Tag: Being Authentic

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5 Life transforming Quotes

Sharing with all of you another set of powerful quotes that helped me sail through life and transformed the way I look at life. The words are few but the impact they had on me was life transforming. So here are some powerful insights that will shake up your life.“Why do you stay in prison when the door is wide open?”~ Rumi

We always see this world as restrictive, always finding ourselves being stopped and suppressed by this world and what we do is putting the blame on poverty,unemployment and what not . We think that world is stopping us but most of us don’t think that it is we stopping ourselves” I cant do that”, ” That’s not possible for me”, ” How can I do it?”, does’nt all this sounds familiar. The reality is that we are afraid of the vast possibilities waiting for us out there and find comfort in something comfortable. Whatever we wish to do, if we start for it today , if we dare to think about it, dare to live in it, there is nothing we cant achieve. So, stop being afraid of your dreams. Every person is capable of everything. Don’t let your mind blur your vision of life.

“I Stopped explaining myself when I realized people only understand from their level of perception” We always keep explaining ourselves to others but we must know this that we wont be able to please everybody, however hard we may try, we wont be able to live upto anybody’s expectation, the only one we can please is ourselves. Everyone will see you from their eyes, their prejudices and their attitude. So, stop justifying your actions to others. I have heard people saying ” I could’nt sleep yesterday so I am sleeping now”, why I mean why do we need to justify everything that we do, cant we simply say that I want to sleep and that is why I am sleeping. So, stop explaining yourself to others but do what you feel like, even if you make a mistake, say sorry but don’t justify for we all are humans and evey time you make a mistake, you justify the divine plan which made us imperfect, so stop pleasing others, just be yourself because no one will ever see you as you see yourself.

The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive”¬ Jhumpa lahiri

It saddens me to see that so much life is wasted in trying to prove that we are perfect. The world never designed us for perfection. Yes we can always strive for it but in that process we must never lose the essence of being a human being. We are so full of light and darkness but all the time we try to prove that there is only light within us. Our rejecting the dark side which is very much a part of us is the leading cause of all unhappiness. Why cant we say that I did a mistake because I am human and why cant we get rid of those silly excuses that we make to show that we are epitome of perfection.

All creative heads were successful because they never strive to become ‘normal’, they never thought of themselves as the perfect person. As a famous man once said that without a tinge of madness, there can be no creativity. So, don’t try to become perfect because imperfection is the new perfection. ”You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens”¬ Rumi

Every relationship, every struggle and every pain in life has a purpose. Till the time we don’t understand the essence of pain, we wont be able to understand the nature of happiness. In our life we encounter love, hate, jealousy and all other emotions, our heart breaks so many times but just as diamond gets polished by rubbing it against stone. Similarly ,the more we are rubbed by life, the more pain we see, the more we know the worth of happiness. Heartbreaks and loss may jam us for a while but when the heart opens again, it opens much wider than before. So, be great full to all the dark events of your life because more than anything else, these dark moments made you seek true happiness, it made you seek life, it made you seek love more than anything else. Without tasting false love, we would never realize the true one! ”Don’t wait. The time will never be just right”¬ Mark Twain

We always keep waiting for that moment which would change our lives forever because we value one moment over other but what we forget is that all moments are same, each one capable of changing our lives in a second. I wanted to write a book but this dilemma did’nt spare me too, I was always searching for that one moment. It was not under that unusual light or divine guidance that I wrote but it was just a moment which I grabbed and that made all the difference. Time will always be same, each second going by is a chance to live your dream life. The only difference between those who succeed and those who not is that the former make every moment special and the latter leave all moments to search for the special. We must know that all these moments are just made for me.

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5 Life transforming Quotes

All of us are looking for the best philosophy which could transform our lives and lead us to the path of success and happiness. The philosophies are many but they are complex and hard to understand. To say a lot in few words is what creativity is all about. People who have tasted success know that in order to understand life, one must always return to the basic principles which govern this world. Our questions may vary in nature but whether we are seeking success or an astounding career or the perfect relationship, all we desire is a happy and fulfilling life. Today I would like to share with all of you these powerful quotes that helped me sail through life and transformed the way I look at life. The words are few but the impact they had on me was life transforming. So hold on to your seat belt because here comes some powerful insight that will shake up your life.“What you seek is seeking you”~ Rumi

We always think that what we desire to become is out of reach and feel fearful of following our dreams because we think that it is only we who have to find our way towards that desired job or relationship but very few of us know that when we identify ourselves with a job, we find us sharing something common with it and we imagine ourselves a part of it. Similarly, the desired job is also having a space which is just meant for us. What we know is that we are moving towards it but what we don’t know is that job or that relationship is moving towards us with the same speed because we complete each other .

I complete that job and the job completes me. So, we must never doubt our dreams and desires because it is not just us who are moving towards it. Remember the dialogue “Tum jis cheez ko shiddat se paana chahte ho, kayanaat usse tumse milane ki saajish krti hai” “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why?”~Mark Twain

We clearly remember the day we are born but the sad part is that we forget why? The moment we are born, the society throws us into a bind chaotic valley and all we know about ourselves at the end is that we were born on this day and died on other day.This is all we know about ourselves, we never question that why am I here? What is the part that I can play? Why the world needs me? It is not what we do but in what we put our life that matters. I remember a mystic saying that when a cricketer plays a shot, he just puts the ball in a specific direction, it may seem petty but imagine how he puts his entire life into that single ball and that’s what makes him a master of the game.No work is small or big, do whatever you do but put your life into it. Know what is needed or what you desire to do and just get involved into it and that day you will know why are you here. “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong”~ Yogi Rao Sahab

