In this 16th session of the StorySpark Confident Storytelling Hub, facilitator Haritosh Srivastav leads a reflective exercise where participants share personal experiences that fundamentally changed their viewpoints. The prompt – “What is an experience that shifted your perspective?” – elicits five distinct stories: Harsha describes how a compulsive watch‑buying habit made him realize the value of money for helping others, prompting a shift toward saving and generosity; Venkat recounts being laid off during the 2008 crisis, later joining an MNC only to find repetitive work, leading him to prioritize challenging tasks over company prestige; Dr. Alka narrates her father’s severe heart attack, her mother’s spiritual prayers, and the resulting transition from a purely scientific mindset to acknowledging a higher divine force; Haritosh shares two of his own turning points – first, the downside of being overly generous in corporate settings, teaching him to share ideas tactically, and second, the sudden death of his mother in 2021, which highlighted life’s unpredictability and the need to accept loss. The group reinforces these insights with affirmations about positive thinking, internal sources of wisdom, and the value of hearing diverse (including male) perspectives. The session concludes with encouragement to keep learning, stepping out of comfort zones, and a reminder of the next day’s session.
Chapters
Awesome everyone, welcome to day 16 of StorySpark session. We are in the week 3, which is the week of reflecting and connect— collecting our story. So we are going to continue with the prompt, and today also I've got a prompt which will help you reflect and realize a lot of lessons. So Let me just share the prompt and then we'll spend couple of minutes thinking about it, and then I would like you to share your story. So let— I'm sharing the screen. So yes, today's prompt is, what is an experience that shifted your perspective? So let's take 2 minutes and let's think about the experiences that we have which has shared, which has shifted our perspective. Gurukaji, today's prompt is what is an experience that shifted our perspective. Last 15 seconds. All right, let's go around the room. Let's see what stories we have got. So yes, let's start with Harsha.
Yes, I am a shopaholic. I had a compulsive disorder, buying disorder. I already have 6 watches. I went to buy a expensive watch. After that, I came across a friend. He wants money for his mother's health problem. I can't give I felt regret that even though I wasted money on watches, if I have money, I would help that person. That perceptual my view, that changed my view. Uh, and I said, I stopped spending money on watches and luxurious goods. So I, I start saving money.
Okay, thank you, Archa. There was some problem with the internet, but I think we got that you understood the value of money and how it could have helped, could have helped somebody in need. So thank you so much. Let's write SPDY, Story Power to You. And now let's go to Venkat. What And that shifted your perspective.
Good morning to all. In year 2008, due to financial crisis, I was sent out from company. So first time, it was my first job, so I couldn't continue in the firm long. So after that, I struggled a lot. And got a job in Indian company. And I wanted to be work in MNC because MNC only paying high pay. So I struggled 2 years, then I got a job in MNC. After joining MNC, I couldn't get a challenging job, only repeating job. The next, uh, 2 years I had been working, uh, just MTO activity, that is a repetitive job. So I frustrated and I changed my perspective. So working in MNC or Indian company, that is not a matter. Real I need is challenging job that I couldn't get in MNC, but now I feel that Wherever we— God decided to put us, we can find, learn anything. So this is my story.
Awesome, thank you for sharing. And that's right, story power to you as well. SPTY to Venkat as well. You realize that it doesn't matter whether it's MNC or local company, but it's all about the kind of work that you do.
Awesome.
Let's go to Dr. Alka. Unmute yourself.
There are many, many stories in my life. So one that came to my mind just now was when my dad had a heart attack and, um, I was alone at home and I went to see him in the dispensary. He was down. I think you've heard all— heard my story. And when I took him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with a very severe heart attack. And only 2 days were given to me. And they said that these 2 days are very, very crucial. And he has to get well in that period. So I started thinking about all the kinds of complications and all that can go wrong with my dad. And I being the elder sister, I was having 3 younger sisters, and I was thinking like, how can we manage if something happens to my dad? And I was only going on thinking about the negative, negative, negative.. And at that time, my mother, she— when I broke the news to my mother, my mother, she gave me that Hanuman Chalisa, and she gave me Gayatri Mantra. And she told me, go to the hospital, I'm not coming, I'm praying from home, nothing will happen to your father. Go to the dispensary, go to the hospital, sit quietly and read Hanuman Chalisa, read Gayatri Mantra. And that changed my life. And after 2 days, when my dad came home, It was like she just looked up into the sky and she said, like, "It's the grace of God that she has come home." And that changed my scientific mind from science to a little spiritual mind, that yes, I'm not responsible. I'm not the person who is doing everything. There is somebody else, there's a bigger, bigger force in our life who is doing all this. So that was my first experience of Almighty or Divinity in my life. Thank you for asking that question.
Thank you so much for sharing that very personal story and make us realize that yes, science is not the only thing and there is also things which is beyond our comprehension. Awesome. So everybody write story power to you, Dr. Alka. And yes, if you are one watching, like yesterday, like Prem was watching and then he shared the videos. If you are watching and you're part of the Confident Storytelling Hub, you can post it on our WhatsApp group. Or if you are somebody who's following us on social media, you can put it as a comment as well. I'll also share a couple of stories and then we'll go around the room about the experience, which is very important. So I had— I have two stories. I will start with something which is not very, very positive. So I was a giver when I was in corporate and I realized that actually being too generous can also backfire sometimes. So I used to give all my ideas to everyone, but then I realized that some people were actually using my ideas in front of others and trying to take the credit of my work. And that made me realize that I need to be careful of when and how and what I am sharing, it has to be tactical. So that made me realize that not everyone in your workplace is your friend, they are your colleague, and you have to be careful to choose who you want to make friendship with. The second is the larger than life perspective, which is when in 2021 my mother suddenly passed away. It was— there were a lot of realization, but One of the realization was is that life is unpredictable. No matter how much you plan, no matter how much you detail out, there will be something unexpected and there will be surprises. And at that time, either you can be very angry, you can be angry with life, or you can just accept and let it go. So that were two experiences that shifted my perspective, and that's today's prompt or today's StorySpark session. So let's go around the room and let's hear the perspective. Like, how did you feel, Harsha, when going through this exercise?
Yes, this was very nice and remembering my experience. And thank you to you for this experience feeling. And I hope we should think positive because no matter what happens to our life, if you think positive, positive will happen. In Gujarati, if you think positive, you will get positive. If you think negative, then it will be negative. So early morning you are doing this very good job.
Waves.
You keep on this, keep doing this. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Harsha. Yes, think positive no matter what's going on. Yes, Venkat.
Many times I realized that after achieving, my perspective is changed. The reason is we are finding something, we are going, going But it is within us that I find many times. Now I have recalled that point. Perspective, that is different, changed by time.
So the secrets are all within, you don't have to look outside. Thank you for sharing that.
Thank you.
Yes, Dr. Alka.
For me, it's really beautiful because I get to hear the male perspective from 3 boys. So that is something rare, and it is a, it is a treasure for me because I always like to see how the boys are thinking in their lives. So I don't get to see that. My children, they think in a different way. My children are in their late 30s, and I always die to hear the male perspective. So thank you for that, Haritosh Srivastav. Thank you very much.
No, we're most welcome. That is very interesting comment. So yes, keep, keep joining the session. We'll hope to have more balance as well. I like to see more women as well join. But yes, thank you everyone for joining. That is 6:14, so we are on time. So as I say every time, until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep going out of your comfort zone. We'll meet tomorrow again for day 17 of this Todi Spark session. Have a wonderful day.
