It was a pleasure chatting with Kunal today and getting to know him better.  Being able to put a human face to  blog posts and connecting in person over Google video hangout helped define for me why I am in this course.

Kunal has recently come to Canada from India where he hopes to be able to pursue his license to practice Dentistry or go into medical administration. I asked Kunal who his greatest influences were in his life and Kunal shared with me stories about his Dad (a businessman) who inspired Kunal to become the man he is today. His dad taught him the importance of how to treat other people and to demonstrate care for the whole person. Kunal feels that his greatest strengths are his ability to listen well and demonstrate empathy both skills he learned from watching his father in action.  He shared with me that his favourite quotes are “Fear no failure in life” and “One day will be possible, only if I do it”  and that he applies these quotes to each task he takes on and each challenge that he faces in life.  I appreciated both of these quotes and loved the significance of one day being possible (our dreams coming true) only if we pursue them.  It’s not just about having a dream, but following through and acting on it. We can’t expect others to do it for us.

Kunal feels he performed at his best during his final years of his Bachelor’s Degree.  He had experience, knowledge and skills to apply which helped enable him to perform well.  Coming to a new country and adapting to a different way of life is  challenging, and definitely has its ups and downs. When I complimented Kunal on the courage that it must have taken to embark on his new journey, he commented that he feels that he has been able to succeed because he has a lot of  internal courage, the support of his parents and a strong knowledge base to draw from.

It was evident throughout our conversation that Kunal is a warm, friendly and genuine individual who sincerely cares about others.  His personality skills, courage and knowledge are all traits that any one of us would love to have in a dentist, in a friend and a colleague.

I am grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know him better.  His inner courage is inspiring!

 

References:

Rockwell, D. (2017, March 17) The Anatomy of Performance Enhancing Coaching Conversations.