Creativity needs courage because it brings to life something which was’nt there before and what is new will never be understood so easily, people will doubt us, they may disapprove of our new ideas . Its not what people think of us but it is what we think of ourselves that determines our success, if we stop being creative just because it is not conforming to the society, then we can never make a unique space for ourselves. Michael Jackson is a legend not because he did what society wanted him to do but he did leave a mark because he never gave his way to fear and did what he wanted to do. He never judged his creativity, so he was never wrong.So, don’t judge your capability on the faulty scale of societal expectations. ”Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it is time to pause and reflect”¬Mark Twain

It is a trend to follow the common path because we feel secure but what we lose in the process is our uniqueness. All of us are irreplaceable because each one of us have a unique purpose whether big or small, if our purpose is unique so is our DNA and so are we then how is it possible that a bunch of people are doing the same thing again and again. So, the next time you find yourself doing something which many have done before, then try to reflect that is it the thing that you were really meant for you. In a world like ours where life has so much to offer, why pick the same cup again and again and if that is the thing you wish to do, then why do the same thing in the same way? “The only thing worse than being blind is to have sight and no vision”¬ Helen Keler

Those who are physically blind feel that they are restricted but those like us who have sight are no better because our sight is so limited that we are no better than blind. All we think about is what I need now, we never dare to go beyond our physical needs. I have seen people who are ready to bargain their talents with a glittery opportunity because it pays them well because all we think about is today. How many of us think that what it is that I want to be remembered for? How many of us see what others dont see about us? How many of us actually believe that we are as good as those who are successful? The reason why dreams appear unreal to us is because we are afraid of the distance between reality and vision and like scared children we just look at what is just present around us.

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‘AUTHENTICITY’ – The Skeleton Of Personal Branding

I would like to start this blog by asking you all to close your eyes and imagine the taste of ‘Pepsi’ and try to differentiate it from ‘Coca cola’, what do you feel? Both look alike but are they really same? Does it takes a lot of time for us to differentiate between the two? I don’t think so, it is just a matter of time! Now what we see is that two so similar looking brands differ so greatly that with just a sip of it, we know what is it! We with our strong perception of things are able to distinguish the more sweeter and less fizzy ‘Pepsi’ from the more tangy and fizzier ‘Coca cola’! This is because when we see an object, the moment we experience it, we associate it with certain features and this is how branding happens.

Branding as I have said before is not just limited to things alone but humans do fall under its clutches. Lets go in for another example, for instance, if I ask you to imagine MR Mahendra Singh Dhoni, what all comes to your mind? A calm, cool and an experienced young man with extraordinary genius and profound wisdom! Am I right? So, what did you do? You just branded the ex captain of team India. Just like MS Dhoni, we too are micro celebrities of our lives and we too are branded all the time.

Personal Branding is to actively and consciously associate yourself with certain qualities that precede your name and becomes ‘YOU’. Just like Business Branding, Personal Branding too fetches us some benefits like we are able to define ourselves which is the first step in building a strong personality and opens the gateway for opportunities and professional invites. The statement we make about ourselves enables us to find a unique place for us in the world of duplicates.

The only path to PERSONAL BRANDING is authenticity and uniqueness which are the fundamental basis of it and determine the quality of brand called YOU.

WHAT IS ‘ AUTHENTICITY’?

The word stands for being true to yourself. Authenticity is searching the real you beneath the heap of characteristics people throw at us freely, it is the mild boundary between what we know about ourselves and what the world wants us to know about ourselves. It is the distinction between what we wish to do and what world wants us to do! All the success stories across the globe shout that when we know ourselves, what we really are and what we intend to do, there is absolutely no force stronger than this that can make a person successful! The moment we decide to be our true self, we automatically come in sync with our unique self and we become one of a kind!

ACHIEVING ‘ AUTHENTICITY’ OFFLINE

Branding happens both in offline and online space. To become our authentic self is not an easy job as we are often affected by the world we live in but it is the only way to success if we wish to create a powerful brand. Here are a few tips which might help us in achieving authenticity in our offline space:

1 . Ask yourself what you really wished to do if there were no social obligations that now decide the course of your life

2 . Ask yourself what is your vision even if it sounds unrealistic

3 . Ask yourself what unique skills you possess

4 . If the skills you possess are not unique, ask yourself that how can you use them differently

5 . Form a philosophy for life and define your values and ideals and believe in them wholeheartedly

6 . Reflect your values in your action, behaviour and gestures

7 . Define your goal and try achieving it with values you have based your life on

8 . Form genuine relationships with people and maintain consistency

9 . Maintain consistency of behaviour, action and thought

10 . Keep your eyes firm on the destination but don’t question the various paths that lead to it, learn about each , change directions but not the destination

11 . Do the same thing but in your own unique way

12 . Do or say things which are needed

ACHIEVING ‘AUTHENTICITY’ ONLINE

When you are creating an authentic version of you, then you cannot afford to be two different people at two different times or in two different spaces, so its very necessary for us that our professional and personal life must reflect the same ‘YOU’. Authenticity on Social Media is when your profile wall reflects your life as closely as possible. Here are a few tips one can adopt to create an authentic image on social media:

1 . Use your authentic name, place and date of birth while making a profile

2 . Create a unique and authentic profile name which must be logical, short and in some way connected with your idea

3. Share your likes and dislikes openly and the movements or events you support

4 . Say things you actually believe in and support those things which you associate with and not just supporting it just because others did so

5 . Have an authentic profile picture

6. Have a say on things you have an expertise in! Also go for blogging or other form of expression like making videos and so on

7 . Be consistent in your expression and differentiate your work from others

8 . Improve your visibility by expressing your genuine and new ideas on platforms like LINKEDIn which provides ample of opportunities for us to grow

Whether it be online or offline branding, personal branding cannot be achieved without the framework of authenticity because authenticity brings us in sync with our unique mission and label us with immortal and perennial characteristics which are totally ours and no one shares with us. Our visions vary drastically and so are ideas and we. So the strategy used by one is not a sure path to success, if it suits one it doesnt mean that it might suit all. If our dreams are not alike then why should our actions be? If we are not alike then why should our ideas be? The only road that guarantee you success is the path of authenticity and also the most fundamental process when it comes to Personal Branding.

