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.
I have always been a morning person. Morning is my favourite time of the day. It brings me happiness, makes me cheerful, pumps in energy and makes me love myself. There are a few things that make my morning pleasant as well as productive.
1 Being an early riser
Rising early has been synonymous with my life. Seeing the rising sun makes me feel powerful. I also realise the power that is unlocked in Mother Nature. I can smell freshness in the morning colours. The fresh, cool breeze puts me at ease and affirms to me my capabilities. The chirping birds are music to ears. When the world is asleep, I gather my power to run a successful day.
Decluttering my mind
Early morning is about having fresh thoughts. It is the most productive time of the day and at that time, I wouldn’t want to have unnecessary chatter in my mind. In fact, mornings are like my power house of ideas. Almost every new idea that I ever implemented came in the morning. This is the time when I think limitless, ditching all boundaries, removing all filters.
Consistent exercise routine
My body is my temple and I don’t forget to worship it on any single day. Each day I am thankful to God for this wonderful abode called body. I dedicate a part of my morning to my workout. I try different forms of workout because I believe that each form has its own advantages. A healthy body is a sign of a healthy mind. Early morning exercise makes me feel fresh and gives me the energy to positively pull a day full of commitments.
A healthy breakfast
I fuel my body with a healthy breakfast every day. I believe that a good, wholesome breakfast keeps you satiated mentally and physically. My breakfast contains fruits, cereals, nuts and juices but I never compromise on this meal. My healthy diet gives me the energy that I require through the day.
Make my to-do list
I don’t wait to hit office to make my to-do list. I usually do that before I even reach office. When my mind is fresh, I have all my tasks lined up on my mind. The good part of making this list early is that I can even include my personal to-do things. I know when I reach office, all that is on my mind is work. Therefore, this trick helps me to have a balanced life and not miss out on anything that is important.
Baku was enthralling. What’s worth sharing is that I wasn’t enamoured by the medieval walled old city but the way EO Gujarat team had composed the entire trip. With an assortment of challenges, starting from organising a trip during summer vacations to merging the dates with Formula 1 Grand Prix 2022 at Baku, to choosing a place to stay that overlooked the Formula 1 track. It was totally amazing.
So many couples and what a blast we had. It was nice getting to know so many like-minded people with varied perspectives and aspirations. Meeting and getting to know new people is always fun and this trip gave me the edge. We shared our experiences while visiting Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve and enjoyed the wonderfully organised trip to that place and many more. Thanks to the generosity of EO Gujarat Team, we partied really hard and every celebration was totally lit. The food was scrumptious and the hotel arrangements totally rocked.
I truly feel this was one of the best retreats ever and EO Gujarat totally receives a loud one.
Sounds like a rhetorical question? We often mull over a mission and vision statement for our business or company. How many times do we stop to think our own life purpose or mission? Clarity needs to prevail in our mind before anything else. Nobody wants to stay the same person forever. We all want to learn, grow and evolve. That, however, needs some serious thinking.
Our mission in life is the purpose of our life. It is like a task that we assign to ourselves. A mission outlines everything that you want to be and do. It tells you what happiness and success look like. It reflects your values, your beliefs and your innate strengths.
A good mission statement:
Is clear and concise and resonates with your inner self
States your intentions and reflects your values
Answers your what, why and how
Tells you where you want to be
Guides you to carve a path to your destination
A mission statement gives you a direction in life, it sometimes even stops you from going astray. It pulls you towards itself and reinforces the feeling of fulfilment and achievement. Whether you mission is to help others or to help yourself, never be judgemental because this is who you are and your mission is a reflection of your personality.
It is actually worth thinking that do we fail in managing time or managing self. Managing time is really about managing self, managing priorities and sometimes even managing stress. Let’s look at some of the reasons that make time management a big task for us:
Procrastination Procrastination Procrastination
This is the biggest evil that can ever be. We are somehow in a habit of delaying work till the time it becomes absolutely urgent. Procrastination is a habit, which makes us push the smallest to biggest tasks. The fact is that we can’t do everything that’s there on the list. Somewhere creative procrastination is needed. It’s important to plan the daily workload in advance. That gives us the opportunity to manage tasks better.
Clarity of purpose
We must have clarity of purpose before we undertake any task. That helps us to decide the relative importance of each activity that we undertake. The biggest of the frogs can be broken into simpler steps and attempted one by one. We need to understand the return on investment on each piece of work that we perform every day.
Not writing it down
To-do lists might sound cliché but they retain their charm even today. The only difference is that paper has been replaced by laptops and phones. There is a lot of power in writing. It only takes about 10-12 minutes to plan a day in advance. These 10 minutes might end up saving hundreds of valuable minutes at work. Decide each day what you want to do and then organize a list by assigning a priority as well as a sequence to your activities.
Inability to manage distractions
Most of the times distractions drift us away from our goals. These distractions are not only external but can also be internal. External distractions could include noise, lack of support, lack of motivation, self created pressure and much more. On the same hand, internal distraction can also create disturbances and kill our valuable time. Such distractions could include laziness, lack of prioritisation, emotional imbalance, stress and even over estimation of abilities.
When it comes to goal planning, the first question is WHY. Even before we start setting goals, the purpose must be clear in our mind. A lot of times goals are like resolutions, we make them, create them and often forget them. Goals are like a destination that we want to reach with the help of a planned route. Think about this, a lot of times in life, we know where we want to reach, but the path to reach there is unknown, uncertain or blurred. Here’s how we can create a path to reach the end:
Know the purpose
The more clarity we have about our WHYs, the more we are closer to our goal and the way to achieve it. If we are planning to start a new venture, knowing the Why of this decision helps us to plan so many things. The end objective helps us to define the steps needed to be taken to achieve that. For example, helping the ones in need is our ultimate aim. The purpose behind it could be to reduce unemployment. Once we know the purpose, we can now design steps to be able to achieve lower rates of unemployment.
Know the central theme
Once the purpose is clear, we need to visually write it in the centre, the target to be achieved . This becomes our central theme. We now need to start gathering ideas around the central theme. These ideas can come in randomly and should be written as branches coming out of the central idea.
Be visual
A mind map is like a visual strategy that we create to plan our goals. It is best made on paper rather than the mind. The power of writing can never be undermined. When we write, we start adding more weight to things and also become more conscious and more aware. The more we write, the more ideas we generate. This helps us to plan better.
Data and intuition
Mind mapping helps us to be intuitive. It takes out all our thinking and creativity and puts it on paper because we get into the process of thinking without filters. Also when we write things, we get more data into picture. We search for past trends and things that have worked for us and those that haven’t.
