Thursday, 31 August 2017

Love Yourself

Oh! Its that day again, when we women pause, and take a moment for ourselves. While I believe in and practice this more often than once a year, today is another opportunity ṭo tell myself how much this me loves the self.
I am the most beautiful to me and I am my favourite.
These fine lines are a proof that I have laughed my heart out, almost every single day and I continue to. 😂
The not so perfectly figured body (as per whoever's standards) is a lovely gift of motherhood,... and yeah a lil laziness too😜
Those under eye dark circles approve of me as a sensitive human being, one that cares for others, sometimes way more than is required though. 🤦🏻‍♀️
The roughness of my hands tells a story of all the hardwork I put in making a house into a home 💪🏻
My greying hair remind me of the elegance with which I have handled ups and downs, and that I have used the little grey cells that I have. 👩🏻
My on the face responses, prove that I have learnt from my mistakes and am better at handling challenges now... am I??? 😁
My silence to many people, situations and circumstances is a testimony that I have grown with time. 😷
I love this me and if I ever had a chance to be someone else, it will still be me... maybe a healthier, happier and a better version of me.
I Love myself!
And You, yes you, love yourself too... Happy women's day!

Be Bold; Be Beautiful

The one word that comes to my mind when I think of being a woman, is CHANGE, the ability to change anything & everything I want to.




‘Be the Change you want to see in the world’, as quoted by Mahatma Gandhi, is as applicable in today’s world, as it was back then. It all begins with YOU. Every single thing YOU do, impacts every single thing around YOU.


‘Be Bold for Change’ to me is not a mantra, a flavor of the month or even an anthem. It is a philosophy of owning your life and everything that happens in it. One such BOLD woman I have known, respected and looked up to is a 40+ dear friend of mine.

She amazed me with the way she maneuvered in a male dominated workplace. Her knowledge, skills and ability to connect with people only added to her personality that got every single person respect her and her views. But what makes her really BOLD, is the way she delivers to the attention every role demands of her – a civil engineer by qualification, an impactful leader, mother of a 20+ year old boy, a passionate home maker, a responsible daughter, a great friend and an extremely positive & fit individual. I have personally learned a lot from her, and sure will continue to.

When I was asked to talk about a BOLD step that I have taken in my life, I thought deeply to fish out the best. I did speak to few friends and many suggested I refrain from using a personal example. And then I reminded myself of the theme ‘Be Bold’. So here I am, sharing a personal BOLD moment. Feel free to judge & evaluate, or to listen & imbibe.

There have been multiple moments when my life demanded a BOLD approach from me. But the one that stands out for me is the one I took in the year 2007. Having lost my mom to an unfortunate accident at a very early age, my dad’s demise was too much for me to take. My son was just 5 years old and my marriage was in shambles. I had zero savings.

Thanks to my learning field which introduced me to the Power of CHOICE.
But wait, someone telling me that irrespective of whatever happened to me, the situation I was in, is a result of the choices I made, was devastating. It took me a great deal of introspection, retrospection and analysis, and a lot of courage to accept this reality, this brutal truth. But when I did, I saw everything in a different light. I took control of my life and chose to cease to succumb to circumstances anymore.

That one day, I decided that I will live a life of choices and not chances. That one step, believe me, transformed me and my life as a whole and made me into what I am today.
Today, I am a successful single parent of a 15 year old boy, a friend to many, a reliable confidant to my closest ones, an active social servant and a successful learning professional, and what transpires around me, is the positivity of life.

As a leader, I have a responsibility towards my team and to all those who look up to me. I am responsibly aware that everything I say and do is either making or breaking someone’s belief, someone’s trust, and someone’s strength. Yet, I do find my time and space to just be me.

We do not always drive looking in the rearview mirror, else we will soon hit a wall. But experiences are the best teachers too. I therefore ask each of you to pause, reflect on your life and free yourself from the self-pity, weaker sex, victim of society norms and take control of your life.

Being bold doesn’t always translate to being revolting, pushing back or even being successful career wise only. Be BOLD in whatever you choose to do. Do not let anyone tell you what is good for you. No one, no one at all should decide how you should live your life except YOU. There is nothing more liberating than living a life you WANT to.

Be BOLD for me expands to… Be Beautifully Obsessed with Liberating your Dynamism.
As I sign off, I want you leave you with a quote by my idol, Mother Teresa – I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples’.
Be Bold, Be Beautiful!