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Branding is in the air, beware!!

Personal Branding is everyone’s cup of tea and is not just about Actors or Politicians or Businessmen. It is more common than we think. You know what is the difference between a doctor and a patient? both have a fine body system, both pump blood but one takes a breath without being conscious of it and the other knows the process by heart. Now who is at the advantage? Or who can do self care? We all know the answer well, its the doctor! And now answer me that who will run for help in all directions? Yes, ofcourse, its the patient. That is exactly the difference between a person who is ignorant of Branding and a person who knows it well.
Branding happens with each one of us, some remain ignorant towards it while others are much aware of it and become masters of their lives. ‘Branding’ appears to be a commercial term and is like an iceberg, what appears on the surface appears light and superficial but it is deep as hell. I realised lately that ‘branding’ is not just a part of our life but is deep rooted phenomenon and comes out in each word that pours down from your mouth.

Lets take a drive towards ‘Astrology’, the moment we were born, do you remember we being handed over a character certificate by the universe which we call the ‘Janampatri’, just kidding! It makes our life so easy, all steps laid down for us, “at 3 you will walk, at 5 you will talk, at 7 you will dance and at 21 this and at 22 that.” Does it sounds familiar? Jokes apart, it is a valid, authentic and scientific piece of information which at the end of the day might fetch a husband or a wife for you! Are you with me on this? Now lets take a step back, just relax yourself and think about it, what exactly happened with you? The shocking truth is that universe just branded you! Oh my gosh, if universe is doing this to you then spare us guys, for we are just humans!

Lets spare ‘Personal Branding’ for a while because till the time we haven’t tasted branding, we can never understand the true essence of Personal Branding. A large number of us are alien to this process and we are dealing with it, each day and that too ignorantly. The moment we start talking about branding, people start coming up with things like “spare this talk for professionals for we are common people who have nothing to do with brand”  and they put a full stop before things actually begin. The truth is that Branding is shaping our destiny, every single day and we are nodding in ignorance!

When I started becoming conscious of ‘Branding’, I felt transformed and I realized how it was controlling my life up till now. My face, my choices and even my goals were branded by others! The other day I was talking about the increasing number of molestation cases against women and the high vulnerability of women in India, when suddenly out of no where, I heard these words “You are a feminist, don’t you see bad things happening with men out there”. The moment I heard this, I knew I was being branded, everyone would view me in the sane light because that day that girl was painting a false image of mine for other people to see, I sprung up and told her that I was just a common person with a fine sense of judgement who with help of stats could easily weigh the difference in abuse rate of men and women. I told her that I don’t have to be a feminist to see the difference that was obvious. You may wonder what this has to do with personal branding? Wait for a while and you will know what I am talking about. The moment I realized that I was being branded, I decided to refuse the tags which people were throwing at me passively and all of them were going unchecked. That day I decided that I will create my own tags for others to see! I wanted to put out my authentic self and from then, I took charge of my branding by becoming conscious of it and this is my friend, the very moment I met ‘Personal Branding’ face to face.

Branding can control your life to the extent of suffocation. Never underestimate its power. On the other hand, Personal Branding can transform your life in unexpected ways. The other day I was listening to a mystic who beautifully explained the science of Astrology which though authentic is a default map of our lives. It is just like those passive tags people throw at us. If we don’t change the system or put our own program into it, we would be governed by the planet system. The default branding of the universe will carry us throughout our lives. The idea is to take the drivers seat and since branding can never stop, so keep on being branded but doing it actively by throwing out what you wish to take in! If you are satisfied with the passive branding whose victim you already are, then your life will be in hands of people who brand you but the moment you take charge of your own personal branding, then you will make other people see what you want them to see! Don’t let branding control you, be the boss of your own life and make people see or hear what you wish them to see or hear!

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‘8’ fold path to Online Branding!

Social Media has brought about a paradigm shift in the way we see the world, however it faces more criticism than appreciation and negative connotations are attached to it. Many of us till date have not realised its true potential and we call it as waste of time or a pompous show of wealth and beauty. Do you really believe that a virtual thing is capable enough of creating such atmosphere or is it the actions of human which is bringing defame to it? The truth is that we have failed to tap the power of social media. When we talk of ‘ PERSONAL BRANDING’, there can be no better platform than social media. In my previous blog, I have dealt in length with the nature and functions of ‘Personal Branding’ and how it can be summarized in 3 key words, AUTHENTICITY (In Action, Words and Behaviour), UNIQUENESS and VISIBILITY (Both Online and Offline). The best place to start your branding is social media.

If we go back by 50 years from now, let us imagine a situation that there is a person who possess some unique skills but how will he promote himself? By running behind the successful connoisseurs of that field or being at the mercy of his fate? That was the only option at that time but now with social media firming its foot, with one click you can make yourself visible to the entire world.

Whether we love posting for fun or for something serious in nature, we are branding ourselves and people out there are branding us too! With social media, we are always visible to the world and our walls are always making a statement about our lives. In quest of visibility, some people tend to overdo things which create the opposite effect. Just like in our day to day lives, branding also happens online. The world that we occupy will first check our profile before engaging in a dialogue with us.

If Branding is always going to happen, then why not become conscious of what information we are projecting out there?The problem is that we all use social media but very few of us know the correct way of using it. In this blog I would like to provide the viewers with a handful of tips on branding ourselves on social media.

CREATING A PROFILE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The first step to brand ourselves online is by creating accounts on all social media sites like TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN etc. The more sites you are active on, more is your visibility and more is your exposure to the world. One must be well versed with the kind of social media site we are using, for instance, if we are using LinkedIn, it has its own way of expression where we usually share blogs on business strategies and the expression is more intellectual while if we are using Snapchat, then the expression becomes more personal and colloquial. Your profile can be used to promote both personal and professional ideas.

