In 2019, I took a flight from Jakarta to Bangkok to attend the Asia Pacific Conference (APC) hosted by AIESEC, a global non-profit, youth-run organization that promotes cross-cultural experiences by facilitating exchange and internship programs for youth. APC is a five-day leadership development conference where newly elected members learn how to run the organization. I had been part of AIESEC since 2017, and in 2019 had just been elected as head of marketing—we call it Local Committee Vice President or LCVP—in my local chapter in Bandung, Indonesia. I wanted to meet and connect with AIESECers from other countries, learn from their best practices, and bring those insights back to my marketing team in Bandung. The leadership term in AIESEC is very short, only 12 months, so every year we run elections for the next executive board. You can run again for the next term, but I decided to serve only one term as I wanted to focus on my bachelor thesis the following year. So this was my only chance to attend.
Actually, I almost didn’t go to the conference. I felt satisfied with what I had. Most of the organizational knowledge was already accessible in AIESEC’s digital library, so why bother paying more to go abroad for something I could already access from home?
But I went anyway. I realized, even though everything was so accessible on the internet, it didn’t mean the internet had everything. There were many things you can’t get from the virtual world. The feeling of walking into the venue. The anxiety of approaching people you want to talk with. The nerves of standing and talking on stage in front of hundreds of people (yes, I did. We had an awarding night and our local committee won an award! Since I was the only one representing my LC, I had to accept it and say a few words on stage!).
Looking back on that experience, I think the reason for not wanting to go wasn’t because I felt satisfied. It was because I felt afraid. But as Robert Greene said, “Our life inevitably involves obstacles, frustrations, pain, and separations. How we come to handle such moments in our early years plays a large role in the development of our overall attitude toward life.” It was the best experience I ever had. Not only did I learn new skills and knowledge, but I also built lasting connections with young leaders from around the world.