My Journey from a Shy Girl to a Self Assured Person

It was packed room and I had heard great things about this class from Pierre. I was not the entrepreneur type of person. Atleast I thought I was not. It was difficult for me to imagine that I could be someone who could be responsible for something so big. But when I sat in that room, in one of the extra chairs, set up to accommodate over flows like me; I felt as if the instructor was telling me things I knew deep within me, but was too afraid to recognize.

I felt as if she knew me and I had met her before. I felt as if she was an old friend.

Once the class was over, she was surrounded by every person in that room, making it difficult for the shy person that I was to accost her. I left. Only to return the next week. And the week after. And the week after that. Finally I realized that she has noticed me. She knew I was the quiet one taking voracious notes so she would sometimes slow down for my sake and repeat things so that I wouldn’t miss some details. I was grateful.

The 8 weeks passed and I did not get a chance to go up to her to say thank you or hello. The sessions were over and though I had so many questions and I wish I could ask her for some more guidance, there was a part of me, that held me back. I waited for announcements from San Francisco Score for more the next sessions with Meera Kaul and her brilliant classes for entrepreneurs that she taught at Small Business Administration at Market Street in San Francisco for the next few days till I could not hold on any more.

I was stoked. I needed to do something. She had inspired me to do something about the status of my life and I needed to meet her. I called the Board number of the Office and SBA for her and left Meera Kaul messages. Looked her up on the internet and found her on linked in and sent her an unsolicited message. It was so uncharacteristic of me. I was a shy, demure person but this was a chance of a lifetime and no one before this had inspired me to ask questions like she had. I felt that I would be safe with her. That If I made mistakes, this would be a woman who could probably not laugh at me but back me up and be kind enough to point me towards the right direction.

A few days later, I was delirious. Meera answered me on linkedin. She responded to me that she remembered me and even though she was not planned to take the sessions at SBA that month, she would be happy to meet with me and think my ideas with me.

For the next 6 months and more, not only did Meera Kaul help me think through my ideas and validate my own capability to execute them, she also helped me polish my own skills, she helped me pick up the right self development path and become a more self assured and confident individual. The effort that she put into my life selflessly and lovingly without expecting anything back is perhaps what makes her the most amazing mentor and teacher I could have ever wished for.

For some people, it takes a village. For me, it was a person who came from an inspirational background and just focused on giving. I intend to only give it forward.