Dear readers,

I’m writing this letter from Bangalore, India. The monsoons have begun in the South of India after a long, dry summer and we’re grateful for the rain.

When Mary invited me to write the letter for this edition’s Growing Roots, I wondered what I could write about. Her invitation triggered a reflection of my own NVC journey, how I began learning NVC, and how I became a certified trainer. Here’s what stands out: no matter how many Nonviolent Communication workshops, retreats, and courses I attend, there’s always more I’m excited to keep learning.

There’s something about NVC that keeps me going back for more: no matter what stage of learning and integrating this practice I’m at, there’s always something to take away from every workshop; something new to learn and insights that can help me with challenges I’m experiencing or growing edges I’m working on.

The power and challenge of humility

I’ve also realized that learning from every workshop and every interaction can happen only when I enter with humility: an openness to considering that I don’t know everything there is to know about the other person or the subject; and an openness to discovering something new. When I can bring in this humility, it helps me notice, take in, and learn more than I would otherwise.

And yet, sometimes this humility can come with its own challenges: unless I balance my humility with confidence in my skills and my capacity, I am not likely to take action on anything– because I believe I don’t know enough. I know that I often tend towards this.

If humility is about acknowledging that I don’t know everything, confidence is about trusting that I know enough for now. And that I can keep learning; and I don’t have to wait until I learn everything there is to know (if such a thing is even possible!) before I begin applying what I’ve learned.

So for today, I invite you to consider: where in your journey of learning and integrating NVC can you bring in more humility? And where can you bring in some more confidence? What would it look like if you could strike a balance between the two?

I’d love to hear back from you if anything in this letter has touched you or resonates…or what’s alive in you as you read this. Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Warmly, 
Ranjitha Jeurkar

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Ranjitha Jeurkar is a CNVC Certified Trainer from Bangalore, India, and the social media manager of the NVC Academy. She enjoys working with the NVC Academy team because it gives her a chance to keep learning—and to work in a vibrant organization built on a culture of empathy.