When you are talking to someone about their values and approach to life and the phrase “global domination” comes up, you know you are in for an interesting conversation. Urmi is Bengali by blood and Italian by birth and spent much of her life trying to figure out where she fit into these two different worlds. She never felt quite Italian “enough” and at the same time she struggled to fit into the strict and rigid Bengali culture she was raised in. This resulted in her never feeling good enough or living up to the expectations that were set for her.
Fast forward to her current life though and Urmi has embraced who she really is and is comfortable being uniquely herself. This transformation has led her to strong ambitions about the things she wants to achieve, in her career, volunteer work, professional brand, and the overall impact she makes on the world. As she put it, she wants her face to be everywhere and achieve that “global domination” I mentioned earlier. As you might imagine we spent a good bit of time talking about that phrase and understanding it more. How much ego is involved, what is behind the desire to become so influential, and how does it reconcile with her most important value: “friendship”?
I say it often, but these are the conversations I am after; talking to people who have a very deliberate view on what they want from life and are unapologetic about going after it. It was really interesting to hear Urmi explain her ambitions and pressure test the root “why” underneath it all. In some ways it was very relatable to things I grapple with. I want to be a good person, who helps others, and prioritizes those closest to me, but at the same time I want to achieve great things and be recognized for it. Does that make me a hypocrite or egotistical; or does it just make me human? I don’t know, but it was really interesting to Urmi’s take on it all.
