Why I want to attend Unleash the Power Within

Backstory

I wrote this on August 9th, 2018 to as part of the selection process to attend UPW (opens new window). My employer at the time (opens new window) was choosing a few employees to go to this event. It was a big financial investment for the company when you add up the ticket, hotel and travel costs, so there was a stringent selection criterion. This included answering a few questions. These were my answers to those questions.

Why I want to attend UPW

A big turning point in my life was when I met Mr. Adnan Jalali. He was a former school principal turned into a personal development coach. My employer at the time had hired him to conduct personal development training with a heavy focus on teaching (I was working as an Arabic Instructor). Before this, I was always highly skeptical of Personal / Leadership Development Gurus. He worked with me one-on-one over a course of many sessions and turned me from a skeptic to a believer. The single most important thing he taught me was the importance of self-knowledge. I firmly believe that understanding yourself plays a massive role in the quality of life and the level of impact a person can have.

What excites you about UPW

3 things excite me about UPW: 1) Colleagues. It takes a certain mindset to take the scary leap of embracing change and self-improvement. I am excited about the opportunity to travel and connect more deeply with my colleagues who have also committed to self-improvement. You are the sum of the company you keep. I am blessed and honored to work with such amazing people daily and excited for the opportunity to get to know a few of them better. 2) People. I believe that at the end of the day at work and in life I am in the people business. Whether that is my family or the strangers at the bus stop. I am looking forward to meeting amazing people at UPW and getting inspired by their success and taking lessons from their failures. 3) Self Knowledge. Travel is the best education. I have been blessed to have traveled to so many different places and have experienced so many different things. Through it all, I have gained valuable self-knowledge. UPW is one more step in this lifelong journey.

What do you seek to gain out of UPW

I have a few limiting beliefs that I want to get rid of. Chief amongst them being scared of taking complete ownership. I had started an e-commerce startup with a few friends almost 3 years ago. That experience though immensely educational left with me with a few scars. That was the first time I had complete ownership of my career. This was the first time the buck truly stopped with me. And it was amazing and terrifying. The failure of the startup, I am ashamed to admit, has left me with a strong fear of failure and complete ownership. I want to be rid of this fear.

How will attending UPW help you at Scalefactor

One of my goals at Scalefactor is to become a Senior Software Engineer. I know that I have a long way to go but I am confident that I will get there. I am confident in my technical ability to reach that goal. What is holding me back is my fear of taking ownership of difficult projects that put me outside of my comfort zone. My supervisor has been doing a great job of pushing me in that direction. However, I feel that fear is still holding me from giving it my all. I know for sure I am not performing even close to my 100 percent. After running my startup I know what my 100 percent looks like and I want to get back to doing that. I truly feel that UPW is going to allow me to reach that goal of being a Senior Software Developer a lot quicker.