Week 5: Seeking external help has always been treated as a sign of weakness by many people including my past self. As a result, seldom did I ask for help proactively even when I needed to but now after this research journey, everything has changed completely...

Starting everything from scratch, reading countless articles and writing essays require bravery but not so much as filming videos that will be eventually posted on social media platforms. When being told to produce videos, I was fine to creating scripts and explaining complex concepts but when it came to facing the camera and acting, that was a completely different story. I felt scared and anxious without knowing that I could actually seek for external help.

"You can see if other Laidlaw Scholars are willing to help you out and I can arrange Anam, my PhD Scholar from Pakistan to walk you through the process." My supervisor reminded me. As a result, during the UCL's 10th Anniversary Drinks Reception, I proactively approached to other Scholars and explain my research requirement without knowing if I can find any helpers. 

"This sounds interesting, let's keep in touch and see if we can exchange more thoughts about our projects!" This was the most common feedback I got after different conversations. Feeling motivated, I asked if we could discuss it more while hanging out exploring London and so we did.

Throughout the day, I learnt a lot of useful advices from them regarding how to shoot my videos. Most importantly, I gained such a valuable friendship with other scholars through the process of actively seeking help which would certainly be a highlight to my Laidlaw research journey.

Lesson 4: Reaching out isn’t just a way to solve a problem; it’s an invitation to connection. You start by asking for a hand, and end up finding your people.

A few weeks later, I met up with Anam to film the videos. I thought she would only be there when I needed an actress but when she knew that I was struggling to finalize the scripts and explain everything in laymen language, she decided to attend all my meetings with the supervisor even when I told her that she didn't have to do it. 

She could always point out the rooms for improvements when I though the scripts were perfect to go; she was always there incentivizing me with new ideas; she would always cheer me up when I felt frustrated with the comments. This repetitive grind was filled with laughter and tears with her companion. I could never complete my research endeavor successfully without her help.

Lesson 5: Alone, we can only go so far; together, with the right guidance and team by our side, we can reach heights no individual could ever scale.

This experience of reaching out for help has also taught me that seeking external help should never be regarded a sign of weakness but rather, it's the first step toward progress. Linking it to my leadership training adventure, leadership is not about carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders; it is about knowing when to reach out, invite external expertise, and build the strength of many.