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Trust your struggle | Zain Asher | TEDxEuston
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Trust your struggle | Zain Asher | TEDxEuston

Introduction

In this section, Zain Asher introduces herself and shares her background to motivate and inspire the audience.

Zain's Background

  • Zain Asher is an anchor at CNN International.
  • She shares that she used to work as a receptionist before becoming an anchor.
  • Zain emphasizes that success is not always a straight line and there will be bumps along the way.
  • Hard work alone does not guarantee success, as there are other factors involved.

Determining Success

Zain discusses what determines success and shares insights from her own life.

Personal Background

  • Zain was born and raised in London, but her family is originally from Nigeria.
  • She experienced a tragic event when her father and brother were involved in a car crash, resulting in her father's death.
  • Raised in a single-parent family, Zain's mother sent her to different types of schools to learn how to relate to people from all walks of life.

Mother's Plan for Oxford

Zain talks about her mother's plan for her to attend Oxford University.

Mother's Proposal

  • At the age of sixteen, Zain's mother wanted her to go to Oxford University.
  • To ensure this, she banned Zain from watching television for eighteen months.
  • The only way Zain could watch television again was if she got into Oxford.

Trust Your Struggle

Zain shares one of the key lessons she learned - trusting your struggle.

Importance of Trusting Your Struggle

  • No matter what hardships you face in life, have faith that they will lead to something greater.
  • Zain shares her own experience of working as a receptionist before moving up within the company.

Conclusion

Zain Asher's journey from being a receptionist to becoming an anchor at CNN International serves as inspiration for others. Success is not solely determined by hard work, but also by embracing struggles and having faith in the process.

New Section

In this section, the speaker talks about her experience as a receptionist and her desire to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. She shares how she overcame obstacles and landed a job at a local news station.

Pursuing Passion in Broadcast Journalism

  • The speaker had always been passionate about broadcast journalism.
  • She called a television station in New York to inquire about job opportunities.
  • Unfortunately, she didn't have any previous experience, which was required for the position.
  • Despite facing rejection due to lack of experience and having a foreign accent, she was determined not to take no for an answer.

Taking Initiative and Creating Opportunities

  • The speaker decided to take matters into her own hands by creating a tape showcasing her skills as a reporter.
  • She studied reporters extensively and put together various packages demonstrating her abilities.
  • She sent these tapes to the news station, hoping for an opportunity.
  • It took several months for the news station to respond due to the high volume of applications they received.

Trusting Your Struggle

  • Despite facing financial difficulties and losing her job during this waiting period, the speaker remained determined.
  • She moved to New York with hope that the news station would eventually get back to her.
  • Finally, after constant emailing and persistence, she was invited for an interview.
  • The news station was impressed by her self-created tape and hired her on the spot.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses her belief in not competing but rather creating what one wants. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration over competition in achieving success.

Rejecting Competition

  • The corporate world often promotes competition as essential for success.
  • However, the speaker does not believe in competing for what she wants; instead, she believes in creating it herself.
  • Abraham Lincoln's quote about predicting the future by creating it resonates with her perspective.

Collaboration and Inspiration

  • While looking at peers for inspiration can be beneficial, constantly comparing oneself to others can lead to fears and insecurities.
  • The speaker shares an experience of competing for a job with another person but choosing to help and support them instead.
  • She believes that having a competitive spirit can hold one back, whereas collaboration and support can lead to mutual success.

New Section

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of giving in order to receive. She shares a story about an interview she conducted with a CEO who started as a waitress and learned the value of giving throughout her career.

The Power of Giving

  • The speaker interviewed a CEO named Kat Cole who began her career as a waitress at Hooters.
  • Despite achieving financial success, Cole still gives away most of her money because she believes in the principle that the more you give, the more you receive.
  • This lesson had a profound impact on the speaker, challenging conventional notions of success focused solely on networking and competition.

Giving for Success

  • Many successful individuals emphasize networking, personal branding, and studying competition as keys to success.
  • However, Cole's story highlights that giving plays an integral role in achieving long-term fulfillment and abundance.

Timestamps are provided in seconds (s) format.

Success Comes When Opportunity Meets Preparation

In this section, the speaker reflects on the importance of preparation and seizing opportunities in order to achieve success. They share personal experiences and lessons learned from their own journey.

Importance of Having a Specialty

  • It is crucial to have a specialty or expertise in a particular field.
  • Having something that sets you apart from others increases your chances of success.
  • The speaker was passionate about business news and decided to study and teach themselves about it.

Dedication to Preparation

  • The speaker spent weekends at the library studying various aspects of business news.
  • They were committed to learning and preparing themselves for future opportunities.
  • This dedication led them to become well-known by the librarians due to their frequent visits.

Seizing an Opportunity

  • By chance, the speaker met an executive at CNN who was looking for a reporter in the business news unit.
  • They were given two weeks to prepare for a screen test and financial news test.
  • While the executive felt guilty for giving such short notice, the speaker had been preparing for years.

Lessons Learned from Older Brother

  • The speaker's older brother, an actor, taught them the importance of preparation.
  • He would study and memorize plays without having auditions lined up, just in case an opportunity arose.
  • Waiting until you receive a call for an interview or audition is not enough; one must prepare beforehand.

Trusting Your Struggle and Believing in Opportunities

  • Trusting your struggles can lead to personal growth and eventual benefits.
  • Ignoring competition and focusing on giving can create more opportunities.
  • Trusting that your opportunity will come one day is essential for success.

Timestamps are provided as links to the corresponding parts of the video.

Video description

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Trust your struggle ZAIN ASHER was born and raised in London. She graduated from Oxford University where she studied French and Spanish (graduating with a distinction in oral Spanish). In 2006, she earned an MS from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she focused on business and financial news. Asher is a national business and personal finance correspondent for CNN, where she appears across platforms covering the latest news on money and the economy. She often reports from the New York Stock Exchange, covering equities and IPOs and interviewing entrepreneurs and dignitaries. In 2014, Asher was part of a team of reporters sent to Nigeria to cover the Boko Haram kidnappings of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria. Asher comes to CNN from MONEY magazine where she covered careers and investing, primarily focusing on stocks, mutual funds, consumer tech stories and workplace advice. She served as a contributing reporter for Forbes.com, where she covered business trend and consumer stories. She has lived and worked in Mexico, France and Nigeria. Asher is fluent in French, Spanish and Igbo (her native Nigerian language). About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)