Browse Category: Leadership

Did you find your Ikigai?

Seeking your ‘Ikigai’

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Credit : Harriet Green ( Linkedin)

Uncertainty is jarring. It stops you from following your dreams. It leaves you with no courage to walk the road you have always wanted to explore. And worst of all, it leaves you helpless and subjective to circumstances. Gradually, you start making up for inner peace by finding comfort in the cozy materialistic life you have weaved. But when your soul is suffocating; how much do you think you can hold up?

In my brief discussion with Suruchi Shah a life coach and entrepreneur, we explored various emotional and mental hurdles a person encounters during their self-discovering journey. One thing that inspired me to my core was the role of ‘Ikigai’ – the Japanese philosophy in transforming Suruchi’s and thousand others’ life.

Eager to learn, and share the knowledge what I found out, I dedicate this blog to ikigai and its role in achieving our goals. But, before we go further, do catch my exclusive interview with Suruchi Shah on my Instagram page. Needless to say, it will help you gather the courage to take the first step towards your dreams and how to mentally support yourself throughout your journey. 

Ikigai for finding your passion

What is life like when you are not following your dreams? Probably mundane, unfulfilling. Each day waking up to an ear-piercing alarm clock you want to smash on the ground, peering through beady eyes and cursing the day ahead, how do you propose to change your situation. Why do we inflict so much pain on ourselves? Just because of fear of failure. It is downright sadistic.

It is our moral duty to keep ourselves happy. Work towards finding a reason to get out of the bed. And do one thing each day that makes you happy. At the end of the day, you would be able to answer your soul that you have done something that is taking you towards serenity. 

Ikigai is nothing but finding that very reason. This Japanese art of living was formulated to help people find balance within themselves, connect with others and the world. It opens up huge possibilities for personal development. Ikigai emphasis on starting each day with positive thoughts. Switching between moments to chid away anything negative that stands between you and your ultimate goal. Simply put, it is not about how you finish your day; it is about a positive start. 

Ikigai for finding courage within

Positive thoughts have a huge impact on our lives. They help you in creating a good mood and generate happiness for yourself and others. Each day when you wake up, no matter how cranky you feel force a good mood on yourself purposefully. It will motivate your body to work towards your dream the whole day and keep discouragement at bay.

It promotes focus. It will channel your energy, and allow you to take control of your mind and body to work harmoniously for what satisfies your soul. Happiness attracts happiness and sadness attracts sadness. A blissful life requires you to ignore the ruckus around you and enjoy the beauty of your goals.

Ask yourself, why are you in this world? What is the reason for being? What makes sense to you the most? Do you want to have a carefree life? or do you dream of becoming financially strong?

Find what makes you happy, what satisfies your soul. And don’t be afraid to set goals too high or too low. Just set an objective for being in this world and channel happiness and your efforts in reaching it. And your reason of being shall bestow energy, skills, ideas and ability to use them productively.

Ikigai for respecting your individuality

Right from the day we are born to the day we leave this world; we make connections with people. We engage with them to create emotional and physical bonds and in this course, we expect them to be understanding.

But mostly they are not. And you can’t blame them. Because nobody else is witnessing the battle going between your mind and soul. It is you alone who is going through the misery and know how disturbing it is. With this we come to two conclusions. One, respect people even when they are unable to understand you. And secondly, you don’t need their confirmation to get off that misery boat.

Ikigai encourages you to come of use to the world. It believes you have a special role in the community to play and you can create a positive impact. And, you can make a big difference in the society, just by helping yourself. Nature never gives birth to anything that is useless. The world needs you to realise your potential and work hard to reach your goals so that you can add to the greater good.

Ikigai doesn’t want you to think about yourself or have an opinion or belief about yourself. But it stresses you to find what you think about yourself in heart, body and mind. This alone unleashes infinite opportunities. Self-acknowledgement further protects you from making false assumptions about yourself and the world. It teaches you to respect difference in opinions and thoughts, meanwhile also respecting your own individuality.

Practicing Ikigai

Now that we have talked in length about what is ikigai, what does it require you to do, how does it help you in your entire life, here is how you can start practicing it.

Find what you love to do

It need not be your childhood dream, and it need not be something very realistic. It can be vague and you can redirect yourself later to change your goals again. Start by finding what do you love to do?

Scale it to a professional level

Do you see yourself enjoying what you love to do for a long time? What can you do to add value to it? How can you scale your present skills and abilities to reach pro level? Find answers to these questions.

