I got a call from the Governor’s office

Hey Beyonder!

Something wild happened last week. Two moments that felt completely different, but taught me the exact same lesson.

Let me explain.

The Call I Didn't Expect

I got a call from the Governor's office.

I had no idea why they were calling me. But I thought, "Why not? Let's go."

When I reached there, I saw 5 other people. Really good people.

People were called based on the impact they create through their content.

We got to visit the Rajya Sabha.

I’m extremely grateful that two years of creating content took me to a place that's really hard to access :)

The Words That Hit Different

The Governor said something that stuck with me:

"Most people can run 12km. But they're only running 6km right now. Because they don't even know they can run 12km. They need to see a torchlight or something that would show them the path. These stories you share could be that torch light"

That's when I realised.

For months, I've been telling other people's stories. And somewhere deep down, I felt like my work didn’t matter so much.

But that meeting showed me something. The stories I share - the positive, aspirational ones, they matter. Especially when negativity spreads so easily online.

So he told me to create more stories. Put more positive content out there. Show people what's possible.

I walked out of that meeting valuing my work more than ever before.

Two Hours That Opened a New Door

After the event, I met Muthukumaran. What started with a casual question ended up being a two-hour conversation about politics.

One thing he said really got me thinking. He doesn't call himself a feminist. He calls himself a communist.

Here's why:

If someone is suffering, he will speak for them. Doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, man or woman.

He gave an interesting example: "Imagine a poor person spits on a rich person's car window. Should we forgive the poor person just because they're poor? No. The person doing something wrong is the one who should be corrected."

We talked about Tamil Nadu. About young people. About how politics actually works. About things I should have known but didn't.

It felt like a door opening in my life. A different perspective I'd been ignoring for years.

I realized - I've been so focused on content creation that I forgot to understand what's happening around me. Especially how Tamil Nadu operates.

I'm learning now. And I'll create more content around this going forward.

Then Came Sunday Evening

Ice skating.

I used to skate a lot as a kid. Until 3rd or 4th standard, I'd go to all the skater shows.

I found out there's an ice rink in Chennai and I had to try it.

So I took some people with me for skating.

Here's what I thought: "I have muscle memory. This will be easy."

Wrong.

I couldn't even stand on the ice rink. The ice is completely different from regular skating.

But then something kicked in.

Not muscle memory.

The confidence that I'd done this before. That I could do it again.

I let go of the railing, started skating and it worked.

I don't know if it was the old skills coming back or just the courage to try. Honestly, I think it was the courage first. The skills followed later.

After so long, I picked up something from my past. And it felt really, really good.

What These Two Moments Taught Me

The Governor's meeting showed me my work matters. That the stories I tell are creating impact I couldn't see.

Ice skating showed me something else. Sometimes you don't need perfect muscle memory or skills. You just need the confidence to let go of the railing.

Both moments reminded me of the same thing: I'm capable of more than I think. I just needed to see it.

The torchlight the Governor talked about?

Sometimes you are that torchlight. For yourself.

A Question for You

Or when did someone show you that you're capable of more than you believed?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every email.

Because sometimes, we all need that torchlight showing us we can run 12km, not just 6km.

Cheers,

Epaphra

P.S. If you know someone who needs this reminder today, forward this to them. Let's be torchlights for each other.