Raw. Real. Unfiltered. Daily blogs. Often, less than 100 words
You may be the popular kid. Or you may be not.
You may be the boss/teacher’s favourite. Or you may be not.
But there is something that could never be taken from you:
1. Hard work.
2. Beginner’s mindset.
3. Signing up to do the work that you could play politics on and get away with.
4. Taking responsibility.
5. Doing 1-4 even when it is difficult.
It’s not easy. That’s why totally worth it.
2. Party is a very very tiny slice of multiple multi-layered thing called life. Take care of your life and the party takes care of itself.
3. Do yourself a favour. And read more books and hang around less people who are hurt.
Today I met a team with whom I’ve been working on for quite some time now.
We met. Had a lot of fun. Clicked a lot more of pictures. And right now our IG is filled with pictures of the celebrations. (PS: You can check it out on @nishthagehija26 on IG if you read this within 24 hours of posting :D)
But that’s not the point. The point is, that real life happens outside of the social media. And that is a truth not to escape from.
Everything on the phone is a delusion, what you create in silence is what you will be created of. Everything else, will eventually fade away.
Today I share a true story of a heartbreak.
And if you resonate with the message, don’t forget to share! 🙂
When you speak your truth, you live an authentic life.
No one would understand it. No one.
But you will.
And that will be more than enough.
Had decided to not work today.
But opened up the laptop and did an hour of writing. Felt like bliss.
Up until last Diwali when I used to have a job I didn’t like, I never opened the laptop for the 5 days of Diwali. Now that isn’t the case, thankfully:)
This is what true love is 💖
Keep looking, and don’t settle.
– Steve Jobs
Have you heard Robert Frost’s poem: “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening?”
The last lines of the poem look like:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep…
A lot of your friends / foes (lol) would be using these lines.
This morning, as I was dealing with a challenge, a place where I particularly get best of my ideas. So, while writing a piece of content, here’s what I came up with:
The woods may not be lovely or dark or deep,
But you still have promises to keep (to yourself)
And nowhere to go (other than within) to have a peaceful sleep.
That’s scary. That’s hard. But standing for yourself is the best thing you could do to yourself, because how will you change the world if your own bones are fractured? How will you?
Last Friday, a founder and CEO of one of the groundbreaking startups in India approached me on LinkedIn. He wanted to speak to me for writing content for them.
When I responded to their DM to know more about the work, his first response was: “Thanks for the response,” and then we talked further.
Who does that in a mean world? Such a kind soul! He could write a social media post and get 100’s of writers in less than an hour, and still responding me with kindness? Wow!
So we spoke further and scheduled a meeting three days hence.
Almost two-and-a-half hours prior to the meeting, he sent me an email informing the meeting had to be inadvertently cancelled due to a family emergency. Not only that, he ensured to DM me on LinkedIn as well.
Of course, I understood and replied with an understanding and affirmative response.
That’s not the point. The point is he did not “need” to inform me before not showing up for a meeting, yet he informed me at two places – that too when it was a family emergency.
So so sooo fortunate to be working with such generous and kind folks. People who value the time and work of others just as theirs and not taking their art for granted are a priceless asset. Always.
Just that I got lucky, because the world doesn’t owe us anything. All the kindness and ease from clients like him is always a blessing to be bestowed upon. If you are one such kind soul reading this, thank you to you too! You rock <3 🙂
Be patient.
It is coming.
It is right there.
Just be patient and let yourself know that all you wanted is already with you.
All you have got to do is remember who you are, and then straighten your crown.
Also, it is very veryyyy easy to get lost in the approval or hate of others. Be neutral and let things happen as you don’t change.
There are different ways and functions of feeling lost.
You could be doing well financially.
You could be doing well in your relationships.
But, the relationship that you have with yourself, that one is a dangerous one.
That is what leads us to feeling lost.
There are differing ways to solve the problem. Start like this: Where is one hour where you could take control of your life?
Start with one hour in twenty four. Small part is chew-able, doable, and relatable.
It will make you more confident, powerful, and one day at a time – less lost. Isn’t that what we all are looking for?