CREATING AN AUTHENTIC PROFILE NAME AND PICTURE

The next step is to create a profile name which must be unique and short but not pompous or vague, it must be easy to pronounce. The name must be close to your original name or it can be even your name or close to the idea you are promoting and must not be easily available specially in your area of expertise. Same must go for profile picture which first of all should be yours and not any fake image copied from Google. Your picture need not to be a formal one but can be casual but decent and your face must be clearly visible.

SHARING YOUR AUTHENTIC INFORMATION

While sharing your information, one must share authentic details including your date of birth, your qualifications, experiences and your personal likes and dislikes. For instance, while creating a profile on LinkedIn, we must give certain keywords like the area of our expertise, our accomplishments and if not then our aspirations and also our experiences which might inspire others.

SHARING IDEAS AND BLOGGING

We must select our area of expertise and must share new ideas on food or business strategies or even spirituality. Whatever we may share, it must be unique and not merely a repetition of what others have already said. We must differentiate our work from others and our ideas must not be contradictory. If possible, then we must take on weekly blogging as a regular intellectual exercise.

BLOGGING CONSISTENTLY

Social Media poses a lot of competition and if we are not consistent in our say then people wont follow us and we will be projected as a erratic person. It must be not like we are posting a dozen ideas in one day followed by a long absence. Also too much variety of thoughts also confuse the viewers, so we must go for limited but impactful ideas.

POSTING AUTHENTIC PHOTOGRAPHS

The pictures you post must be true to life and filter free. Unnecessary pouting must be avoided and one must keep pictures as natural as possible. However there is nothing wrong in knowing the science behind capturing captivating photographs but they must not be too pompous.

MAINTAINING GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS

Your friend list must include people who are genuinely connected to you in some way or who follow you diligently. Social Media is a scanner, it reflects your life better than anything else. The more consistent your relationships with friends and family, the more impact you create on others. Ofcourse you must form new relationships but there can be nothing more mesmerizing than the set of those special people always being present on your walls.

SHARING YOUR PERSONAL MOMENTS, BOTH GOOD AND BAD

Your profile becomes rich when your personal and professional life reflects you in the same way, for instance, Deepika Padukone not only shares her professional life but also also some moments from her personal life which makes the process so real and beautiful. She recently shared a video of her mother imitating some cousin of her. She is also proactive in sharing some sad moments of her life like how she fought against depression. The true essence of using social media is not to show how flawless your life is but also to share the dull moments and hardships of your life so that others can learn from it. Your profile walls say a lot about you, whatever you are sending out there is becoming you, you are making a powerful statement about your life. The next time you post something, then do remember that it is becoming you!

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Brand the life called ‘You’!!

When it comes to ‘Personal Branding’, all we talk about is making Branding a conscious and living process. It is creating our authentic self and finding that unique space in the world of copies. ‘Personal Branding‘ means that we get to decide how people must see us or what we hear about ourselves. It is the process of making others see what we wish to make them see about ourselves. But the only way one can tap this power is by nurturing Authenticity and Uniqueness. Now the question comes up that ‘Why’ is it important? and ‘How’ to go about it?

There are 4 Ws’ of Personal Branding which I would love to discuss one at a time.

Why go for Personal Branding?

You may be an artist or an ambitious entrepreneur but in a world so full of talented people out there, do you find yourself standing out in some aspect? The question is who knows you? Or, if they do know you then what is that they know about you? In most of the cases, we may be known to a group of friends or our next door neighbours or to the people of our colony we live in. Then think about it when no one knows anything about us, how are they going to approach us? People perceive us on the basis of information they receive about us from various sources. So, the only way to show yourself out there is to become visible. To gain success, your reputation must precede your name. These words like ‘Reputation’ or ‘Fame’ are nothing but the quality of information circulating about you!
If you aspire to become an entrepreneur, then till the time your ideas reach out to others, no one will spot you and we shall remain a wasted talent all our lives. Do you want this for yourself? No employer shall hire you without knowing about you. Not just this even for finding a suitable spouse today, one does a lot of research. Everything comes back to your visibility.
For instance, you are going on vacation to a new place and you have no idea about the place, its hotels or other tourist spots. So what will you do? Most of us go to the official webpage of that hotel and learn about its rating, the facilities available and the reviews and then you make a judgement. What they show you online, you believe it with all your heart. Am I right or am I not? This is exactly what we do. Branding in simple terms mean making a statement “This is who I am” , laying down a set of your characteristics and projecting it with conviction.

What to do?

To become a brand, there are two things that need to be taken care of, first we need to be Authentic and secondly we have to identify our Uniqueness.
Authenticity means that we are what we actually are. You cant be two different people when it comes to your professional or personal life. When you have no faces to hide and when you are yourself, you earn trust from people which is the basis of all personal and professional relationships. What is your reaction when you are fooled by the pictures of a beautiful hotel which in reality turns out to be a disaster! Do you find it pleasant? Of course not! Then if you are trying to show something which you are not, then sooner or later you will be caught. Authenticity can never be replaced.

I love Ranvir Singh for the reason that wherever you find him whether on a film screen or a social event or at his home, he is just the same and that’s what make him a great person. Authenticity empowers you because it means you are not afraid to be yourself. Your relationships, your words and even your pictures must be an extension of your personality and not something that you take from outside.
Uniqueness is another dimension that we need to work on. Most of us exist as photocopies. If a person is doing great in something, we blindly follow it without thinking for a second that do I as a person relate to it, is it my extension? Is it really me? I have seen people doing food blogging, if one starts, others follow. There is nothing wrong in it but where is the variety. Thousands of people going to the same place, posting the same kind of food and expecting attention. This is not how things will work. We need to pick just one thing but do it with all the passion that is inside of us. Not even one DNA matches another, then it is for sure that at our fundamental level, we all are unique. We can’t last long in this race of life till we have something which no one has! Write a blog, use the same ideas but do it in way that is only yours. If you promote business ideas, think out of the box, don’t just repeat what other person said. There is a possibility that initially you may not receive the desired appreciation but in the long run, you will win because you are not a copy.

