collaboration — If there is any one tool you must master, I would recommend ‘Dialogue’. There is nothing more humbling and insightful than this one. Talk to people you don’t usually talk to. Talk to people you are facing difficulty with. Learning to hold an open enquiry (without blame, complaint or judgement) at personal, social, and systems levels have been life-changing for me.

4. Practice Grit and Resilience — Play the long game. Social Development is a commitment, not a career. I have seen more people leaving than staying put in the last four years. If you are willing to let go of short-term gratification and not be rattled by more than occasional setbacks, you will have both peace of mind and a wide array of interventions to choose from. As a bonus, it also leads to life-long friendships.

On second thought, these insights could be valuable for anyone in any context. If you resonate with the above practices for self-development, I invite you to join our community of passionate change-makers — https://forms.gle/z1KAgTixjNTdAQ67A