On Teacher’s Day, Somy Ali talks about people who changed her life

Former Bollywood actress Somy Ali, who now runs a non-governmental organization No More Tears in the US, shared that apart from her brother, there are three people who changed her life and provided her with a great deal of wisdom. Speaking on the occasion of Teacher’s Day, she said, “The number one person for me would be my mentor/professor in college, Dr. William Hammack. He was my statistics professor, and I was always awful in math. I would spend literally eight hours on the weekends with him learning not just about statistics and probability, but life in itself. He taught me how if one hurts you in any manner it is telling of their character and the best way to tackle that pain is to disassociate rather than retaliate. Because retaliation would bring you down to that individual’s level and we must rise above that person. He taught me that as a student I should never be afraid to ask questions as there is no such thing as a dumb question particularly when you are a student.”

“As a little girl in Pakistan, I must have been 9 or 10 and I had just learned how to whistle. I was so excited and when I told a family member to listen, I can whistle, they responded saying girls are not supposed to whistle. Dr. Hammack taught me that girls can do anything boys can do. He changed my life and taught me about women’s rights and equality. I owe who I am and where I am today to Dr. Hammack,” she added. The second person is her friend and NGO attorney, Josh Poyer. Talking about him, she said, “I learned the most significant aspect of my existence from him which was to never be afraid to tell the world your story/truth. He taught me how to use my voice to help others and to not worry about the trolls or cruel people when I do tell my truth. It is he who gave me the power three years ago to talk about all the trauma I endured from the age of five to 24.”

As for the third person, she shared that it is author Mark Manson. “I have listened to all his books and they are remarkable. There is so much I have learned from what he has said in all of his books, the most important life changing extraction I made through his words was that there will never be a life without pain. It sounds simplistic, but it is so profound. Once we accept this, we will be more at peace. Another aspect of what this entails is that do not expect anything from anyone,”

 

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“Live your life without expectations and you will be a happier person. Appreciate the small things in life and remember that there is only one shot at this so absolutely do every single thing you want without the fear of judgment because people will judge you no matter what. I have to add that we never stop learning. That is what life is about and flip flopping is never wrong, it means we are evolving. What my views were on a certain subject ten years ago are completely different now. Thus, we are constantly learning and evolving,” Somy concluded.

Also Read: Teacher’s day 2021: Kiara Advani, Madhuri Dixit, Taapsee Pannu and others extend warm wishes