Where?

Be active on Social Media
Its time now to remove the negative connotation from the word ‘Social Media’, I m not judging whether it is good or bad but all I know is that it is our current reality and if we use it to our advantage, then there is nothing better than that. Go for Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or say even Snapchat. There is nothing wrong in it . Say something which you relate to say for instance, fashion, business or anything. Your say counts! What you say becomes ‘You’, so be cautious of what you say. Write a blog or share a picture that you associate with. Never forget you are branding yourself, your words are becoming you! Make a profile, choose a name which is unique and get started right away.

What to write and When to write?

Sometimes on Facebook or Instagram we do get these friend requests with weird names which we often reject. So the next important thing is that we need to create a profile with a unique name which is not shared by anyone, so that when people search you, there must be less number of people competing with you. The name of your profile must be attractive and easy to pronounce.
After making a profile, you need to decide an area of your expertise or even for your personal life, the pictures you select must have some meaning for you. The relationships you form must be genuine. Consistent relationships which decorate your profile walls attract people and make you a loyal and trustworthy person.

Whatever you post must have relevance to you irrespective of what the world demands. Whatever you write or say must be consistent with your daily actions and you must regularize your writing or blogging and must be done on weekly or monthly basis which is even true for your personal life. There are people out there whose personality gets reflected with a single post, one day you get a subliminal post on spirituality and the other day they come with some practical and materialistic tips. Are we trying to fool ourselves or others? What we are doing is purely contradicting ourselves, if you are spiritual then you have nothing to do with the practality of life! That’s the only rule! I am not saying that being practical is something bad but if you just accept it and don’t go on contradicting yourself on social media. That wall is a scanner, if you are not authentic, your name won’t last long!

Offline Branding

Branding is not to be limited to Social Media but it must be an integral part of our existence. We say we are creating our authentic self which means that what we are online we must be offline as well. So what we say or do in our personal lives is very much a part of personal branding. For instance you are in a party, surrounded by people of all kinds who have little or no information about you, so in order to create a unique space for yourself where people remember you in a certain desired way when they leave the party, you need to adopt principles of personal branding like you must be the same person in front of all people out there, you must say things which really matter to you and are consistent with your own life, you must know well the direction you are heading in and you must have impressive communication skills and just by being your true self, you will attract people who admire you and you shall show them what you want to make them see. Everything you say or do in real life, the relationships you hold and your unique personality is exactly what you need to pay attention to in order to create the brand called you. Here too you need to focus on two things, your authentic personality, authentic relationships and authentic style of living and also nurturing your uniqueness as a person.
Making yourself a brand is not something bad but it means that you are the driver of your own life. Somehow life will always brand you but the moment you decide for yourself what you wish to make others see what they want to see in you or hear what you wish to hear about yourself, then you become your destiny!

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Powerful mantra, To path of Immortal Fame!!!

Why it happens that only few of us are able to leave a never dying imprint while others go unnoticed ? Why only some flowers receive our attention while others bloom and die in silence? Why only few of us are celebrated while others ignored? Are such people different from us. Names like ‘Albert Einstein’ resounds till today, their glory never fade. Let’s take our celebrities like ‘Sachin Tendulkar’, ‘Amitabh Bachhan‘, ‘Lata Mangeshkar’ or even ‘Michael Jackson’, what led to their immortal fame ? Whether you are a businessman or a celebrity, fame is not an easy thing to attain. People have always misunderstood the term ‘Fame’, for they think of it as thousands of people running after them but fame is something which goes much beyond time and space. Fame in real essence is to create a unique space for yourself which is yours forever.. It is not transient. Just because we interpreted the term in a wrong way, the fame we obtain is temporary and is always prone to decay.

Today I will share with you a mantra which will, if followed, will undoubtedly provide us an immortality of fame. These 8 beads of mantras is the key to perpetual fame and success. If you ever wish to be like one of them, then what you are looking for is right here. These 8 aspects of your life can give you immortality of fame. If you ever wish to know what great people do, then just scroll down because here lies the mantra for absolute victory.

1 . Have a Vision

People who enjoy perennial fame are those who have a vision. Vision is not a ‘Plan’. Plans are short lived, they may go well or not depending upon what universe has planned for us but vision is something which is the purpose of your life. In order to attain a unique space, you need to create a unique colour and for that we need a vision. Vision is a long term dream which at first seems impossible and people might doubt you but believe in yourself. Recently, the relativity theory of Albert Einstein got proven after so many years of his existence. A man who laid a theory which had no physical evidence received his honour this year when the first picture of black hole was captured. At one time he was criticized but today everyone believes in him. What he thought was not relevant at that time but today it does.

2 . Change Strategies but not purpose

Life will not go in the way you decide it to go. It will change your direction again and again but whichever direction you take, you must reach the desired spot. Your destination must not change even if the direction changes. Our honourable prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi started his career as a tea seller, he switched professions but his strong sense of purpose made him reach the best place.

3 . Have a higher purpose

A few days back I was going through a famous business story which states that in business world, the most successful people are those who rate purpose over profit. Sublimity in purpose is a must in creating a unique space for us. If our purpose is to attain a lot of money or attention, then the kind of fame we will get will also be materialistic and is bound to decay. Whether in business or any other walk of life, our purpose must be of higher order which serves humanity in some way or is contributing to the world in some way. Mother Teresa attained an immortal fame because her purpose was sublime and was not limited to physical achievements.

