Life has its ups and downs and almost all of us feel challenged at some point in our lives. I have faced multiple challenges in my life. At many crucial junctions I lost hope and felt like giving up. However lifting ourselves up from those situations and overcoming our fears is what shapes us and makes us stronger. I have encountered challenges in the personal as well as professional context. One of the most challenging situations I faced was during my internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.. I was given training for a project from the perspective of my responsibilities and project outcomes. However the biggest challenge I faced was handling an entire client location and representing the company single-handedly. I had no prior experience of interacting with a client. On many occasions I felt intimidated and scared. I felt that any mistake I make could lead to us losing a valuable client. Also I had to be extremely professional and crisp in all my communications. On a particular day I had to present the work I had done during the month to my client. Prior to this I had help of my seniors, professors and parents in whatever I had done. I was nervous and felt like giving up. I called my project manager and shared my feelings with him. He told me that he had complete faith in me and considered me responsible enough which is why he had assigned me an entire client location. His words encouraged me and instilled a sense of confidence. I presented my analysis which was appreciated by our client. This internship helped me grow as an individual and I have started believing in myself since then. I have had very few moments since then where I have doubted my ability to achieve something. Another situation where I felt challenged was while giving management entrance tests. I have always been hardworking and diligent. I used to prepare for these tests with full determination. During 2017, I was giving a lot of mock tests and getting exceptional scores. However on the day of the exams, the pressure was getting to me. I could not score as much as I used to in the mock exams. The fact that a single exam was governing my entire preparation and future career prospects was making me feel scared. That year I could not score as much as I wanted to. Also I wanted to target only the top B-schools. I did not mind working or doing an internship that year and giving them again the next year. However I knew that no matter how much I prepare I would not be able to do well if I cannot deal with the pressure of the final test. I knew that I had my basics in place and all I needed was to be composed on the day of the exam. To overcome this problem I used to talk to my mentors and parents about it. I also used to give a few tests thinking it was the final one. During 2018, I was able to score really well in most of these tests. In some of the exams I scored above 99 percentile. I knew that from now on I just need to believe in myself and work hard. I realised that I could achieve anything I aspire for by sincere effort and determination. I would like to end by a famous quote by Molière that might inspire all those who feel challenged at any point in their life: “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”
‘Why Aditya Birla Group is big in my life’
Aditya Vikram Birla, the man who integrated Indian economy with the world economy, is remembered for creating India’s first multi-national corporation. He built a business empire spanning continents much before globalisation became a virtue and the borders of the country were deemed too small to accommodate the ambitions of the aspiring Indian entrepreneur, thereby placing India on the world map in 1969. Today Aditya Birla Group is a top fashion and lifestyle player in India. It is also a leading player in life insurance and asset management. It is among the top two supermarket chains and top three mobile telephone companies. It is the largest manufacturer of grey cement, white cement and concrete. All this makes Aditya Birla Group’s presence massive in every Indian’s life. Personally I have been using products and services related directly or indirectly to ABG right from childhood. Right from apparel by Van Heusen to the cement used in the construction of my house, ABG has been a big part of my life. Some of us might feel that we have not bought apparel or used products by ABG. We must realise that even without knowing ABG has affected our lives in so many ways. From being in every second can to every second tyre in the world, ABG impacts our lives in innumerable ways. A huge part of our Indian population which uses railways for travelling must know that a large share of copper requirement of Indian railways is fulfilled by Birla Copper. Hindalco aluminium is used to make cover glass for smartphones. ABG reaches out to 7.5 million people across the globe through their CSR initiatives. The reason why ABG is so big in our lives is not just because of their offerings but also their values. Integrity, commitment, passion, seamlessness and speed are the values embedded in the people who work at ABG. People working at ABG realise that you’ve got to think about the big things while doing the small things, so that the small things go in the right direction. The impact ABG has on millions across the world, every single day is breath-taking.
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