On the 20 and 21 August, Ms Amrit Dhillon, an automotive design engineer with General Motors, made the decision to attend the 1st Melbourne Leadership Development Program organised by the Sikh Youth Australia. Now you may ask – Why did she give up a perfectly wonderful weekend to attend a seminar on: Take Charge – Developing Your Influence & Unleashing Your Potential? “I did it because I have a desire to achieve success and fulfilment in all areas of my life. And that is what the presenter Dr. Sarjit Singh, a peak performance coach was able to instil in me” said Amrit.
Dr Sarjit Singh sharing his knowledge.
54 young Sikh adults from all over Melbourne and as far away as Griffith and Sydney attended this weekend course. The seminar focused on many areas including self awareness; how to be an effective team player; building successful relationships; work life balance; emotional intelligence; setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals and basically how to use all these areas to MAKE A DIFFERENCE – be it for your own professional or personal life. Dr Sarjit said “that his aim after the 2 day workshop is that you will no longer be a passive participant of life but rather an active one that will TAKE CHARGE of your own personal success.”
Now the seminar was not all work, work, work … participants did have a bit of fun interspersed throughout the weekend. Apart from the Chicken Dance and the Twist which were liberating experiences, many of the participants learnt how to snap a chopstick in half with our index finger and also to pierce through a potato with only a “humble” straw!
Participants doing the Twist.
“That the rush of success that one gets when one successfully completes these activities was empowering. Obviously there were lessons to be gained from doing these activities – what I gained was that even the simplest of tasks in life require focus for a successful outcome however it doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be fun and provide joy in the process.”
“Focussing your mind on everything that you do increases your control over your mind, which makes it easier for the inner joy to manifest,” shared Dr. Sarjit Singh
The weekend also saw an Australian sporting legend sharing her story and advice for achieving success. Vicky Cardwell presented her compelling life story on how she achieved her success to be the World Squash Champion in 1983 and the British Open titles from 1880-83 It was humbling to hear how an ordinary woman strived through shear grit and determination to become a Champion in her own right!
Olympic Gold Medalist Vicky Cardwell.
In addition, Jaspreet Sidhu made a fascinating and emotionally charged presentation on the topic of organ and tissue donation. It is not a topic generally discussed in Sikh communities but it was an awakening experience for many of youth attending. 5 young Sikhs signed up to donate their organs and tissues when they die and many more were going to discuss this with their parents.
Now … some of you who have read the above … may still be sceptical and ask … was the seminar worth it? According to Amrit “the simple answer is … YES! Now my question to you is … Do you want to be a success? I am pretty sure the answer is YES. Well then TAKE CHARGE! Grab all the opportunities that life throws your way. “Life is a series of choices. The choices we make to give to life today determine what life will give to us tomorrow.”
END