May 2017.
We had gone for an official team retreat. Most of us were staying in Noida, and we had gone for a 2D 1N stay in a resort in Gurgaon. The team was packed in 3-4 cars, one of which was mine. I was prepared to listen to the female-driver jokes, because not getting affected by them had become a forte by then.
I remember we had halted at a place, and the male colleague got out of the back seat and came to the driving seat to me, and said he will drive. That was rude, however in a society that anyway screws female drivers, this was a normal meme material. I politely refused, stating that I love driving long distances, and I wanted to drive.
While I did get a “chance” to drive, why am I sharing this story with you today?
Because when we say we need equal rights for women, et al, we need to remember that most often women willingly give up their rights.
Having the awareness to respectfully refuse, is the Super Power we didn’t even know existed.
Stand for yourself, people! How will anyone help you out if you aren’t in a position to help yourself out?
The process must feel good.
Everything else, will follow.
What you have, someone is insecure about having.
What gives you pain, someone is researching that.
What you have, you had worked hard to get there.
Be grateful. And forget the fear.
Happiness is contagious.
And our habits are killer.
We go where we want to go in life, based on what we do and who we are.
So if you want better things in life, be a better human being. The infection is contagious.
1. Trust others. As much as you trust yourself. Even more.
2. Stop proving yourself. Everyone has a perspective filter.
3. Goodness is questioned. Still be good.
4. It will get better. Remember, trust yourself?
5. If no one is misunderstanding you, you aren’t breaking much ceilings.
1. You are doing your best. Stop beating yourself up.
2. You have a lot of power. You just need to check the leakage.
3. It takes a strong human being to always be looking for good. Be that tough human being.
4. Talk to yourself. Your need to scroll Instagram would vanish.
5. To walk your own path requires courage. It isn’t disrespectful of anyone, as long as you are not disrespecting them.
6. To stay silent in a throng of un-wise words is a measure of immense inner power.
7. To speak your truth even when your voice shakes is being powerful (again).
8. Standing for yourself isn’t selfish.
9. Being there to understand is a mark of an understanding human being.
10. It is very very easy to get caught up in the celebrity and blitz of the world, share the photographs of “your perfect world” and the new things you bought. If you do not use social media to generate this triviality in others nor to consume it yourself, you’re already ahead of the majority of the world.
Small reminders. Small life. Make your time worth it! 😇
With the mental health issues going to peak ten days back, I deliberately started taking extra care of myself.
Here’s what I realised:
Here’s what I have started doing now:
The journey is hard. Only if I label it so. Remember – creators of our experiences? Now I have unabashedly started living for my own happiness – without hurting others, however, not allowing anyone to enter that bubble and burst it.
The vibe never lies.
Your soul shouldn’t be exchanged even in lieu of diamonds.
In the past two weeks, I said no to two writing gigs that could have made me six figures.
And since the money involved is too big, first response is to ignore everything and jump on it.
However, in both those cases, I realized I wouldn’t be happy or be myself – I would be just putting a price tag on my soul. And that is the last thing I signed up for.
Thus, I said no. Without surprise, felt light and easy beyond measure.
The best Content Writer is also a contented writer – who is feeling contented with every business relationship they have.
That doesn’t mean not having more gigs. However, that does mean feeling happy while doing the work – and trusting yourself, that when you say no when the vibe doesn’t match, much better ones with better vibes come to you.
Standing for yourself is priceless.
As a kid, we used to go to my Naani’s home to witness Ravan being slayed.
Over a period of time as we grew up, Nana passed away and Naani got older, the tradition stopped.
This time, when there is no Dushehra mela, it reminds of something deeper: that some day there will be nothing more.
And it won’t be sad. It would rather be a reminder of how much inner evils we need to uproot. Because if we have uprooted all of them, we’d be happy by default.
Either you do something good or bad, there will be people questioning you.
Just make sure you don’t question yourself.
That doesn’t mean not making the mistakes, it rather means not owning your life.
Own your life.
Don’t question yourself at the end of it that why you gave up.