This is an amazing keynote talk my friend Ish gave in 2019 at Swiftfest Boston. Swiftfest is a conference for iOS developers, but this isn’t a talk about formulas and code. It’s a talk about Life and Goodness. About breaking out of boundaries and fears and taking steps towards following our dreams. It’s about enjoying life’s moments and not taking our loved ones for granted. It’s about the actions we take that can change people’s lives. And it’s about finding our purpose.
I know that in our rush society, people seem to want short snippets of videos and audio while they’re going about their days, so 25 minutes is an investment. But–if I may–you owe it to yourself to watch this. If you notice the tags below, this video covers just about everything. (The original talk isn’t allowed to be posted, so I’m beyond grateful Ish has put this together.)
Ish has a way of speaking and thinking that puts people at ease and helps them tap into their true selves. Even before I became close friends with him, he’d ask me how I was doing in such a sincere way, that I always stopped in my tracks to truly reflect and consider how I was, instead of resorting to the automatic, “Fine. And you?”. He’s the guy people meet for the first time and feel like they’ve known forever. People open up to him with stories and questions and conflicts and joys, because he really listens without judgement or assumption. He helps people through their problems, not by giving advice, but by listening to what they say and holding the space for them to find their own conclusions. I can say with absolute certainty, I would not be where I am today without him.
I realize I’ve digressed a bit, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about Ish, because I am hoping it will inspire you to take a pause and watch this video. A beautiful reminder about what is good in life and how we can help make it even better, just by being ourselves.