4 . Have a Vein for Creativity

As I already said that in order to make a never diminishing imprint in heart of others, you have to create an image which has no copy, which is unique and only yours. It is not a photocopy. We must tap our creative power and nurture our creativity. Rajnikant created an immortal space in history of Indian Cinema not because he was an extraordinary human but because he nurtured his creativity. Acting was not a part of his life but his breath. He lived his creativity and that made the difference. We love Michael Jackson not because he was an exceptional dancer but because he created dance. There will be no other like him because the space he created for himself is unique. He added a shade to the world of dance.

5 . Value Relationships

Our family is the basic unit of existence in society, it is the base of all social interactions, if one is not able to establish a profound relationship with them, we won’t be able to establish any professional relationship ever. So, in order to become a man of substance, it is vital that we must prioritize our family. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are often seen spending quality time with their daughters. Virat Kohli is not only an excellent cricketer but a caring husband too. Mahatma Gandhi had stopped eating salt for his wife. Beautiful relationship with family manifests in our professional lives as well.

6 .Self Care

In order to provide fuel to others, your own tank must be filled completely. To become successful in life, it is vital that we must give ourselves the ‘Me Time’. When we introspect, take proper rest, take refreshing trips or just back off from all the work for a day or two. Detaching ourselves from our work freshens us up and refresh our motivation. Self care also include working out on daily basis, talking to a psychologist occasionally, nurturing our talents etc. Madhuri Dixit often takes out time for her dancing in spite of being a well established actress. Give yourself a break!!

7 . Competence and self discipline

Competence is the ability to learn new things which broadens our horizon, adds depth to our personality and improve our language disciplines. Also, self discipline is the art of control where we challenge ourselves on a daily basis. With self discipline, we become our best competitor. Sharukh Khan loves reading on a daily basis and Akshay Kumar has a habit of getting up by 5 in the morning .

8 . Growing spiritually and changing poison into medicine

We all are spiritual beings and our soul is the constant source of energy. So to replenish our inner being, one must put faith in divine power because when we are one with the spirit, we are never out of fuel, we can never be defeated. It makes us grounded and fearless.

It is truly said that. ‘If a thing does’nt kill you, it makes you stronger’. So the more number of challenges you face, the more brightly your life would shine. Difficulties are to carve you in a shape you desire to be in, so whatever poison you may encounter in your life, consume it like a medicine. Every hurt you face in life comes with a lesson, forget the pain, learn the lesson and move on. One day all of those poisons shall transform into a healing medicine and all those broken lines will join together to make a beautiful curve of success. The perspective you hold when you encounter a difficulty makes all the difference.

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Uncolour

We all must have heard people telling their children “Don’t drink too much tea” or “Don’t go out in the sun“. Parents say this not because they are protective of their child’s skin but because they are afraid of the skin colour getting darker. Even the celebrities are openly endorsing ‘Fairness’ creams. Just imagine what will happen one day if a commercial pops up ‘Change your eyes from black to purple or black to blue’. You may call it absurdity but that is what we are doing. Its time for reality check, We don’t change our eyes because of a certain colour because they cant be changed and if one has a certain shade of eyes, do we make fun of it? Then what happens when it comes to skin colour? Absurdity is that we occupy a world where we are measured in terms of complexion! We have segregated people like genres into ‘blacks’, ‘whites’ and what not!

One day I was having a chat with my niece who enlightened me that in her school it was even better because they had 3 incredible categories, ‘Black”, ‘White’ and ‘Brown’. Such novelty is commendable! Just imagine a 8 year old life living with such core stereotypes, Being bullied at school and looked down upon because of her colour.

Something which is determined by a pigment is now deciding the course of our lives!. We live in a world where are Calibre and virtues are overshadowed by our skin colour. Psychology says that black – white stereotype is still present in our subconscious even if we do not admit it consciously. Infact, there are times when we are not even aware of the fact that we hold prejudice against black people. It is not that we are to be blamed, but it is the result of the attitudes that were transferred from generation to generation and has become something very instinctive or something which comes naturally to us. Stereotypes are hard to break but the only way to tackle with them is to become conscious of the fact that they exist. To doubt their existence is sheer ignorance.

I hope these questions will help us to accept our hidden attitudes

  • Do we feel more attracted to a white baby than a black baby?
  • Do we consider the fair coloured to be more clean in comparison to the dark complexioned?
  • If given a choice, which colour would you choose?

The purpose of these questions is not to embarss someone or make someone feel low about themselves. The logic is simple, if we wish to solve an issue, the primary step is acceptance. I know that there are millions of beautiful souls out there who love genuinely and it is not their fault. Something which has come from collective consciousness and is part of our subconscious is not defining us. We don’t like discriminating but we as individuals are helpless, because somewhere our subconscious makes us do things which we don’t wish to do. In order to cure a disease, we need to accept that we are ill, then only the medicine works lest everything goes in vain. Also the other way round, even people with darker complexion have a natural tendency to feel low about them. We must remember this that there are people who have successfully gone beyond these stigmas, but there are also many who are still under its clutches.

Let us turn our discussion to the problems we are facing due to colour discrimination. The most upsetting thing about this stereotype is that it has reached the mind of the most impressionable lives and that is our children. They face bullying and are treated badly because they have a darker shade of skin. They develop inferiority complex and become socially withdrawn which makes them more susceptible to diseases like depression and anxiety. They lose confidence and become uncomfortable in their own skin. There is nothing worst than making a person feel inferior just because god has made them in a certain way. There are extremely talented actors out there but just because of their colour and face structure, they are rejected. They are tagged with names like ‘Brownie’ or ‘Chocolate’. Till date many Indian girls are rejected for marriage and thought to be unfit for it if they are dark in colour. Even in some families , the fairer child receives more attention than a darker one. Even the endorsements projected on television make us feel that if one is dark then they are incomplete or it is something which needs to be corrected. All Bollywood songs are written in praise of fairness.

