Maya Shankar

Just because I lost the violin didn't mean that I lost what led me to love it in the first place.

That part of me stayed firmly intact.

I am a person who thrives on emotional connection.

When you define yourself in those terms, then the exercise simply becomes,

where else can I find ways to express this part of myself, right?

How else can I feed this desire for human connection?

Well, it turns out that I have been able to through my podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, where from the closet in my apartment,

I've been able to connect with people all over the world about their change experiences and to cut through all the platitudes and go straight to the deepest moments of their lives.

All of these pursuits have been anchored around this fundamental goal of feeling closer to other human beings.

And so I would urge everyone listening to ask themselves, what is their why?

What is the thing that makes them love what they do?

giving back to people?

Is it learning a new skill?

Is it witnessing progress because you've improved at a skill?

Is it expressing your creativity through some means?

And that why will remain even in the face of change.

And it's just a matter of finding new ways to express that why.

It can actually serve as a compass that helps guide you forward.

It's such an interesting question because the reality is that if you're living life, you're navigating change.

Those two things are intertwined in a way that's impossible to break, right?