Convert your passion into vocation

Financial uncertainties stop people from following their passion the most. For that, once you have found your passion, try to find vocation opportunities for your passion.

Add to the greater good

In the end it is all about how you can add value to yourself and to others. Most the time people leave this fourth leg of ikigai and fail miserably. It is very important that whatever you are doing should add value to not just yourself but to others too. Make it a mission. In the end ikigai is not just a personal development tool but a global philosophy.

Write us!

Thanks for staying till the end. I hope you loved to learn about Ikigai. Tell us if you knew about Ikigai already, or you have been practicing it. You can also share your experience and how it changed your outlook towards life and made you more positive in the comments below.

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“When we recognize our warrior self, we can exhibit strength without sacrificing tenderness.” ~ Madison Taylor When we feel called to explore the way of the warrior, we may feel a strong sense of dismay because we have no wish to disavow ourselves of our softer side. Yet embracing the warrior spirit is not a matter of denying gentleness or compassion–all human beings embody all traits to some degree, and seemingly contradictory aspects can coexist peacefully within us. We can exhibit strength without sacrificing tenderness precisely because both are elements of the self and both have a role to play in the complexity of existence. When we feel called to explore the way of the warrior, we may feel a strong sense of dismay because we have no wish to disavow ourselves of our softer side. Yet embracing the warrior spirit is not a matter of denying gentleness or compassion–all human beings embody all traits to some degree, and seemingly contradictory aspects can coexist peacefully within us. We can exhibit strength without sacrificing tenderness precisely because both are elements of the self and both have a role to play in the complexity of existence. We are in conversation with Suruchi Shah on her journey towards choosing to tap into her inner warrior to follow her dreams and passion with determination , go getter attitude and how she made her career transition into life coaching , Art therapist and a life skills trainer and counselor ! You can watch the recording here! We will be bringing more perspectives soon! #warriorsofchange #changecatalysts #changemakers #changinglives #transforminglives #createlife that you want #designyourlife #plan #setgoals #action

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Bracing the journey of life through courage and grit

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” ~ Willie Nelson.

Life is like a rollercoaster; it has all the highs and lows. One minute you are at the top of the world and a few minutes later you are entering a scary, dark cave. In these grave moments, we must remember – this too shall pass. 

In my conversation with Sujatha Keni, I got a chance to witness some of her challenges when 30 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer. Braving her rocky road with hope, courage, and positive thinking she is a turned leaf with more energy and life than ever before. So, without further ado, let’s start our bracing journey of learning how we can win any battle of life with positive thinking. Also, please visit my Instagram page to find my exclusive interview with Mrs.Sujatha Keni, and do like comment and share. 

When light ceases to exist it’s time we light the lamp of hope

We humans have to make rigorous efforts to stimulate positive thoughts. Meanwhile, negative thoughts mostly come uninvited. The fear of difficulties, failures, and disasters can easily grip us to an extent where, no matter how much we try it feels nothing would change in the next lag of life – gloomy, sad and hopeless. 

But why is that? How difficult it can be for our brain to continuously signal positive thoughts? If we go by science, it has a lot to do with the education and environment we are living in. A happy and positive environment is not just necessary for a child’s development but also, it makes a deep impact on the way he or she is going to react to difficult situations. In short, the practice of stimulating positive thinking starts from the very beginning. 

We see through our eyes, but view the world with our mental attitude. Mental health and wellbeing play an important role in giving the “positive filter” to even the most difficult situations. Just is like wearing dark shades, our ambitions, and our circumstances appear dark. Your surrounding and outlook towards life become dark. Replace those dark shades with the rosy ones and see the change.  

How to inculcate the habit of positive thinking?

– Try to look at things positively:

The law of attraction tells us how positive and negative thoughts bring out positive and negative experiences in our life. All across the world people have practiced it, experienced it, and have made positive thinking a crucial part of their life. For changing your life, you need to protect your will the most to overcome your bad situation. It helps you to plan your way out or gives you hope for the good yet to come. 

– Expecting Positive Results: 

When nothing seems right, you must realize and remember your long-term goals. Life is never the same all the time. If there is are dark alleys, it will also give you a chance to walk through beautiful gardens. Hope for positive results that are yet to come. Most of all if you are turning blind towards anything good, you might not even spot an opportunity that could change your life overnight. 

– Don’t give up on your dreams: 

The bad experiences in our lives come to teach us something. If something bad has happened to you automatically you become more cautious about your surrounding and for sure, you will be able to easily spot potholes in the path ahead. But, unlike the first time, you need to keep moving forward with more confidence and energy to struggle for survival. Use your past experiences to fight things strategically.  

