AIMA and Storm the Norm co-created ‘Insight Storm’ – a novel format to generate sharp insights delivered powerfully. The Inaugural InsightStorm was organized on 10th August 2016 at Hotel Taj Lands End, Mumbai. This edition of InsightStorm paired up thought leaders from two diverse fields – Art and Business and in a 30-minute session, they shared three pre-created insights around a theme, followed it up with a ‘collision dialogue’ and ended with one fresh insight each.
Below are the 3 key insights and stories shared by Ms Dia Mirza, Model, Actor, Producer and Social Activist at Insight Storm.
Dia Mirza addressing the Insight Storm 2016
Insight: Every individual is positive social change waiting to happen. Awareness plus Communication equals thoughts translating into action, simple Maths.
I was 18 years old when I won a beauty pageant and it made me a household name overnight in India and amongst many opportunities that came my way at the time, some of the opportunities made a huge impact on the way I perceive my own life and this incredible opportunity that had come my way. I was approached by the government of Andhra Pradesh to spread awareness on HIV and AIDS and we worked actively on that campaign for a year and statistics showed results and that made a big difference in the way I perceived the opportunity that had come along. I think in our early years when we are growing up, through our school education, there are many models and systems that encourage us to become participators, social participators to make a difference in people’s lives. I think as children we receive the gratitude that we get through that experience but as we grow older and start chasing life’s ambitions and wanting to do more with ourselves to make money, to grow, to become more successful we sometimes forget the gratitude that we’ve received in making a difference and I think it was somewhere in 2003 or 2004, many years after I had continued to participate in many social initiatives that I discovered that I could combine what I do with what it makes me feel. So the pursuit of opportunity did not necessarily have to be one that only correlated to the ambition to do better in life materially but also to make a difference alongside. And that was life changing for me because I haven’t looked back at a single day when I haven’t felt like my existence is not entirely insignificant and that this great opportunity life has given me in expanding my access to people to make a change and use all of it that I do through my everyday work which is whether it is making films or acting in films or anything else that I do, combine that with the social change that I would like to make and seek to make. And it’s been my key to happiness. I have made money along the way but more than that I have earned a lot of gratitude and that’s my key to happiness and I think everybody is seeking happiness eventually so yeah.
2. When an individual’s thoughts are inclusive of humanity then an individual’s happiness is benefited by multiplicity.
This narrative is an example of how everybody is a story, everything that exists in the world as we know it is a story something that somebody else has crafted or one that you have perceived for yourself. So the awareness that your story, your thoughts, your actions and your words come together to define your narrative and therefore the narrative of the world is a wonderful thing to become aware of because that I think in many ways defined many of my choices. When I was very young, I must have been about four and a half or five and my parents were getting separated and I’d come back early from school and I was sitting on the steps of our home and I was very upset. My father came along and he said what happened? why do you look so sad? So I looked up at him and believe it or not four and a half five I said I have too many problems. So he smiled at me and he walked me into my bedroom and he pulled out the map of the world and he started to point out the continents then he of course pointed out India on the map and followed by that he pointed out this dot on the map that was called Hyderabad and I looked at him in absolute bewilderment and I said Hyderabad is just a dot, papa and he said yes now imagine how big your problems are and that perspective taught me an invaluable lesson that we might believe that our problems in life and that’s really what drives innovations that’s what drives purpose. It’s our problems that combine to influence the story that we are telling of ourselves. But that perspective redefines and realigns how you want to address your hurdles and your problems and understand that your world or your view of the world is not limited to the I.That there is so much more for us to seek and discover and learn from and that the problem could be a wonderful opportunity to bring change and change is what drives innovation. Change is what drives excellence. Change is what drives a difference. Changing the narrative the human narrative and that is what drives impact and digital and the power that the digital platforms have brought is that ability to create change now. You know we would have to wait back in the day to publish a journal or to write a story or to take a photograph and wait in line for it to get developed and reach us to share it with someone. Today it all happens now.
That there is so much more for us to seek and discover and learn from and that the problem could be a wonderful opportunity to bring change and change is what drives innovation. Change is what drives excellence. Change is what drives a difference. Changing the narrative the human narrative and that is what drives impact and digital and the power that the digital platforms have brought is that ability to create change now. You know we would have to wait back in the day to publish a journal or to write a story or to take a photograph and wait in line for it to get developed and reach us to share it with someone. Today it all happens now.
3. Your thoughts, your words, your actions, your choices will come together to tell your story.
Climate change is real. Urban life has taken us very far away from nature. Buddha didn’t receive enlightenment in a conference room like this. He received it under a tree and the fact is that the world has come to tell a story that has a double moral. So while we have many stories that indicate positive change, growth, innovation that uplifts human endeavor, changes lives, there are many stories that are stories that talk of and speak of an environmental degradation , the creation of an ecosystem that survives on the balance of double moral. I take but I am giving so it’s ok. What I hope to do with many more of you and hopefully many more people in the world today is to use the opportunity of the discovery that each of us defines our story and our story is connected to this planet. We are actually the only living alive planet in this solar system and perhaps many more solar systems around us. What Earth gives us a plenty and for free, we will not find anywhere else. So I think what each of us needs to fit into our story; which is in our thoughts, in our words, in our action is the awareness that we have actually been blessed to be born on a planet that is alive. And if each of our choices whatever those may be choice of consumption, choice in conservation, protection, you could be anybody, you could be a business leader, you could be a teacher, you could be a scientist, you could be a caretaker of old people whatever it is you are doing if we all go forward in the knowledge that the earth is the only planet we can call our home it’s the only planet that is a alive then I am sure our stories will combine to create the impact the world today truly needs.
So I think what each of us needs to fit into our story; which is in our thoughts, in our words, in our action is the awareness that we have actually been blessed to be born on a planet that is alive. And if each of our choices whatever those may be choice of consumption, choice in conservation, protection, you could be anybody, you could be a business leader, you could be a teacher, you could be a scientist, you could be a caretaker of old people whatever it is you are doing if we all go forward in the knowledge that the earth is the only planet we can call our home it’s the only planet that is a alive then I am sure our stories will combine to create the impact the world today truly needs.
Power is connectivity. Your story is shaping the human narrative.
Watch the full video here:
