We have the power to shape our future
Transcriber: Assiya Kapparova
Reviewer: Saliha Karatepeli
Have you ever experienced a
lack of self-confidence?
Have you ever faced one of those periods
in which you question every decision
you made in your past
or you talk to your
abilities to succeed
in whatever you’re
planning for your future?
From time to time,
we’re called to make instant decisions.
They will significantly
impact our future lives,
like choosing our course to study
or planning the
career we want to pursue.
Have these situations ever caused
you stress or anxiety?
Well, ever since the beginning
of the pandemic,
our ordinary life has been
profoundly shaken.
Some people had to
accelerate their rhythms
to provide food for their families.
Others, like me,
had instead to slam on the brakes
and cancel all their plans
for an indefinite period of time.
These changes in our usual rhythms
altered our mental state
and left us dealing with the
outcomes of our past decisions
and with the uncertainty
that the future holds.
In this almost one and a half year,
I dedicated a lot of time questioning
whether I’ll still be
able to reach the goals
that I had set for myself in the past.
And after hours and hours,
pondering about my life,
something at some point snapped.
I realized I was so busy
worrying about my past
and my future that I had lost
track of my presence self.
I realize I was not giving the right value
to the most precious thing
that we have: Time
Because we can’t change the past
and we can’t predict what
will happen tomorrow.
But in the present moment,
we have the power to shape our future.
At first glance, this call might seem like
a cliche insurance advertisement.
But if you break down this idea,
we discover that he holds
a deeper meaning.
We have the power to shape our future.
We as me, you every single individual
is born with the right
and the duty to determine their actions.
We own this right and no one
can take this away from us.
But this subject also means
something different.
It means that we are not
alone in this world.
Our decisions reflect on
the people around us.
It may even influence someone
on the other side of the planet.
Have these potentials inside
each one of us.
And it’s not just something that we had
or something that we will have.
It’s something that we have now.
Therefore, we should take it
in our hands and control it.
Because we might not be responsible
for our current circumstances,
though we are responsible for
how we react to them.
The power defined as a strong ability
to direct people and events.
For our actions, we can affect
other people’s lives.
In a positive or negative way.
So we must always remember
the Peter Parker principle
that with great power
comes great responsibility.
To shape: Imagine our life as
modelling clay.
We are the potter
and with every new thing we discover,
with every decision we make
and with every new person we encounter,
we give it a form we desire.
For this reason, this power needs
to come with adaptability.
So our interests and plans are changeable,
we must always keep an open
attitude towards change
in order to be able to
give shape to our future.
Wow! Our future.
What picture do you associate
with this word?
I believe we’re usually related
to something really far,
something that depends on an
unpredictable number of variables
that we have no control on.
But again, if we break down
this concept to years, months,
days, seconds realize that
the future is actually now.
It’s in the present choices and
we have control on them.
So hope you will all make good use
of the super power that we have
and use it to spread positivity
once you leave this room.
Because change is a state of mind.
And it represent the foundations
of what we face decision.
Learn to separate the outcome
from the process
and choose to talk with integrity.
As Gandhi said, you can become the change
you want to see in the world.
But if you really want
to change the world,
you really need to change yourself first.
Leave there what I call Lazy Zone,
make this power yours
and put that energy out there.
Alright, so now you might be thinking:
We get it, mindset is
definitely important,
but where should I
channel all this energy?
How can it practically shift my
mind to work on something real?
Where should I start from?
Well, the answer is that
we are all different.
So you will need to direct this energy to
cultivate what’s important to you.
It could be your passions, your values,
whatever makes you feel alive
and gives you satisfaction.
But the good news is that there
are, what I believe are
the three universal factors
we should all work on.
They will keep us on the right
track during our everyday life.
Curiosity.
[We have power to shape our future]
The strong desire to learn something.
Enjoying the charm of the unknown.
Maintaining this positive
attitude of constant learning
propels your personal growth,
leading you to seize opportunities
and make the most of them.
Stay curious.
Observe the world actively and
choose what interests you the most.
The world keeps changing and
cross-functional abilities
are becoming progressively fundamental
to develop an out-of-the-box mindset.
Consistency.
Imagine the process of solving a puzzle.
It requires patience and determination.
You visualize the goal
that you want to reach,
the picture you want to see
from the complete puzzle.
But you will result
piece by piece to solve it.
And you enjoyed the
process of completing it.
Well, life is the same.
You need to adopt
consistency and self-discipline
to get in the right mindset
that will lead you one day to
take a step back from the table,
raise the complete puzzle,
smile and be proud of it.
The last one is community.
Information is the key to our future.
Networking increases awareness of news and
trends in your fields of interest.
So make experiences.
Build a community
to stimulate you to improve and grow.
And if you find the views convincing
of the people around you, adopt them.
Because statistics say
that 80% of major inventions
of the 20th century were idealized
by an outsider to an industry.
And this shows
how maintaining an open mind
and living in a flourishing environment
can be extremely powerful.
So always work in synergy with others
because two people may accomplish
more in one year
than a single individual
in an entire lifetime.
In conclusion,
I would like to say that,
life constantly
tests our determination
and our willingness to face change.
So always remember to ask yourself,
are there any subjects I really
want to know more about?
Have I been giving them consistent
attention, energy and time?
Who are the people I come from ideas with?
And remember,
time is precious.
We are not here forever.
The future is in the present choices.
Right now is the right moment
for you to disconnect the autopilot
and fly the plane of life consciously.
Because you have the power
to shape your future.
Thank you.
(Applause)