The Motivational Game-Changer

A few months back, right before Coronavirus hashtag switched to that of “Quarantine”, I went to the 3-day motivational women conference “RISE” organized by “The Hollis Company” co-founded by Rachel Hollis. I’m very grateful and lucky to have been able to attend it during a tricky time right before the peak of Covid. I had work that day and hadn’t been working long at that job, and therefore had decided I didn’t want to take the risk of angering my superiors. But it was meant to be and therefore I was bound to casually mention it to my brother, who picked up on it and said to me determinedly- “You should go. It could change your life. Take 2 days off work. If you’re worried about expense, I’ll pay for your ticket.”

From there followed days, where I still wasn’t sure if I should get the ticket, not to mention couldn’t gather the courage to ask my bosses. Finally, after many weeks of deliberation and procrastination, I asked them at the very last minute. They agreed and I went ahead with it. It’s funny how everything happens to lead you to the situation or event, that you were meant to be a part of!

There were many issues to sort before I was actually able to attend the seminar. The event hours were from 9am-5pm and I had to plan to wake up on time, get a light-weight bag ready, educate myself on the program plan, leave enough time to get ready, grab breakfast, and leave ample time for a train ride to the hall as it was expected to have a big line-up. Naturally, I woke up late and none of the planning got executed. And because I don’t drive, I decide to take an Uber to ensure I didn’t reach late and managed to get there relatively on time.

I grabbed some croissants from the subway as breakfast as I got off the subway. I remember the satisfactory feeling of the brisk, cold March air against my face as I walked the 5-minute distance to the convention hall. Chomping away at the last of my breakfast, I fell in place with the other women with tote bags, walking towards the venue. Upon reaching, I was awed at the line up of participants spread out across the street. A large assemble of them was scattered along the sidewalks and I was filled with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to be part of something so big. I slipped quietly into line and waited along with thousands of women, to get in. A lady behind me asked me a question and as I answered, she realized she was standing in the wrong line. She broke free from the line and ran to find the correct one; as luck would have it, I turned to the girl who had stood behind her and we started talking. Guess who became my companion for all 3 days of the conference? Here is how an event like this changes a person’s life. I went to attend the conference alone, but I came back with a new friend and the support of thousands of women.

Once inside, the feeling was magnanimous. Everyone around me hustled and bustled their way around, talking, chattering, interacting or grooving to the music, excited to get started. We got our badges from the super-friendly staff at the counter and explored the inside of the space before locating the entrance to the auditorium. The aisles were slanted with flat flooring which allowed a different feel of the room altogether. More and more people were coming in, and we scrambled to find a decent seat. We found two good seats in the middle aisle and sat down. I can still remember the different vibe that I felt, as soon as I settled down in my seat. I was finally a part of the conference and the magnitude of the event finally hit me as I marveled at how happy I felt, on my two days off from work, participating in an event that I had no idea I wanted to be part of so badly.

This event was one of the best ones I have attended in my entire life. I cannot even stress enough, how much I enjoyed every single minute and second of the 3-day conference. It was as if I was existing in a perfect alternate dimension of the same life. When the day 1 conference ended, I could not wait to get started on the second day. The second day was even more fun (least of which because we now knew what to expect). Then finally on the last day of the conference, I remember waking up ecstatic, super excited to discover a new day of the conference. After a magical day, when the seminar finally ended on day 3, the sadness I felt could not be put into words.

My brother was right; this event did change me. But the real result of the motivational conference will only reveal itself in due time. However, by sharing my experience, I hope to inspire all of you to attend a motivational convention at least once in your life (post Covid of course or even a virtual one). We all need it, and we don’t even know how much we need it until we participate in one. There’s no way that an event like this won’t help you in any way even if it’s by the smallest fraction. And that is why at some point, I hope to share what I learned with all of you so that you can benefit from it in some way or another. We all need motivation. We all need to know that we are not alone in our battles, that we have a strong army of people going through such similar things. And that is my biggest takeaway from this conference.