TEDxJakarta

“A seat in TEDxJakarta changed my life..”.

Well, not literally since i got no seat there. I was sitting on the carpet floor watching speaker by speaker presenting their hidden gems. But hell yeah, it was a moment that changed my life. Or at least, the way i see my life now.

I knew TED from my dear friend Timotius Wibowo. About 8 years ago he introduced me to TEDGlobal, and since then i started to let myself get inspired by those podcasts. Then i heard that Jakarta had its own TEDx. An independently organized event of it. And when i moved here to Jakarta, i began to understand why destiny took me to get to know David Irianto, a graphic designer of ELLE magazine. He was the one who brought me to TEDxJakarta. He is one of TEDxJakarta creative members, and he let me to be one of the volunteer to help this TEDxJakarta April event being set up. And then the story went from there.

I only knew David, when firstly attended the meeting. In a minute i felt like i was a total stranger, listening to those crowdy people talking, laughing and sometimes shouting about many things i didn't understand. I just sat there staring at them. But i tried to keep attending to the upcoming meetings, and slowly but sure i felt better. I felt like i’m no more an outsider. Got a few acquintances there, and starting to feel the rhythm. But because i’m ‘only’ a volunteer, who didnt have any important role but to help setting up all the stuffs needed on the ‘IT’ day, i began to be less care to my commitment, and started to ask, “do they really need me?”.

3 days to the big day, our mind and time and energy were pushed to pay more attention to TEDx. I went to the venue after my working hours, got some briefings and arranged some stuffs there, and the next day (where it was suppossed to be weekend)  we worked to set up the stage and equipments for almost half of full day.

There, i started to see something caught my eyes. Somehow, being occupied and tired moving one stuff from here to there made me.. happy. I felt important, i felt the teamwork, i felt we were there for the same cause, for one goal: to serve others. To present the best for the attendees of the event tomorrow. It suddenly made me feel that i was useful. That i have a purpose to be there with the rest of the other volunteers. 

Then the big day came. We spent the whole day from early morning to make sure everything went well and facilitate enough all the attendees and of course, we were allowed to enjoy the show J

I must say, ALL the speakers in TEDxJakarta that day were amazing! We may barely know them as they weren’t as famous as Agnes Monica or Krisdayanti. But we never knew that they were holding a big role in our country, and they inspired people with what they were doing in their life. They inspired me. By all they do, by presenting their ideas, their idealism, their concern, passion, and what they fight with all their lives. 

A seat in TEDxJakarta opened my eyes to too many things i didn’t realise before. There is more in this life than just earning big money and be a well-known person. A seat in TEDxJakarta made me realised, that life is beautiful when we are useful to others, when we serve others without asking for something in return, when we see how people are enthusiastic about engaging the same idea they have, when we work together hand in hand for the same goal and direction, when we less care about ourselves and think more about other people around us, when we see that our commitment is starting to bear fruits, and when we know that life is worthwhile when you can inspire others, not because of who you are but because of what you do can impact and make people’s life to be at a better level.

When i finished helping unloading all the goods and equipments that night, i let my mind wander a little bit too far as i was driving heading to home. “What if one day, i get a chance to be at the TED stage and speak? What will i speak about? Will it be something worth listening to? Will what i share inspire the audience? Will it change someone’s life?”.

 

Then i soon realised, right now, i still haven’t had one thing that i completely know and sure about, that it become my idealism, my passion, my true calling. Something that i really love doing, something that i know i am created to do this, something to be my ultimate direction, something that useful for the others, something that can make people’s life (at least, a little bit) better, something that when i stand there on the TED stage and talk about it, people will nod their heads, humming agreely, and say, “a seat in TED listening to Crista Priscilla, has really changed my life.”

I want to change others perspectives, i want to change others lives. But right now, first, i know, i have to change my own perspective on how i see life, i have to change the way i live, and yeah...

I have to change my very own life. First.