The Magic Word!

*************************

This is the content of my speech that helped me win 1st place in 2012 Area 23 (NC, USA) Toastmasters International Speech Contest representing my organization (Lowe's Companies Inc.). I will be glad if this inspires you.
*************************

When was the last time your life was magical? Was it few days or a few decades ago?

I recently saw a Jim Carrey Movie. He is single, his job sucks and his life is a mess. Based on advice from his friend he goes to a seminar. In the seminar the Guru goes "Life, we are all living it. Change, is generated from consciousness. Where is consciousness generated? From the external. How do we control the external? With one word and what is that word?" The crowd erupts "YES". Jim Carrey ends up making a covenant that he will say YES, no matter what and his life becomes magical.

Please take a moment to think how many times your life has become magical by saying YES. How many times you have regretted that you said NO without even giving it a try? Probably to your friend or a new opportunity.

Watching this movie "Yes Man", made me reflect on lot of incidents in my life which changed the entire course of my life due to these 2 simple words YES and NO. I would like to recount 2 incidents from my life and connect the dots.

Incident 1:

During my college days in India, I had Windows desktop and a musical keyboard. I used to compose small bits of music. I used to play it to my friends and family. I don’t what others thought about my music, but I loved my composition a lot. I was thinking I was a very good composer. Unfortunately I didn’t really build on this interest in music. After college, I joined the rat race and became a regular guy. 8 to 5 work in a metropolitan city in India and fun with friends in the evening. When I met one of my college mates after 2 years, I got to know that she was working as a marketing executive for a music training company. She jokingly said, “As you compose music I am going to make you my victim, why don’t you take up training in music composition”. What do you think I said? I said “NO”. I thought, “How can somebody teach you to compose music? Music should come from within”. I thought it was a scam.

After a few years I saw an advertisement for Digital Music Composition and Audio Engineering. I went to that facility. The place was like heaven; each student’s desk had a Mac, a musical keyboard and head sets. This was the same place my college mate wanted to me join few years back and the same place where Oscar winning Music Composer A R Rehman’s students were getting their skills built. I was supposed to leave India in a few days. So although I wanted to join, I couldn’t take it up; life didn’t give me a second chance. That remains as one of the biggest regrets of my life! If I had said YES the first time, probably I would have got an Oscar in 2010 with AR Rehman and would be singing “Jai Ho…jai ho”. Alas!

Incident 2:

When I was working in Bangkok, Thailand I wanted to try scuba diving. I was inspired by watching James Bond doing a sky dive from a flight and changing to scuba gear before landing in the ocean. I didn’t want to try the entire part but just the Scuba one. When I was talking to my colleagues, one of them suggested that I should talk to the Program Manager as he goes scuba diving. What do you think I said? I said “YES”. When I asked about it to the Program Manager, what do you think he said? He said “YES”! He mentioned that he was planning to go to Koh Tao Island in Thailand which is supposed to be one of the top 10 most beautiful islands in the world for Scuba Diving and he wanted to know if I would be interested in joining him. What do you think I said? I said “YES”. You see, it requires so many YESes to get things moving.

After training in the island, when I was about to take my first dive I realized the gravity of the situation. From a world of certainty, where human beings have done their best to destroy nature; I was getting into an entire new world of the wilderness and especially unarmed. I couldn’t understand when the instructors said I cannot carry any knives. All the scuba diving I have watched was in James Bond movies where he carries harpoon or some weapon! What do you think I still said for the Dive? I said “YES”. During the training classes at 30 feet below the surface of water, my dive buddy tapped on my shoulder and pointed me to a surprise visitor. I was frozen. It was a medium sized shark swimming around; suddenly it turned and started coming towards us. I felt like it was coming for me. There was no mind, there was no feeling, there was me and the shark. As the water was crystal clear, it made the moment even more intense. Fortunately he was not hungry, he turned around and left. After facing the threat of becoming completely extinct, I lost fear of a lot of things in life.

From then on, my life became magical. I said YES and ran a 12 K Marathon nonstop in Thailand. If I can gain weight, I can lose weight too. I said YES and lost 25 pounds in 2 months. I said YES to food and gained the lost pounds back; that’s a different story. I said YES and tried ice skating and skiing in Belgium. I said YES and tried mountain biking in Wilkesboro and hiking in California.

•Life always wants you to experience the magic.


•Open yourself and keep listening to the cues.


•Be courageous; challenge yourself and dare to get out of your comfort zone.

I am asking each and every one of you the same question, “Every time an opportunity presents itself, no matter what, what will you say?” - YES! This is my gift to you today, use the gift and make your life magical!