Small things to practice each day to overcome negative thinking

Here are a few steps that will help you take over negative thinking. Here are a few tips that can help you avoid negative thinking: 

  1. Every time a negative thought comes in your mind, replace it with a positive one. 
  2. Imagine yourself succeeding whenever you catch yourself visualizing failure. 
  3. Start using more positive words in your conversation, avoid negative words as much as possible.
  4. Speak to yourself, and encourage yourself with powerful words such as “I can”. It will help you boost your self-esteem and give you the courage to experiment with new opportunities. 
  5. Never let the negative words and phrases go on look in your mind. Switch to positive ones. You will soon feel more alert and forthcoming towards making attempts to change your situation. 
  6. Give yourself some break from negativity and don’t be too harsh on yourself. Slowly make your way to a positive attitude.
  7. Sit calmly and decide that from today from this particular moment you will leave the negativity behind and start a new phase – a positive phase of life.

 Surrendering to divine

When something goes out of control and things don’t seem to make much sense resort to god and believe whatever happens it is your destiny and a test that you must pass. Search the divine in yourself. It will work as soup to your soul and will nourish you throughout your journey.

Along with hope and positive thinking, these were some tips that will help you in stopping the train of negative thoughts. Also, positive thinking needs positive actions to translate into change. It is a habit of mind and a very strong way to transform your life.  

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCJUKaXF9U-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

When Executive Coaches meet coaches from Sports field !

Leadership lessons can be learn from any sports field – especially cricket! 

As an Executive Coach what I learnt from Rahul’s leadership and what are some of the successful attributes of a leader .We pick the attributes of whom we relate and connect to. There’s always something to learn or unlearn.

Rahul Dravid (Leader , Cricketer , former captain ) and myself on the right

This wisdom comes from a learning circle group run by Anil Santhapuri where we triggered some beautiful conversations around coaching and sports and there was an avalanche of pictures and memories shared by the group members ! 

These are some of the cherished autographs in life 😊

Did you know I used to be the vice captain of girls cricket in Godrej Hillside Staff quarters colony ? This was way back in 1980’s.When girls cricket wasn’t that popular yet.

I learnt to play cricket naturally and we used to play weekend matches and celebrate those winning . Moments as a group of teenagers back then ! We were a strong set of players!

It used to be Godrej Boyce v/s Soaps girls cricket matches and very competitive and gripping moments for audiences 🙂

We can learn a lot of lessons in life and at work from cricket !

Later in life , I bumped into several cricket players and it was a chance of opportunity and luck coming together!

Feels blessed and my heart is pouring with gratitude 💕💕 for these moments with Rahul Dravid!

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If you are wondering whose autograph this is – none other than the legendary captain and leader commonly known as “The Wall “ – Rahul Dravid.

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But why did I bring this up today as an executive coach ?

Because as an Executive and Life wellness coach , I look back and admire some of the traits these people have in them.

I always ask myself what is it that I can learn even without interacting with them? They have seen failures , leadership , success , fame and money , disappointments , regrets !

Does life spare them because they are celebrities ?! No way !

But their achievements and performance and results was evidence as it reflected their “true” potential .

Just having Potential won’t be sufficient. When “Potentiality” meets action that often leads to Results & outcomes for oneself and for the society,then self actualization is attained”

Ranjini Rao

The one who knows to handle it all and be humble and grounded are the ones I admire !

So thank you Rahul Dravid for “being” you !

What did you learn from your role model in sports or any other field ?

  • Humility 
  • Grit 
  • Courage 
  • Authenticity 
  • Silence is powerful ( while interacting with him on video shoots for IBM software group events .) I even remember prompting him to retake a video because he didn’t say “I’ll be there at Software Universe , see you there!” I made him do it again and he willingly agreed . 😁
  • Never display arrogance 
  • Prove your worth in your game on the field and improve the performance of the players and team’s excellence 
  • Focus your energies and frustration to drive excellence not tangled into Politics,Power and Authority

But I also acknowledge that I was true to my role as a digital marketing presence leader for getting the best out of what was required for audiences to relate to Dravid!

The Best version of Yourself is built this way! Being better than you were before ! 

Ranjini Rao

What do you learn from Sportsmen/women and what is the one trait or attribute you like about them?

Type here 👇👇👇

PS :I also have a business card with his autograph taken in the flight and a priceless pic with him at #theRenaissance Powai #celebrity encounters 

Bringing a Balance between happiness and reaching upto your Rainbow and big goals!