I recently heard the story of ‘ Priyanka Chopra’ who was bullied for her darker tone and as a result of it, she used to eat her tiffin alone.I am reminded of a similar incident which happened with my younger daughter. She is a passionate cricket player and cricket being a field sport, she was always in close aquaintance with the sun. As a mother I was proud of nuturing her passion every single day of her life. With course of time her complexion started suffering due to long hours spent in the territory of the sun. For me the situation was like diamond which was getting polished but society failed to notice what I had noticed as a mother. What others saw was that she was getting dark and used to ask me to make her restrict her hours on the field or make her wear ‘Ubtan’, so she could be saved from getting dark. That day I realised that colour discrimination is not functioning on the surface level of things but has reached the deepest core of our humanity where it is interfering with our genuinely borne passions. The colour of our skin is more important than our ambitions or our purpose of life. This is where we are standing today!

Till this very day, many so called ‘Whites’ consider their supremacy over Indians or Africans because of their skin colour. This is nothing to be proud of . Those who are proud of their skin colour must be proud of the amount of nonsense they are nurturing and pouring within. Will you discard an iPhone because it has a black body? Same is the story of humans, the cover may be black but what is inside is worth millions, you never know! There have been so many actresses who in spite of being dark are extremely beautiful. If we make choices by colour, we would discard IPhone to buy an ordinary Samsung phone just because we don’t like its colour. Though IPhone is black but it has a hell of features and has a height which no other phone has ever been able to reach. So, dont make such big blunders.

History is a witness that great people or leaders do not originate because of their skin colour but because of their virtues. There have been people who have not only accepted the situation but have made a conscious effort to change it. Nelson Mandela or Rosa Park were ones who refused to confirm to the conventions of the world. They were living examples of the fact that in order to gain respect in the world, self respect and self love is a must. Till the time the dark complexioned people wont accept themselves and will not love the way they have been designed, they will always  feel less of themselves and this shall make them slaves of the white.

Barack Obama, the black president who ruled the white nation! There is no powerful colour than the colour of authenticity and confidence. Body colour only distracts but if a person is authentic, even the subconscious will drop its weapon before it. The only person who can make us feel bad is, ‘I’, ‘Me’ and ‘Myself’. No one should be entitled to make you feel less except yourself. World will accept you when you accept yourself. Let world relay commercials but you don’t pay heed to it, you always have the choice.
Your skin colour must not interfere with your true passions and if it is then its time for a change in perspective.

With my experience in life, I have gathered that it is never easy to change society, people will continue putting you down on one pretext or the other. Skin colour is just an excuse. As a person if you don’t respect yourself, then don’t expect others to do it. Love yourself unconditionally . One day when you will be soaring high in the sky, then no one will bother to look at your face or try to lecture you on your complexion. There is no powerful colour than the true colour of your soul which never allow such trivialities to let them down. Your skin colour will soon fade behind the brightness of your talents and shining light of your soul. Don’t be distracted by it, those who live by it would also fade soon!

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Who says we cant fly?

Women are like icebergs. What we see on the surface is just a part of them which appears fragile, delicate and small. But very few notice that beneath the tiny icy portion that floats on surface of water lies a hard core of ice which is capable of breaking off giant ships like Titanic into multitude of pieces, same is the story of women!

It reminds me of a story when a priest asked a child “child can you walk?” to which the child replied, “yes, of course”. The priest popped back with a fresh question, “can you fly child?”  the child reverted back in an irritated voice “no sir its impossible!”. The priest was still not satisfied and sprung back with a new interrogatory statement, “How can you say that you can walk but not fly?” the child with an uneasy look replied, “sir have you seen any human flying in your entire lifetime?“ the priest being obstinate, counteracted “did you ever try flying?” the child’s face was all red with mixed passion of fury and confusion “sir, why would I try to fly when i know its impossible?”, the priest said, “calm down child, i will just take two more minutes of your, answer me, when you were an infant and all you did was crawling, then did you ever think that one day you would be able to walk?” the disgust on the face of the child slowly vanished as if the essence of priest’s words was slowly entering his inattentive ears. The priest then put his hand around the shoulder of the child and said “child you know that you can walk because you have experienced walking and what we experience becomes our truth. But you said no for flying not because you tried and failed but it was told to you by your elders that you cant fly! The answer came not out of your experience but from the set book of stereotypes of what a man could do or not do. It does’nt matter that you fly or not but the sad part is you stopped trying,who knows that one day you could fly?”

The moment a girl or a boy grows up, a book enriched with narrow stereotypes is handed over to them. From cradle to grave. She is told that she cant join army because she is physically weak, she cant be an entrepreneur because she wont be able to raise funds, she cant ride bike because it is simply not made for her, She cant serve her country because men are the emblem of strength. From childhood, she is made to feel like a leverage, she is taught that she cant fight boys and she is incapable of bearing pain. We ignorant beings went to such a degree that we made her learn that she can’t survive abuse or rapes or acid burns and made her feel that her strength won’t function beyond this threshold. As a result of which women stopped experiencing, which is the fundamental process of life and kept on believing what was told to her. Thinking of those stereotypes as the ultimate boundaries of her strength. Same we do with boys, a young lad who wishes to be a great cook is looked down upon and if he dares to cry in front of others, we start questioning his manhood.

Each one of us have heard the stories upto this point where men and women got broken by life by various forces but no one bothers to go beyond it. Everyone looked at the girl who got raped but no one saw the same girl who rose from her ashes like a phoenix. No one bothered to look on the other side of tunnel, where these women bruised by life came out as warriors emerging from darkness. Everyone talked about the woman whose face got burnt with acid but no one bothered to look at her, the same woman who lost her artificial beauty but gained her inner beauty. She identified a beauty which was permanent. Everyone talked about women who had forgotten the art of experiencing life and were going with aid of stigmas that bound them but none noticed those women who time and again experienced life whom chains of stereotypes couldn’t hold tight, who broke all shackles and never limited them even if the world limited them.

