Describe a situation in your life when you had to choose between what seemed practical and what you believed was right or consistent with your principles. What did you decide, and why? Looking back, how do you evaluate that decision now? What did you learn from this experience, and what would you like your readers to understand from your experience?
When I was in Nepal, I had an opportunity to work at Packrs Courier, a company where they do deliveries all over Nepal, as a member of the marketing team. I was confident, a bit nervous and excited to learn and implement my ideas in the company. But things changed during a monthly meeting, I confidently presented several ideas for attracting new customers and increasing brand awareness. Instead of considering my proposals, some of my so-called male senior colleagues question my ability to do professional jobs like handling clients, and doing corporate meetings. Later that day, I heard someone talking about me, saying I was stupid enough to dream about leading a team and building a company, who is just a girl that can’t even handle her own problems. His comments were like a thorn that made my heart ache making me feel that my abilities did not matter because of my gender. At that moment, I had to choose between remaining silent to avoid further criticism or defending my belief that women deserve equal professional opportunities.
Here, remaining silent seems like a practical choice because these senior colleagues were older and more experienced than I was. I knew the more I argue back the more I will be criticised for disrespecting the senior and falling behind my work ethics. However, accepting their judgement would have meant allowing them to define my abilities. So, I decided to prove myself and my ability through my work instead of arguing back. At that time, the first thing that I did was to create a perfect company portfolio describing the low delivery costs, short shipping times, huge discounts on bulk items, and endless customer service. The portfolio looked super appealing and attractive. And soon enough after a few meetings with a vendor, I gained my first major client worth thousands.
My experience grew bigger and the criticism went down slowly but not completely because they still believe I was lucky enough to get a client that soon. But I remained calm and confident that after just six months I got promoted as the team leader replacing the old senior colleague who judged me based on my gender. Looking back, if I had chosen to remain silent, I might have lost my confidence, internalized their criticism and begun doubting my own worth. My ideas could have remained unheard and I might have followed the path where women are often expected to only do household work and take care of their family, completely sacrificing their career and freedom. But by choosing to demonstrate my abilities, I discovered that I was more confident, capable and more determined than I had previously realized. And, I am quite proud of my decision.
Through this experience, I learned that someone’s capability and leadership is not defined by their gender, age or seniority; instead it develops through courage, preparation, creativity, and consistent effort. If I faced the same situation again, I would still defend my principles, but I would do so with greater confidence and speak more openly about the discrimination. I want readers to understand that the easiest or safest choice might seem practical but when we refuse to let other people determine our worth, we can transform a painful experience into an opportunity for personal and social change.