Just a couple of days ago I heard for the first time what Ubuntu really means. It was a kind of realisation to find out that it’s not just an invented word to name a Linux distribution, I have to admit. Never could I have imagined that only a few days later I would experience in my own flesh, what that word means (or at least I believe I did).
I consider myself a self-confident person, and I have been working in my self-promotion with small steps in the past 3 years. But I’ve been doing it kind of intuitively, and since I am always open to learn something new, I decided to give it a try to the #IamRemarkable workshop. A google initiative to Improve the self promotion motivation and skills of women and underrepresented groups. Just out of curiosity, I decided to join when a good friend of mine gave me the tip. I thought it would be good to hear what they had to offer as a concrete advice to improve those skills.
Without intending to go into details of the workshop itself, I want to share here my main learning of the session: The energy that a group of motivated people can create together is a real thing. “Let the enthusiasm and energy of the group be your fuel” is not just some burnt saying or a cliché. It’s real, and it’s amazing.
It might sound like nothing special, but to me it was great to see how the motivation of some individuals created a domino effect in the whole group. Probably because I participated in the session with an open mind and an open heart is why it felt special to me. I was touched by the fact that some people really had a hard time to talk in the group about why they are remarkable, and yet at the end all of them shared their reasons. At the end of the session, everyone had a boosted motivation and I am sure, even a feeling of being amazing and capable of anything. Ready for the next challenge. And all of these great feelings were the result of the humanity of the moment. I feel that I was motivated because everyone else was. As Ubuntu says “I am, because you are”.
My Ubuntu moment gave me the inspiration to spread the word and go out and motivate others. Especially at the workplace. I’ve always been convinced that a motivated team can achieve great things. So now what I’ve got is a new piece of the puzzle of how to achieve or maintain the motivation in a team: by stimulating the individual/personal motivation of each team member, which can be boosted with only a few tricks, like the ones provided in the #IamRemarkable workshop. I feel I should become a trainer. Inspiring people inspires me.
What do you think, should I ?
I created a talk last year to try to inspire people with my experiences. If you made it this far and are curious, you can take a look at it here (about 30min).
If you watched my talk, or if you know me, or have heard me speak somewhere, would you give me your opinion if I would be inspiring enough to become an #IamRemarkable trainer?
Ping me on Twitter @DaianyMargarita
Stay Remarkable! :-)