Browse Month: October 2020

Let’s take a break!

Who ever thought dreams can make you insomniac, like literally insomniac? Thousands of questions and doubts in our hearts, we take a leap of faith just to find the internal contentment. But sometimes, we just become too hard on ourselves. We forget that we have our limitations. The burden of dreams is like carrying an entire world on your shoulders. You must let that warrior inside you rest for a bit. 

Not a long time ago, I was interviewing Lopamudra Banerjee, an entrepreneur, and a fitness coach. As soon as I made the announcement, I received a flood of messages in my inbox for Lopa to share her entrepreneurial journey. She is one brave soul. But I will tell you why this interview was a lot unique then what we see all the time. Lopa gave us all something to think about. From a sales professional to a personal fitness coach turned health entrepreneur, her journey says a lot about what happens when you choose to not take a break. Meanwhile, we hear people talking about breaking your limits and giving up everything for your goals, she shared the darker aspect of dreaming and overdoing things. 

So, as per my rendezvous with Lopa, I will tell you what I have learned about the dreams and working too hard on yourself. Also, please do visit my Instagram page to find my interview with Lopa, and don’t forget to comment and share your thoughts on dreams. Also, please feel free to share your experience and how you found your warrior spirit.

Phase One: Opportunity knocks

When opportunity knocks our doors, what a time of merriment it is. You are filled with a reviving energy and you are ready to take the world down. But have you planned things the right way? Planning is an essential part of any journey. Do you just take a vacation to a place unknown without even checking the weather of the place? No, everything that we do, requires planning. Deep down we know going without plan is a lot adventurous and we all want to feel the thrill. But a smart person will always be prepared beforehand, so that when the weather is all stormy, they have a safe shelter.

Phase Two: Nobody tells it is going to be stressful 

The actual story begins in phase two. Meanwhile, it is great that you are following your dreams, but the stress is just going to take a toll on your mind and body. It is going to break you and will make you feel helpless. If you are young your body will support you longer in the journey, but eventually depriving it of the needful rest, fun, and peace, you will notice your will starts to wither. The worst part is, you lose the quality at which you were always performing.

For many of us, it is important to give our 100% in whatever we do. But when you face work overload, are you still sure you will be able to keep up the quality? For any person quality is something which we all want to achieve. I am one of those people. Lopa is one of those people. You might be too.

It is essential in these times that we understand our limitations. We have to reinstate the lost balance. Sometimes, in the hurry to catch up with your dreams we leave behind the beautiful moments. We compromise our time with family to work hard. And in the end, we have to make do with whatever little connections are left with our loved ones.

Just like our body, the mind needs to rest too. But how to do that? It is constantly thinking, calculating your next move. Are things in your control when you are already juggling thousands of things at a time. In my conversation with Lopa ,I understood how badly restless she was while managing her growing business. It got her worried when a client did not get the results she promised. Though she never lost the business, it was too bad for her self-esteem.

As a result, things start to fall apart. Brick by brick you are back to square one with the burden of broken dreams. You must realize the importance of rejuvenating yourself. Resting your mind. Investing your time in knowing your limits and realizing when you are overdoing it. Empires aren’t formed in days or months, they take years. When we increase our pace, we forget we don’t have the energy to do it all ourselves. And also, you don’t have the resources to manage it.   

Phase Three: Rejuvenating and Restarting Again

You don’t have to give up on your dreams. Take some time out of work and start working on your peace of mind. In the end, don’t forget you wanted to achieve this all to attain a great degree of self-contentment

Understand where things are going wrong. Make a list of things that you will like to change from the last time. Start working on them. Choose wisely what and how much you want to work. Work exclusive if necessary. In the end entrepreneurship, job or business are not just about money, they are about gaining that expert badge.

How to overcome fear of Public Speaking and gain confidence?

Here’s 5 tips on how to begin with overcoming fear of public speaking!

Step 1 : Beginning with the end in the mind

As my Coach and 7Habits of Highly Effective People Master Stephen Covey says – “ Begin with the end in the mind “

Start with a vision statement for your purpose

Why do you speak on a public speaking platform ?
What kind of speaking opportunities you are looking for ?
What platform do you wish to speak on?
Whom do you wish to address?

Step 2 : Define the content and context

Define what will be of immense “value” to those startups or entrepreneurs whom I’m supposedly addressing and representing myself as a brand and Google as a brand to them – what would be a win win situation?

As my Coach Master Stephen Covey says – “Be Proactive “ and “Putting first things first”

What matters most?
Focusing on what’s utmost importance
What are some of the trending topics that would be of interest to them?
What would be a Better outcome for developers?

Step 3 : Empathise with your audience

Empathise what will be they be thinking , feeling and doing .Having Listened to startup by being a part of their conversations and looking at their profiles , I’m supposedly understanding their concerns and putting myself in their shoes.

As Master Stephen Covey says “Seek to understand then to be understood”.

What are their pain points?
What would they gain from my expertise and skills
What could be their challenges?
What are their thoughts,feelings and emotions?

Step 4 : Ideate or Brainstorm

Ideate or brainstorm what will be they excited to know or hear about .
After Empathising with startups by being a part of their conversations and looking at their profiles , I started generating content / topic ideas that would be of interest and bring an element of newness.

As the 5th Habit is all about – “Think Win -Win or Synergize”.

Where can I look for inspiration?
What , What If? , So What ?
What could be the best strategy?
How do I select the best idea & start synthesising my talking points ?

Step 5 : Experimentation / Execute

So I finally Executed or Experimented the selected idea and made it experiential .
After ideating with my colleagues and mentors and LPA associates and looking at LPA seminars on Youtube , I started conceptualising the ideas that would be engaging and encourage participation.

As the 7th Habit is all about creating “Synergize “.

How can translate this idea into reality?
How will the participants experience the subject/topic ?
What could be the learning delivery method?
What could be the possible outcomes for us & companies?

Step 6 : Evaluate

And after I spoke at this session , I performed a self evaluation on what did I do right, and what did I do wrong?

How can I do better next time?

Are there any improvement areas?

How can I practice or explore more such speaking opportunities?

Watch the Youtube video here>>

https://youtu.be/bL7Ermu4Mo4

4 Tips to Reduce Work Related stress!

Happy Weekend everyone!

If you have landed up on this blog searching for some wellness tips then you are in the right place !

Whether you hold a full-time job or work as a freelancer, work from office or work from home, stress is a real issue that every working professional has to deal with sooner or later. As the work culture gets increasingly complicated and employees are expected to work more for less; it’s now more important than ever to find your own recluse.

Relax, if you’ve been feeling stressed out lately from all the workload, just follow these simple tips for a quick fix.

1.Take frequent walk breaks: With the constant pressure coming from the weight of the world around us, it’s quite easy to feel bogged down and depressed. This is why one must break away from work once in a while even if seems impossible. A short walk break in the home itself can give you a fresh perspective on things and how to get things done, which is essential for clarity and mental fog .

2. Take up an art or hobby
No, we’re not going ask you to abandon work to visit a studio for a 30 minute art or decoupage session. All you have to do is some simple art strokes or sketching in between work to feel refreshed and relaxed!
Or dance around when no one’s looking to bring back peace of mind.

3. Read a book : Working on the computer , especially from home, can get very monotonous at times due to lack of social interaction. In that case, it’s always a good book from a great author is welcome!

4. Take up a touch therapy based activity : Post work Activities like gardening , clay , Pottery , makeup classes are so therapeutic and connects you to your souls essence and your true nature. It also boosts your happy hormones ! Once in a while , do take up whatever is therapeutic to you!

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