The Yes Path!

Today, I would like to share with you the selection process for the Warriors program. Over a period of 18 days, each of us had to complete a series of five tasks. This process was called the Caminho do Sim, or the Yes Path.

The Yes Path is so called because it is about reiterating the positive aspects of the self, having the self-belief and enthusiasm to accept all challenges that might come your way, and practicing a more positive approach to life!

Firstly, I made a short film to express a little bit about myself and outline the reasons for applying to the program. I had realized that there was an empty wall in my house that looked too blank, so I painted my story on the wall and just filmed that!

The Yes Path for me was a transformative process. It was a process of looking inside myself, understanding better the motives for my thoughts and actions – and finally, really learning to stop taking my abilities and strengths for granted, and developing a more positive view of myself. The reason I share this process now with all of you is that you can ask yourself these questions, and maybe spark a process of internal discovery for yourselves!

The five tasks:

Step 1: Talents and Resources: Developing an appreciative vision of yourself

The first step began with a number of questions about myself: Was I a creative person? In what way? Was I a good listener, or did I talk too much before listening? Do I believe that a concrete change is possible in this world?

All these are perhaps questions we occasionally ask ourselves – but very rarely do we think deeply about them, or make an attempt to seriously answer them.

I realized that I’d never delved deeply into why I thought I was creative – I had simply taken that part of myself for granted. Attempting to answer that question was eye-opening.

Have you ever asked yourselves these questions?

Step 2: The Collective: Connecting to a network to carry out actions in a collective way

In this step, the idea was to connect with one’s network: friends, family, other participants in the game, to try and understand how others think of you. In other words, what is my value in the collective? What are the qualities that the people around me appreciate? Can I mobilize this collective to carry out actions?

This step was heart-warming and humbling, as people told me things about myself that I never realized, that they really valued. Very often we undervalue ourselves, or take our daily interactions with others for granted!

Step 3: Concrete Change: Promoting an action that positively impacts a place, community or institution

In this step, I had to consider the value of solidarity, and my relationship with others. I had to think about things in my possession that I was willing to donate. What would I donate and who would I donate it to? Why did I consider these things valuable, and how would they be useful to the people I donate to?

Some of my answers were: My old guitar – to help someone discover the joy of making music. My collection of old National Geographic magazines – the photos in them stoked my love for travelling as a child – and I wanted other children to experience the same wonder and excitement I felt as I looked at those gorgeous pictures of faraway places!

Step 4: Action!: A selection process that is collaborative, not competitive

Step 4 was materialization: the time for a real, concrete action that tangibly affects a place. More importantly, every step of this process, from conceptualization to execution, was meant to be collaborative. All the participants created a Marketplace of ideas, where our shared creativity helped shape our individual actions.

Finally, I participated in a wall-painting activity along with people from Vettiver Collective in Urur Kuppam, a fishing hamlet in my city, Chennai. We involved the local kids in the painting process – and the whole idea was to instil a sense of pride in the inhabitants about their history and culture. That process truly changed me, and filled me with emotions I couldn’t put into words.

Here are some images from the action, when we painted the walls of the Ellaiyamman temple in Urur Kuppam!:

Step 5: Final Evaluation: What was the significance of the experience?

This step, though essentially a repeat of the first step – now took on a whole new meaning. As I tried to answer these questions about myself, I realized that over the two weeks, I had discovered aspects of myself that I had been unaware of before. This completed the process of internal change that had been rumbling inside me, and I felt I had come a full circle!

But I what I eventually understood was that the Yes Path was a means of identifying the essential qualities that one needs to have in order to become a Warrior: to be creative, empathetic and communicative! Hopefully this inspires you a little bit to begin a process of self-analysis, and maybe you can learn to appreciate yourself and your unique qualities much better! Until the next post, beijos e abraços!