Today its time to look at the mind boggling statistics where ordinary men and women like you and me dared to break the stereotypes and dared to experience life. They learnt what they experienced and not learnt what they were taught.

Here are a few women who broke down the shackles of stereotypes and went beyond it.
Mother Teresa – first Indian woman to win the Noble prize
Indira Gandhi – first woman prime minister of India
Pratibha Patil – first woman president of India
Kalpana Chawla – first Indian woman to go to space
Kiran Bedi – first Indian woman IPS officer
Anjali Gupta – first female flying officer in Indian Air force
Justice M Fatima Beevi – first Indian female judge of supreme court
Sania Mirza – first woman to win the women‘s Tennis Association title
Saina Nehwal – number 1 position in world badminton ranking (2015)
Roshini Sharma – first Indian woman to ride a motorbike from Kanyakumari to Kashmir
Shila Dawre – first Indian woman to be an auto rickshaw driver
Mithali Raj – first Indian woman to score a double hundred in test cricket
Sarala Thakral – first Indian woman to fly an aircraft
Mary Kom – first Indian woman boxer to win a gold medal in Olympics
Durga Banerjee – first female pilot and captain of Indian Airlines
Priya Jhingan – first Indian woman to serve Indian Army
Sushmita Sen – first Indian woman to win Miss Universe Pageant
Priyanka Chopra – a successful Bollywood and Hollywood actress, representative of UNICEF
Avani – first woman fighter pilot to fly solo
Nirmala Sitharaman – current Defence minister
Sushma Swaraj – current Minister of External affairs of India
Chanda Kocchar – first Indian woman (CEO Managing Director of ICICI bank) to get Woodrow Wilson Award for Global citizenship

So, If ‘They’ can, Then you too can! Just don’t believe whats being told to you no one gets to decide who you are!!! It is true for both boys and girls to realise that all these shackles, these impossibilities and the big ‘No’s’ exist within the corners of our mind. We all have been endowed with infinite potential. Most of us tag ourselves with description we get from society or the same stereotypical handbook I was earlier talking about! The only way to realise our true potential is to experience. Don’t ever believe in things you haven’t experienced yet. Just do it and then decide for your self. Don’t allow others to sketch a boundary for you. Form your own boundary. Detach yourself from these invisible chains of prejudices and stereotypes and then you will realise that it may happen one day that you may actually fly.

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Cinema says it all!!!! Go woman, go!!!!

You know that you are an Empowered Woman, when you know that fight is inside. When you know that battle is within, Not in the kitchen.!! The word ‘Empowerment‘ is a multidimensional word which has been realized and manifested by various women in their own unique way. The term is so complex that its boundaries are cloudy and is fading into different directions. If you ask me what is ‘Empowerment‘, the definition which I can give you is just a shade and not the actual colour. My way is just a part of it and not whole. Did you ever see a rainbow? It looks multi-coloured, but in fact is formed by splitting of white light. So, the word ‘Empowerment‘ is like white colour which manifests itself in various shades.

Though its not easy to understand each shade with precision but the closest laboratory which can give you a taste of it is the Cinema. As a famous writer puts it ‘Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out’. Cinema is like a mirror in which we find our own reflection. If one ever wishes to understand the position of Women in a specific society, one must watch its Cinema.
With a pocket full of questions regarding Women Empowerment, I went to seek help of Cinema and fortunately I got a handful of answers. The answer which cinema gives you is subtle, it is there but hard to catch. In search of movies which favoured Women Entrepreneurship or promoted Empowerment of Women, I got no specific search result. There were all pieces of puzzle, not whole in them but when combined, they stood out like a complete living picture. That’s exactly what happened with me, answer was in front of me but like a puzzle unsolved.

‘Shruti Kakkar’ of ‘Band baaja baraat’ a middle class girl, who had a vision of becoming a successful wedding planner had side-lined herself from the stereotypical life of women in India. A girl who never created a space for her but discovered it. Lets talk about ‘Shashi’ of ‘English Vinglish’, a woman next door with low education but sky reaching aspirations who expresses her uniqueness by identifying her art of making Ladoos as a new shade of Entrepreneurship. Unknown to the world of English and a source of mockery to her family, she rises as a Phoenix from her ashes by enrolling her name in an English Language course in Manhattan. She becomes an emblem of Feminine strength. On the other hand, we discover the orthodox families of Mehras of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ who in spite of knowing the extraordinary capabilities of their daughter ‘Ayesha‘ as an Entrepreneur and thinks her good enough for marriage only. The subtle and delicate way ‘Ayesha’ expresses her desire to part away with her husband and talking about her inability to conceive in front of the entire family is breath taking and a big fracture in the framework of our stereotypical society. Last but not the least, lets talk about Piku who finds a perfect balance between ambitions and marriage. Being encouraged by her father to run blindly after her ambitions, she makes a stand and expresses that as a woman she needs to cater her emotional needs as well. Being an overly ambitious and independent woman, she never forgets to day dream and share a blush with the opposite sex. Also we have ‘Ki and Ka‘, where Kareena and Arjun switched the stereotypical roles of husband and wife with such flexibility. ‘Rani’ of ‘Queen’, a girl who never dared to put her footsteps beyond a set geographical boundary takes a bold turn and off she goes to London to enjoy her honeymoon all by herself. Imagine a typical submissive and ignorant young woman who enters an arena of unknown with such confidence! Not to forget when 3 bold young and independent women of ‘Pink’ are successful in establishing new standards when it comes to living independently and falling hard on the prejudices which dare to limit their freedom!.
These Women define Women Empowerment in their own unique way. Their ways are as unique as them and when their half cut pieces of life are blended together, they bloom and shine and only one voice comes up,
“We don’t shout to gather the crowd
To shout makes us slaves of masculine
To slay hearts with a smile
Makes us an Empowered Feminine!”