Kiran Dhamecha - Veraval, Gujarat

 

The year 2022 was one where I had set myself new goals and I also had the opportunity to attend the Let's Make A Difference Youth Conference at Asia Plateau, Panchgani in June. As I stepped onto the campus, I was completely oblivious about what to expect in the next eight days. I had many questions. What will happen? Will I enjoy this experience? Will I learn something? At the end of the conference, all my questions were resoundingly answered in the positive. For me, the youth conference has so far been one of the best times of my life. It has truly been a turning point. The Let's Make A Difference NYC brought me closer to myself. During the conference, I learned a lot about life as well as myself. I was introduced to the idea of Moral Re-armament and the four values that form its foundation. I was confronted by some important questions like - "WHAT I AM DOING IS WRONG". I became conscious of the fact that I struggled with ego, attitude, jealousy, and disrespect towards others. I realized that I had been making so many excuses that deprived me from becoming better. I used to procrastinate, always think more and do less and lacked a sense of organisation in my life. Viral Sir’s DLST session was incredibly beneficial for me, and I learned a lot about myself in it. I found practical solutions of so many of the questions I have been dealing with. This session gave me a big boost towards becoming more organised and efficient with my time. During the quiet time reflections in the morning, I realized I was egoistic and at times a rude person, I reflected on all the people I had hurt with my words and behaviour. While I had made the effort to apologize them, I thought deeply about why I was hurting them in the first place. At this conference, I understood the importance of words, I realized that hurting someone with words is unfortunate and sometimes saying sorry can't compensate for that hurt. I was grateful to be introduced to the idea of quiet time by Viral Sir. During my Quite Time reflections, I was able to take small steps towards changing myself. I became conscious and began listening to my inner voice. Today, as I continue to observe quite time, I feel a sense of positivity and drive in the right direction.

Let's Make A Difference gave me the idea to change, and that idea is truly a piece of heaven for me. The PHUL (purity, honesty, unselfishness, and love) session really moved me – listening to true stories about these four moral values led me to think deeply about how my ego, attitude & my jealousy has prevented me from living my life by these vital moral values. I also realized how much these negative impulses had taken a toll on myself – I used to get demotivated and stressed and was constantly in fear of being judged by others. My levels of confidence had suffered. Attending the conference and its wonderful sessions gave me tremendous guidance about how to deal with all the above and I have made a conscious commitment to change for the better. It will be a challenge and it will not all go as planned but I want to change and will do my best. Today I have clarity about what I want to change and what I want to do next. Viral Sir has played a very important role by guiding me in the right direction, step by step and helped me towards becoming a better person. Which is why I believe: "IF YOU CAN'T CHANGE, YOU CAN'T GROW".

As I heard and absorbed Viral Sir’s powerful words during his sessions, I promised myself that in life I will face many problems, but I will never lose hope, I will perceive the difficulties as opportunities to grow and learn from them. The conference taught me the A to Z of true wisdom. The first week of June has been a truly life changing experience for me. This experience pushed me in the right direction on many levels, both mentally and physically. After the conference ended, I promised myself to continue growing into a better person every day, making the most of every minute. The conference was also a splendid showcase of the special bond between the youth of this great country. It was wonderful to meet and connect with so many young people from different states. Everyone expressed genuine friendship and care towards each other – living together with unity and harmony.