Back to the SXSW Main Stage!
Being the opening speaker for SXSW last spring was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I worked really hard on my talk and thought they landed really well. Following my remarks, I got to interview with one of my favorite podcast hosts, Laurie Santos of the Happiness Lab. And for the rest of the week, I got to feel like a celebrity.
It was really cool. As a kid, I could have never imagined a Sikh would be on that main stage, let alone this particular Sikh. And to realize that hearing from me would be the first time thousands of people would learn about our beautiful tradition — It was all a dream come true.
The funny thing about speaking is it’s hard to get get reliable feedback. I try to rely on body language. Are people paying attention? Are they on their phones? Are they passed out? Follow up from audience members is always helpful too.
But the greatest measure of a job well done is if you get invited back.
Well, I got the invitation to return to the main stage at SXSW this spring. I didn’t even know they repeated speakers, so I was surprised when the invitation first came through. Now, I’m excited and nervous all over again. I hope I can land the plane again!
I’ll be speaking this year on topics I’ve spent the past year thinking about, resilience and compassion. I hope to go deeper than most typically do, and to explore questions that are interesting to me, including themes from this article I wrote for Harvard Business Review titled “Resilient” isn’t the Compliment You Think It Is. On compassion, I’m going to explore ideas on what our cultural thinking overlooks, how it can transforms our lives, and how we can build it. I wrote about this in a few places, including with Pulse for Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau.
Anyway, no little story here, and no mishap or food poisoning. Just some exciting news to share.
BUT WAIT. THERE’S MORE.
Guess who’s also speaking at SXSW this spring. CHUCK D!
I’m trying to practice being cool from now until early March. All tips are welcome!
See yall in Austin :)