Dreams do come true !

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Your happiness hinges on maintaining a delicate balance between


1- Doing the Tasks and routine work : These could be your daily tasks and routine work like going to work , cooking,cleaning up the kitchen,doing your yard , school work , profession and shopping etc. This comes under the daily habits and doing part in life
2- Having the things you enjoy in your life : These could be physical , intellectual , virtues as assets you enjoy in your life like car, home,stereo system,stationery,piano,casio, pair of designer watches,designer shoes.Intangible assets like feeling fearless, peace of mind , happiness,joy , enjoying a calm mind and relaxed body.
3- Being content and enjoying your experiences from all that you do and have : Being means having a sense of wellbeing in your aura.Your aura is pleasant and you are comfortable in your own skin.You often sense you are in absolute harmony with the Universe and you enjoy solitude and quietness.You also enjoy an element of playfulness and curiosity to keep your inner child’s spirit kindled & ignited.You experience Serendipity,and feel you are in the right place , in the right time.

When these aspects of your life are in tune with each other then your life feels right !

How Do you feel about your life right now?

How do you achieve balance between personal development , money , Heath & Fitness, career and spirituality ?

Do you feel exhausted or overwhelmed with your life situation ?

If you are resonating with this, then I exactly know what’s going on ! I was like this !

Everything magically fitted into place when I asked for help from the universe on my goals !

Now I look back I could achieve almost everything I had aimed for !

Miracles do happen when all the life forces come together as one !

Coach with us ! Leave us your comment and thank you for being here !

How to Design your Life’s blueprint ?

Are you aware that Sir Martin Luther King Jr. had coined a concept called “Design your Life’s Blueprint?”

If not, then read on ….

I stumbled upon this amazing video by Sir Martin Luther King Jr. who talked about several years back on how to design your life’s blueprint.

Why this resonates so much with me as in 2015 , I was inspired to start a coaching model / framework based on IBM’s Design Thinking framework –

“Envision to Execute” . It was about Business design blueprinting ( first in the mind and then bringing it out into the external world.)

From there my journey began to search for life’s meaning , purpose and significance.

The more I would get stuck in a concept or step , the more I would struggle to wriggle out of the stuckness and move forward- because I wouldn’t settle for anything less- my goals were larger than my life back then.

The initiative became a reality when I started testing the coaching framework with a few women at home and then extended it to corporate women and then slowly and steadily started offering it for a small fee.

It became more and more evident that the model was working and it was improving every time I interacted with new clients – they would teach me how to enhance their experience.

This way “Unlock the Blueprint of your Life’s design” from a concept that was conceived by the mind became true in my consciousness and reality -with sheer hard work and determination and that one single pointedness focus to bring it out from vision to execution. I also incorporated “The Secret” process of ASK-BELIEVE-RECEIVE and concepts from NLP.

From the Book : “The Power”

“This is the most important and crucial period of your lives, for what you do now and what you decide now at this age may well determine which way your life shall go. The question is, whether you have a proper, a solid, and a sound blueprint. I want to suggest some of the things that should be in your life’s blueprint. Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”

“Secondly, in your life’s blueprint, you must have as a basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days and the years unfold what you will do in life, what your life’s work will be. Once you discover what it will be, set out to do it and to do it well. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be the sun, be a star, for it isn’t by size that you win or you fail, be the best of whatever you are.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Here is the Speech delivered by him

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1294330473977473

And then the process of ASK – BELIEVE – RECEIVE makes your DREAMS a REALITY.

So to summarise the Blueprint of your Life’s design starts from

“IMAGINE – ASK – BELIEVE – MASSIVE ACTION – RECEIVE !!”

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Dreams do come true !

“When you work simply for yourself or for your own personal gain your mind will seldom rise above the limitations of the undeveloped personal life; but when you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project,all your thoughts break bounds; your mind transcends limitations; your consciousness expands in every direction;and you find yourself in a new world, a great world, a wonderful world; dormant powers, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a larger man by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
— Christian D. Larson, Business Psychology, 1912

When I wanted to write a book – I had no clue how I would do it.However the universe conspired to make it happen by hook or crook.I had my own notions on how my book should look and have. The universe made it happen for me or I made it happen in another way. The Blueprint of my life’s design was to become an author , an entrepreneur , artist , contributor towards development of humanity , so many other dreams for myself and my family. The book transpired into something I had never expected – Art combined with journaling and colouring aspects.

