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How to Lead our Balloon of Wishes | Shahrzad Esfarjani | TEDxKeshavarzBlvd


Reviewer: Behdad Khazaeli

Hi

Now that I have the chance to start over…

I was 24

I had a beautiful 4 year old daughter

I went to college when I was 17

and I thought it all will be done until I’m 21

and then I can make a big change!

But it all blew off!

I married to a young musician

who fired from university

and I didn’t know what to do anymore

One day I saw a friend

who had a 5000 Tomans salary each month

and I just asked myself is it possible for me to have 6,000 Tomans salary one day?!

This was my question

I was dreaming about flying high

but I was scared

I didn’t believe in myself or the things that I actually loved

In the last year of university

I was interested in two subjects

Packing and advertising

The things that those days was completely useless

And what was my potential? And what was society’s need?

Well, my suggestion is

whenever we want to move this balloon

we can make a checklist with two important questions

What is potential?

I was a housewife and a student

but I came from a family who was famous in publishing and packing industry in Isfahan

That’s true which women were just designer back then and no one went to the factory

but because I carried my family name “Esfarjani”

I went to factory for the first time and I had to pass from a line

which was full of working men and industrial machines

I died until I finally reached to the end of the factory

And just because of the manager who was my father’s friend

I had the courage to pass this hallway which was like “Green Mile” for me

Choosing packing subject was so strange back then

I traveled a lot

and asked a lot that what should I do?

I went to one of my teachers for a consult and he throw me out of his office

and told me you are nuts and so are all the people who encouraged you to do this

And I clearly remember how much I cried

and told myself that I’m probably wrong

But in the last disappointing days

But in the last disappointing days

I suddenly met a great teacher

It was the most important meeting in my life

and I realized that when you are looking for your way,

you will find a good source to help you. Thhe source will find you

I always thought the opposite

I looked for the source so hard

But suddenly I found out that if you are curious enough,

the good teacher will find you

His suggestions changed the way I thought

When I was a student, I thought if Akbar is a good illustrator

and he takes the works to publisher

and publishes the calendars

and all his works are be done automatically

He is the winner!

While the day that Akbar came and sold calendars to my boss for 500,000 Tomans

My salary 25,000 Tomans those days. When he was leaving

he did like this! Means “looser!

I just got your 5 years payments in 1 month!”

But those 5 years that I was a student to my teacher

I learnt a lot I was young and without any experiences

My work, My mood,

Was changing every day

It wasn’t acceptable not go to work

because I wasn’t in the mood The boss is waiting

Your daughter needs to be at kindergarten

So the daily decisions, changed into multiple level decisions

Try and error system changed into a trustable system

I was a smart rabbit but after all these, I became a turtle

Totally turtle But this turtle made me strong

It gave me a strength which I finally could make the balloon ready to fly

And let go all the things which was on my way

I quit that company

with my boss’s agreement

but I was scared

I couldn’t believe in myself

Until the day that I loaned money from 6 people 300,000 Tomans from each person

and I bought a professional Macintosh PC

Because one of the things that I learned in that company, was working with apple

After that office director came and asked: “Do you know what did you just bought?”

-Yes

+Do you know how to use it?

-Yes

+The boss would like to see you next week.

The things were gone out of my way.

But what were they?

What was the things that hold me back?

I’m a woman, I can’t, They’re better, I don’t have enough resources…

And our profession was for men

Advertising didn’t have any rooms for women those days

My license serial number is 13

I’m the 13th person who could have a

path in television for advertising

But still I was afraid

and I wasn’t sure. Little by little I could believe in myself

and do my work and just focus on getting success

I always believed in partnership and I still do

We need to do team work these days otherwise we won’t success

So one of my talents and strengths is doing team work

Put me wherever you want, I will work with that team

or I will lead that team

One of these two

So I create teams

and encourage them

Then I do the marketing and find costumer for the company

Little by little I could ease my way

But the thing was which way should the company stick to?

Creating something new

It’s easy, yes!

Or it sounds so creative!

But selling that thing is as hard as creating it

So was finding a way in market for it

And I didn’t believe that a marketing expert could sell our new product

I and couple of colleagues were in charge for marketing

So we chose

What made our product different and valuable

The values that made our product qualified

And so we could get a new project Do a good work, next one will come to you

So I imagined

When my goal is just about having a big company

With good qualities and high efficiency

By quality I mean

something that you like

You like to keep

And you won’t let that off the table to reach your goal

This is value

You have to choose this and write it down

Because if you don’t write it down and compare these two,

you won’t reach the end

You will go back instead of moving forward

You will go back instead of moving forward

But when you keep your values high

and be clear with costumer

and be honest in

finding real and gold opportunities

and long term work relationships

caused that in 12 years

we became the pioneer of advertising in Iran

and being the first company who sold 40% of his stock to international companies

This sale caused something in our company

I’ve been trained a lot

But still it wasn’t the complete satisfaction and happiness

Why? Because it was a big disagreement between me and my partner

I believed in sharing the happiness

and my partner believed in keeping the happiness for himself

So we separated

I put two limits for myself

One, efficient values for myself and the world

Two, if my knowledge and experience can help with products

It can also help with charities and non-government organizations

So I started

When I felt so down I did three things

First, I found a school

So I can teach what I know to others

Second, I did volunteer works in charities and nongovernment organizations

and something really cool happened in few years

Third, it was the environment and separating the trashes

It was my concern for almost 9 years. Still what you receive

اis from my notes which I gave them to the government

Goals for myself and efficient values for me and my world

It all gives you unlimited facilities

and that’s where we call it a “miracle”

If we believe that my situation today is yesterday’s result and changing mind

Then, for sure, tomorrow’s situation depends on today’s changes and works

There is no other way

Being loyal to your values

This loyalty helps you success

When all the world is dark you will be the flame

For sure, you will be seen

So you enter to somewhere new

Somewhere you had no idea that it existed

So our finish line is never specific

So our finish line is never specific

Today’s world is full of colors and everything

I am an interdisciplinary product

There was a day I thought I’m insane since I was in graphics

and then in literature. I write and read poems all the time

I used literature in my work

but in a hidden way

Literature, phycology, anthropology But why?

Then I thought why on earth I go after these things!?

But the truth was I found out the sell and buy structure and good friendships

Telling brand’s stories, started from here

So today I suggest youths

to use your knowledge and interests

In condition of making your work valuable

New colors can be create Exactly the thing that world needs

Math can’t do anything by itself these days

But math and IT and animation all together can create something new

Every day I see people who found themselves in between majors

This is not insanity

It’s the exact thing that we need Be honest and diligent

Be flexible

Be careful

Be creative and thankful

And for sure you will reach your goal

Thank you!

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