Want to listen to your negative internal chatter? Or you wish to try? Mindset is magical, it just turns the tables. Decide what state of mind you want to be. I can’t has I can in it just the way I don’t has an I do in it.
As the saying goes, ‘Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.’ Our thoughts make us who we are. We can choose to see the glass half empty or half full. Every problem we encounter doesn’t seem huge at first. But it surely becomes gigantic if we hold on to it for long. The longer we hold, the greater the stress. Very often we discard things that we’ve been hearing since childhood and dismiss them as untrue. ‘Mind over matter’ is true!
Overcoming challenges has always been a mental game. Tricky situations and ambiguous roads are the real boulders we need to get past. Our beliefs define us. Most of the times, when we encounter a problem, our first reaction is either to submit and give up or to jump up to a solution. We normally do not follow the tendency of reaching the root cause. We just want to provide a symptomatic relief to the problem, which is superficial and temporary. As a result, the chances of the problem resurfacing become very high and we fall back into the trap again. It is essential that we define the problem first, get to the reasons that have caused it in the first place and then generate possible solutions to the problem. This way we get rid of the problem in the first instance.
Out attitude to win or lose matters. Haven’t we heard of cases where a patient recovers from a fatal disease or an accident by virtue of his will-power? That is evidence of a resolute mind. It is very critical to harness the power of our mind and use it to our advantage. When we face a major trouble, the mind automatically starts thinking of why has the incident happened, why am I affected, why not someone else. The trouble starts becoming an obstacle to a normal life and we start to drown in it. The tendency of our minds getting affected severely by problems makes us fall into the trap of mistaking such thoughts for truth.
There is no problem so big in life that cannot be sorted. It just needs a strong mind, a positive approach and will power. If we train our mind well, there is really nothing that we can’t win over.
What are habits? Our habits define us, our habits keep us going. Habits fail to make us happy when we start expecting too much from ourselves. Leaving old habits needs courage and forming new ones needs self belief. Forming healthy habits is not a mean task. The reason is that we grow in a certain way with certain beliefs. Our minds are conditioned in a particular way. To be able to break that or add something new requires efforts.
The other problem with forming healthy habits is that we want to change too much too soon. We all know that new year resolutions are highly overrated. Yet, we take resolutions and more often than not, we fail in achieving them. Ever thought why? With age comes impatience. Inabilities or should we say incompetencies are not welcomed.
We get swayed by the habit of instant gratification. We want results immediately. When we form new habits, we want to see the impact. Imagine you’ve never read a book in your life and banging on some resolution you expect yourself to start reading hefty novels. That’s too much to ask yourself.
Forming healthy habits is all about knowing the WHY behind the idea of creating that habit in the first place. It is only when the purpose is clear that we will be able to reason out and work towards the goal. In the absence of a solid why, the motivation of achieving often goes missing.
Habits like getting up on time, eating healthy, losing weight come with time. Let us give our mind some time to process the change that we are expecting. If we gave that much time to the old habits to become a part of us, the new ones too need time to adjust with us.
Is self-development a destination? It becomes one when it isn’t a regular activity. We get so engulfed in our daily chores that sometimes we forget that as time progresses, we face different challenges, changing circumstances and new and varied responsibilities. The way to overcome challenges is self-development. In case of women, especially, self-development takes a back seat, given the multiple roles they play.
There isn’t a rule book that defines self-development. The definition may vary from person to person. For some women self-development could be stepping out of the house, for some it could be embarking an entrepreneurial journey. For some it could be just about developing a love for reading, for others it could be about finding a penchant to travel.
When women start their journey of developing self, they must look out for the following:
Need for self development
Setting a target
Clarifying a destination
Identifying strengths
Aware of weaknesses
Self development in women leads to the following:
Discovering self
Pushing self out of comfort zone
Becoming self-aware
Unlocking abilities
Increased confidence
Higher self-esteem
Self-development is an ongoing journey. It allows us to invest time and effort in ourselves, which in turn helps us to manage ourselves and others around us effectively. Self-development also helps us to release happy hormones because we become more adept at handling challenges with greater confidence and spring back with greater might.
Profits and purpose for me are quite different. Purpose drives me and profit is something I thrive on. We might not necessarily mix the two in one entity.
For me, life has thrown golden opportunities. I feel have been able to find, both my purpose and passion. Working with Shilp Group has given me the perspective to contribute to the growth of the organisation with the help of my knowledge, skills and experience. It is the place where I find solace while putting my knowledge into action. I enjoy working with people and processes both. Strategic decisions that lead to profitability does feed the soul. When I sit and ponder, I also feel that helping people develop and grow at Shilp makes me fulfil my purpose. I am a people person and working with people thrills me. I also find the balance in my work at Shilp, contributing both to my purpose and profits.
I also found my calling and set up my non-profit organisation, Sneh Shilp Foundation. Working towards realising others’ dreams gives me a high. At Sneh Shilp Foundation, we are committed to making people independent, self-reliant and educated. Education is a tool that empowers us and gives us the base to create a future for ourselves. Working with women and taking care of their basic needs, hygiene and health is another area of work that makes me feel proud as a woman. Feeding the deprived souls every night fulfils my own hunger.
It isn’t necessary for me to balance purpose and profits because they are two separate things for me. I love my contribution to profits and I adore my purpose.
When God was creating the world, I think he gave disproportionate importance, or love should I say, to Switzerland. Heaven is an understatement. Mountains are mountains and grasslands are so but when in Switzerland, the beauty of every mountain gets glorified. Of course, every corner of Switzerland also reminds you of Yash Raj Films!
Switzerland breathes romance. You’re sure to fall in love when you are here. Your own children, partner and friends seem nicer and merrier, there is something about the air of this place. The place is relaxed, calm and soothing. Companionship finds a new meaning in Switzerland.
There are less people around, seems as if everyone makes way for us to admire the beauty of nature uninterruptedly. The roads are clean and clear, they just make your drive smooth and take you to to witness every nook and corner of this heaven. The weather breathes a sense of freshness and makes you feel loved, as if you’re the special one.
Switzerland isn’t just beautiful, it is convenient to live too. Far away on a mountain, with a little village, comprising not more than 5-7 families, would also have the basic facilities like electricity, water and of course a good, clean road. When in Switzerland, you’re one step closer to heaven. This place is always on my bucket list and continues to be there despite my multiple visits already. I want to keep falling in love again with Switzerland.
