Energy from within

By Naomi Kincler

In this week, dedicated to holocaust remembrance, Yom Hashoah, I am acutely aware of both my freedom and my good fortune.

I am also reflecting on the power and necessity of inner strength and confidence; because although it is wonderful to find energy from outside forces, it is most powerful and sustainable to find that energy within myself.

The victims and survivors of the Holocaust are a true testament of this ability to sustain oneself from forces within. They found the courage and strength to believe in themselves and their own self-worth. Some even found the courage to fight back, as in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which marks its 70th anniversary this year.

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I am nearing the end of one of the best weeks of my life. It was filled with so many inspiring events and experiences that have given me an intense amount of energy. I am so grateful for these blessings; however I am also reflecting on how to sustain this level of confidence and strength beyond this week.

It started last Tuesday with the Mimouna; the magical and glorious Moroccan Jewish celebration that marks the end of Passover with platters of delicious carb-filled delicacies. With an open door policy throughout the community, I hopped around with friends and family, finding more hospitality and deliciousness with every home we visited.

On Wednesday, I was invited to speak at a leadership conference organized by the Garnet Key Society of Concordia University in Montreal. I spoke about how my parents and grandparents, themselves holocaust survivors, have informed and inspired my academic and professional career, as well as my ongoing commitment to social justice. This influence has expressed itself through three key pillars that have supported me through the years. These include: 1) Learn a skill – in any and every class, job, or experience, I think about what can I get out of the situation to add to my toolbox, and focus on enhancing that skill; 2) Be brave – opportunities are abound, but you need to take risks and seize them as they come; 3) Leave a place better than you found it – you will always gain more if you invest in the community, people and place around you. 

I was so touched by the students’ response to my talk, and their genuine passion and engagement for their own work and ambitions. I never felt so honored and respected; it made me realize how far I’ve really come since I was in their shoes as an undergraduate student at McGill.

On Thursday, I was in the depths of organizing a conference, running around like a chicken without a head. Amidst the frenzy, I received a call. It was someone from the office of the ROI Community inviting me to attend this year’s ROI summit in Jerusalem, Israel. The ROI summit brings together young Jewish innovators each year for four days in Jerusalem. People come from around the world; from Brisbane to Belarus, Boston to Brazil. I first participated in the summit in 2008. As I could barely contain my excitement, the woman over the phone expressed that I was selected among hundreds of alumni to return as one of the thirty representatives from past summits. She explained how the ROI leadership had recently seen me in action at NU Montreal, a conference for young Jewish innovators working in New Media, and felt that I would be a great addition to the team.

Then the day I have been working towards all year finally arrived. I am launching a web startup this spring called Trudat; a platform for collaborative data discovery. My co-founder and I organized a conference - the Open Data Exchange 2013 - at Maison Jeanne Sauvé this past Saturday. The conference was for researchers, advocates, techies, politicos, and friends involved and interested in Open Data movement for liberating data sets to improve transparency, civic engagement, and innovation in government, research, and beyond.  

ODX13 was a beautiful symphony of brilliant minds and engaged souls. And although I was one of the conductors behind the orchestra, it was the performers and audience who really made the magic. At the end of the day, I felt on top of the world from all the positive energy they were sending my way.

Today I turn 29 years old; the culmination of a wonderful week, as well as a charmed life. I feel so energized from this past week’s events, filled with positive affirmation from others for my life choices and performance. However, this year has also been filled with many many moments of self doubt. My wish for my 29th birthday is to harness this positive energy to find it within myself to always believe in my own self-worth. Encouragement is always welcome and needed, and I feel so fortunate to have so many supporting forces in my life; but I strive to find those voices within myself. I strive to believe in my infinite talent and potential and to continue to inspire the same in others.