Here i present you my video on how I found my author expression and now it can help many other lives discover themselves and their inner strengths through mandalas and journaling.What more the designs are aligned to chakras – Chakras are energy portals or vortexes of consciousness.Its neither inside the body but placed like a hologram in front of the body and back ..Each center has significance and characteristics which I can touch upon in the next blog.

But in the book, I have taken a seeker through a journey into 7 chakras through chakra mandala designs with space for journaling . Many women who have purchased this book have found it interesting and have responded positively -that it has helped discover their own potential or patterns / beliefs.

I am appending the promotional video of my book and the links to purchase it from Amazon

Amazon (India) https://amzn.to/2ZJRWZk

Amazon (US) https://amzn.to/2VNdkeM

In this very first volume in my Coloring Books for Adults & Teens, I have gathered together a range of chakra mandala patterns combined with color and psychotherapy to unlock the stuck energy in one’s cellular structure and DNA.These designs are aligned to the seven chakras. (Subtle energy systems)

Who is this book for?

For Teens and Adults.Ideal for self-discovery,art journalling,self-healing,self expression,improving confidence,stress management,relaxation,calming the mind. Questions are designed to help people in understanding their natural gifts and hidden talents & potential in career and life. Also those working with people with special needs,chronic illness health conditions,Art therapists,Holistic healers,all types of Counsellors ,Life Coaches.

Do let me know what you feel after you purchased the book?

Bringing Mindfulness into corporate Trainings

As a Mindfulness through Arts , Design thinking for Businesses and Corporate leadership development facilitator -how many have witnessed many employees come to training sessions with too much on their minds to actually pay attention?

Own Photography – Taj Ooty

In order to help them focus and learn, try bringing mindfulness into the classroom.
I have personally seen the effectiveness of art or awareness based techniques.

Some useful tips from HBR :
1-Create a good learning environment. for eg Open spaces are optimal for learning

2- Stay Focussed
for eg Ask the participants to turn off their devices and then take a few minutes for everyone to practice mindfulness.

3- Breath awareness
For eg : Have people sit still, relax their bodies, focus on their breath, and let go of whatever is on their minds.

4-Mindfulness during Breaks
For eg Ask everyone to stay mindful during breaks.

5-Mindfulness in action
for eg : Rather than checking on work, they could take a walk, reflect, or write in a journal.

Adapted from “How to Get People to Pay Attention During Corporate Trainings,” by Jacqueline Carter et al.

HBR tip of the day !

Life Wellness Hacks for Entrepreneurs : Time to unlock yourself of fears!

In the wake of bouncing back or getting back to the workplace ,during the unlock phase of COVID-19 , it’s a new norm but business as usual. It’s Important to bear in mind a few things:

1- continue to wear the mask , keep the sanitiser handy and avoid crowds or touching any surfaces that used by many people.

2- continue to eat healthy food or home cooked food for some more time . Workout regularly and avoid junk food ! Build your immunity by thinking positive and be strong !!

Let’s keep the conversation on!

#weareinthistogether#becompassionate#bebrave#newnorm#covid19#healtheworld#BetterTogether#SupportingEachOther#EntreprenialWomen#WomenSupportingWomen#ToTheWomen#Unlockphasecovid19@ranjinir

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  • Twitter: @iampositive2k / @raoranji

Inner Preneur v.s Entrepreneur mindset

Are you geared with your “Inner-preneur mindset & skill-sets” before you become an “Entrepreneur” !

Meditation for an IOT Analytics startup – Inner Engineering or Inner-Preneur

So many engineers and Software product / service led entrepreneurs undertake e-learning courses and certifications for building humanised robots & cool apps & develop software.I realised if you want to build for humans then understand the human psyche and energy psychology. #Spiritual Technology is the art of seeding the ‘energy in the mind’ before you set out to design or code anything in the external world. 

“Begin with the end in the mind” – 7 Habits of Highly Effective people

During 4 years of my entrepreneurial journey,I have been able to accomplish at least a dozen energy psychology related and holistic wellness & 21st Century aligned skills certifications than I had ever imagined in my life ! 

The biggest lesson learnt so far is to Get your ‘inner’ emotional issues and mental strength and resilience working as an ally for you , before you get out there and be the change in the world! Time to upgrade your minds software & install new Program codes!

Expressions and reflections from a participant of Virtual Mandala workshop

Mandalas also help in re engineering the mindsets and change the code of your DNA software ! Talk to me today to explore this further!