How can you stop getting in the way of your own success
[Music]
i want you to imagine a plane that is
about to take off at the airport
the weather is fine the sky is clear the
passengers are ready
and there seems to be no obstacle to
make the flight
however the plane doesn’t have an
internal security system
the wings of the plane aren’t well
attached to the fuselage
the tilt steering wheels haven’t been
tested and may fail to work in the air
now do you think that the good weather
the pilot certification
or simply having an airplane is enough
to take off and
ensure a successful flight what about
the internal mechanisms
and security systems of the plane
i am happy that there are more and more
women today
who are aiming high and determined to
get the education or credentials
to get them wherever they want to go in
life to become lawyers
to become politicians or whatever they
aspire to be
but is good education drive or
credentials enough
to get them where they want to go in
life
what about the internal factors that can
come into play like fear
self-doubt or uncertainty today
i want to share a story it is a story
about
fighting the fear of darkness through
darkness the fear of flying
through flight similarly this is a story
about overcoming your fears
doing exactly the things you are afraid
of
like many women my journey also actually
began
when i started putting myself in
uncomfortable situations
i was born and raised in a typical
armenian town
typical community and family where as a
rule
girls are raised to be future mothers
like most girls i was also encouraged to
perform well at school
not to argue to learn how to cook and do
household duties
i was very shy and humble girl who was
even afraid to speak up
but then something changed
i can’t indicate one single event or
dramatic moment when it happened
but when it did i knew it and i started
working on myself
and so my transformation began
it all started with a simple discovery
i could be respectful towards others
while also knowing my own rights and
having my opinions
i could debate and not shout while doing
so
i could argue and not offend others i
could be modest and brave at the same
time
armed with his new knowledge i realized
that i had a simple formula
to help me going forward
if i treat all my fears as challenges
i can transform them into opportunities
that can help discover myself
and my potential and it works
my first challenge was finding my own
way at school
to fight my constant anxiety and
uncertainties over my abilities
i overcame it by becoming one of the
most active students
and finally the president of my school
student council
but i can’t state that i was alone in
this because i had the support of my
teachers
and classmates who believed in me
my next challenge happened at university
you know new environment new people new
fears
and even lecturers who said that
whatever we learn we would only need in
the kitchen as housewives
but i’m glad that i never took this word
seriously
instead i went ahead and co-founded
non-governmental organization with
friends
we now help the young people in our home
region to develop and practice skills as
active citizens
to gain self-confidence to overcome
their fears
and participate in local elections not
only as waters but also as candidates
so this experience brought me closer to
one of my biggest
goals and the biggest challenge that i
have faced so far on my journey
politics in today’s times people would
say that politics in general
and politicians in particular aren’t
really about people
but rather about self-serving ambitions
but i had a different concept of a
political figure since my early
childhood
the reason my grandfather
baikar khachatrian was a high-level
politician during soviet times
holding two positions he was the first
secretary of healing regional committee
then head of a department
in the council of ministers of armenian
soviet socialist republic
throughout over 20 years of his
political career he made many important
decisions
while also successfully dealing with
people from all walks of life
despite his achievements he never spoke
about what he had done
he was never labeled with adjectives
such as arrogant
selfish or unfair
people who remember him describe him as
modest
kind and humble person who never gave
promises but did his job for people
he refused to accept gifts either from
the government or the people he served
because the main principle for him was
never to do anything
that could harm the people or the good
name of his family
although he died before i was born i
have always been proud to be his grand
author
because of the inspiring and amazing
stories that i’ve heard about him
throughout my entire life to me
his image is what i think of when i
imagine
the ideal political figure
it will probably not surprise you if i
tell you that
my parents named my brother after him
and always expected him to follow in his
footsteps
but what is surprising it was me who
ended up being
more interested in politics and when
this became apparent to my family
they were very supportive and encouraged
me to follow my passion
no matter where it would take me i know
that this time i’m facing huge challenge
because i need to fight not only my
inner fears and anxiety
but also people’s negative perceptions
of politicians
but like my grandfather once did maybe i
need to redefine
what it means to be a servant of the
people
telling you my story today is probably
one of the most important steps in my
personal journey to overcoming this
challenge
as i mentioned in the beginning of my
speech i would never succeed in anything
if i had given in to my inner fears
trepidation
or negative perceptions of society
instead of finding a way to be
challenged
and benefit from those things
i know for sure that there are enough
opportunities for me
as a woman to be engaged and pursue all
my dreams without the help of others
i only need to face down my self-doubt
every step of my way
and my journey will end in success
i may be youthful without many years of
experience
but there is one piece of advice that i
can give to people
especially girls and women to follow if
they also want to overcome their inner
fears
it’s all about transforming the fears
into challenges
this doesn’t mean that all your fears
will magically disappear
of course not but no one think for sure
if you face any kind of scary situation
in your life
confront it head on because no matter
the outcome
you will become a better stronger and
brighter version of yourself
so at some point in the future when you
see me in politics
you will know for sure that i’ve
continued to face down my fears
rather than let fear continue to face me