My experience at Kinnaird College

On the 1^st of November I was to deliver my lecture at Kinnaird College. Before leaving for Lahore I had spoken to my Khala about giving a lecture. My aunt has been teaching at Kinnaird College for 31 years.

After getting the permission from the Principal, my aunt had made the arrangements and my lecture was all set for 1^st of November.

Kinnaird College is exclusively for women and one of the most prestigious colleges in the country. Giving such a lecture was indeed an honor for me.

 

Excellent arrangements

My lecture was scheduled for 10am which was right after the assembly.

As all girls are present at assembly, my lecture was kept right afterwards to ensure that the maximum number of girls could be present.

There was a big auditorium where I was due to speak, with the girls gradually filling the auditorium.

When I was ready to begin my lecture the auditorium was filled with girls, including the Principal, and the dean. Another relative of mine had also come with me to listen to my lecture and was also present in the auditorium. This was my first experience of speaking at a women’s college.

 

Having the belief in my abilities

Naturally I was feeling a bit nervous on seeing so many people in the auditorium. The Principal of the college introduced me to the audience and left the stage to me.

The title of my speech was “Overcoming Obstacles”. As I began my lecture gradually my nerves settled down and my confidence began to rise high.

Having given a lecture at so many institutions gave me the self-belief in my abilities and my faith in God helped me get through as always in such situations.

 

Overcoming Obstacles

I began with my life story and how I have successfully managed to overcome the 4 main obstacles in life namely Sports, Work, Social Life and my Daily Routine.

My school days and how it felt when I was transferred in a wheel chair for the first time was also described by me. 

My disease known as Friedrich’s Ataxia was also defined by me and it being very rare in Pakistan.

I mentioned the 3 factors which have helped me at all times including never giving up in life, faith in God and having belief in my abilities. 

The importance of getting motivated and inspiration plays an important role. Swimming giving me motivation was stressed by me and surprised a number of students and teachers as to how I was able to swim. 

 Roger Federer from the world of tennis being my top inspiration was described by me and his 3 qualities which make him number 1 for me. They include never giving up, always being focused and his ability to come back from impossible situations.

 

Getting motivation for my lectures

I could see that there was total silence in the auditorium and all the students were totally focused on listening to me. I continued saying that it is very imperative to remain positive when you are faced with a hurdle in life like I was. 

I talked about an individual by the name of W. Mitchell who despite of being physically challenged has become one of the leading motivational speakers in the world. I get the motivation of giving lectures from him and seeing his quality of sharing his story with other individuals inspired me.  

It is his motto in life which I try to follow and have endorsed it in my lectures. It is “It is not what happens to you it is what you do about it”.

 

Power of Positive thinking

Stephen Hawkins example shows the power of positive thinking illustrated in the best possible manner. Despite of being paralyzed from head to toe, what he has achieved is for the world to see. 

It underlines my notion of having a positive mind set to overcome any obstacle is vital. I went on to say that it also shows that people having some sort of physical disability make more use of their inner strength and have a stronger will power.

 

Being determined and focused

In conclusion I talked about the importance of Overcoming Obstacles and what we need to achieve in order to overcome them.

Obstacles are not the end of the world and are character building. It helps us to grow physiologically and a person needs to be determined and have a positive mindset to overcoming them. 

People who have overcome obstacles in life have made the required sacrifices needed to achieve their goals, have been totally focused and passionate in their work and have never listened to those who said It can’t be done. 

I ended with a quotation “The difference between possible and impossible lies in a person’s determination”.

 

Getting acknowledged for my lecture

I received a standing ovation from the audience upon completion of my lecture.

There were some really interesting questions asked by the students and the teachers which demonstrate their attention on what I talked about. A lot of girls came up to me and took photographs with me. 

I was given a Certificate of Appreciation, a mug and a bouquet of flowers from the Principal. Later we joined the Principal, and the Dean for tea. Also present were my relatives.

 

Accomplishing My goal

It is hard to describe the way I felt upon receiving a standing ovation.

The Principal of Kinnaird College said "We at Kinnaird College salute you for your courage to rise above your problems and make a difference in not only your life but the lives of other people."

All I can say is that my goal of motivating people in having a positive mind set has been successfully implemented. This was definitely one of most memorable lectures I have had.