There and Beyond- Life goes on...

Last month there was a lot of buzz around a Hindi movie. I usually am the kind who watches all Hindi movies within the first weekend of release. This one was among the very few exceptional cases. A few of the groups that I am part of spoke very highly about it, and I eventually watched the movie. I am glad I did, it is a well-made movie and there was more than one message that came out for me. But the one that was most powerful was “We teach our kids what to do when they win, but what we don’t tell them is what to do when they fail?"

I know what it means and feels, totally do. I got so emotional listening to that one line; it took me back to the time I completed my graduation. I was madly in love with “Economics” and was a Delhi School of Economics aspirant since grade 11. I was a good student throughout my school and college, broke all family records when it came to marks and thus was apple of everyone’s eye. Good marks, grades, college - always got whatever I dreamt off. My family and I were so sure of cracking the DSE entrance that I didn’t even consider any other entrance exam for post-graduation. 

And then it happened in 2003- a big shock- I did not clear the DSE entrance exam. My first failure and I really didn’t know what to do. It felt like life has ended for me, at that moment.

Confidence in me getting selected was so high that the result date was announced to the entire family and friends circle in advance. When the phone calls started to come to congratulate me, they almost started to sound like condolence calls. I remember telling one of my aunt’s “I can’t see anything ahead, I have finished. “

These were not dialogues from any Bollywood movie, but straight from my heart- exactly the way I felt. No one said anything to me, but I was so self-critical. For so many years I have seen my family celebrating my good scores, me being praised for always getting what I wanted, me already being addressed as an economist - it was not un-natural for me to draw a parallel of my success and their happiness. I felt I am ruining their happiness and felt an acute identity crisis.

Wish someone would have told me it’s ok to fail, marks are just a small part of who I am and it’s not the end of the world. The one drop year was emotionally very tough, I thankfully did not take any extreme steps, but some do. What is important here to understand is that some pressure is conscious and some unconscious. We all need to work on the way we think, we need to take away the strong association in our head with just “Winning” . If we manage our thoughts, the actions shall follow.

Many parents I meet today, tell me that they are not bothered about marks at all, and these are the very same set of parents who don’t miss checking the marks of the class topper. Why? Why is it important to know what others are scoring, why can’t your child’s score be enough?

A child doing well is a good thing, but it cannot be the only thing to be talked and felt happy about. Let's stop just praising or making him/her the example for their successes. Let the child know there is more to him/her and life than just scoring good marks or being great at what they do.

We grow up with this winning equation imbibed in us very strongly. The parameters of winning change and diversify into many more areas of life. We are so strongly wired for this that we don’t even realize what pressure we are putting on ourselves while competing.

Let’s release the pressure from our children and ourselves.

“Life doesn’t happen when you win, Life happens when you embrace life and live fully “

What Matters !!

Just last week,  I and Nandini were walking towards Costa to get our morning coffee.

As we just got to the counter - Nandini got a call from her mom, and with a deep sigh, she excused herself to respond to it.

When she came back, she was visibly irritated. Handing over her the coffee I checked “Is everything ok ?“

“How difficult it is for mom’s to understand that we are busy, unlike them, we have 100 things to attend to. I haven’t spoken to her for over a week now, and she was full emotional today. "

Nandini continued “ It’s not that I don’t value her, it was just that I was too busy with a project deadline and a small outing with office team”  Today also I had to cut her call short as there is call starting in next 30 mins and I have preparation to do for the same.

I kept looking at her in silence just nodding my head reflecting “ya I know” sentiment.

We reached back to our workstations and the conversation ended with Nandini’s universal statement “Well that is life, can’t keep everyone happy”

She moved back to her work and I kept pondering within. The reason the statement stayed with me was that in the last 24 hours itself I have been in a similar situation twice. Once as a receiver and one as a complainer.

To quote the first one - I was expecting a call from a friend for the past one month, and she kept messaging me to say "will call you, caught up with work, etc." Last night I had an emotional breakdown with her, where I called her and said – “you don’t even have 5 mins to call me in the whole month, It seems I have no value for you”

And her response was no different from what Nandini said to her mom today “was caught up, was traveling, and then the house was in a mess …etc “

To share the other incidence, I got a call from my cousin who had asked for some reference material for her project, I was supposed to help her with the same. But didn’t sent her the material, while she was not shouting, but was quiet sarcastic when she said “ must have been very busy, didn’t get time to look into my email as well”

None of the above incidences should sound alien to any one of us reading this. We all have said “ was very busy, Didn’t get time, too caught up “ numerous times. Also heard it an equal number of times.

The coffee finished but I continued to stare into the sky with multiple thoughts running in my head.

What is it then, are we really so busy? The reasons for not getting back are so genuine – not that we are creating those? Then why does this thing get into relationships, work, and even personal life at times?  

No doubt the current times are very demanding, both professionally and personally. Everyone is aware of the complexities, then why does one get upset? Is this is a challenge of prioritizing or expectation setting or time management?

While I was in the middle of these “ whirlpool” of thoughts “, I saw Nandini walking towards the exit gate with her bag.

Worried I asked “ is everything ok?

She responded “ All ok, just going to meet mom, will work from her home for the rest of the day. Just informed the team that I won’t be on the call. Will see you tomorrow. “

I smiled and gave her a quick hug as she stepped out.

'How nice, aunty would be so happy to see her and spend time with her', I said to myself. Nandini could finally move things, at that moment she just wanted her mom to feel happy and not be upset. That was the most important thing and thus even the office call was effortlessly declined.

That is it – Priorities, priorities that point in time. It's ultimately about priorities.   

I didn’t respond to my cousin as that was not a priority for me. For Nandini calling her mom was not a priority during the past 10 days. She was occupied with multiple stuff happening, which included a team outing and a parlor visit as well.

There is nothing wrong in it, and it is not even about right or wrong – every person has a choice to make and makes one basis his/her priorities at that moment. So how can we stop these gaps coming up- for ourselves and for others? How can we help and support each other to own up and show?

Just then a radical thought came to my mind- let's be brave, honest and own up! Let's call a spade a spade!

Let's stop finding ways to hide behind the excuses and bravely call it out “ You were /are not a priority for me right now”

“ Exercising /focusing on health is not a priority for me “

“ Finishing that presentation right now is not my priority “

“ Calling back is not a priority “

Say this to yourself in these many words, say these to others – and see the impact.

Might sound harsh, but it is the truth. When you say this to yourself, it will give you a new insight into your own emotions and actions. Trust me it can be quite revealing and insightful.

The person at the receiving end might feel unsettled for a bit, it would mean rude - but it's honest. The person will understand and appreciate the clarity. Because when there will be times when you show up for them they will know they are your priority in the moment. If someone continues to not be the priority – either it is a reality check for you or the person. Continuing to be off the priority list may also be the trigger, to think deeper – is the person really important, am I doing justice to my role?  

And this harshness will be both sides – you will say this and you will receive this. And one must be ready and prepared for both ways.

I finally concluded my self- dialogue with this thought atleast feeling partially settled. Partially because this had to be shared and tested before it could be shared further.

I started to try this in my closed circle and was soft testing it, but today almost a week later I saw the true power.

We have construction work going on at our home for the past 15 days and house is completely unsettled with no ac and TV. This is extreme for my 8-year-old and she has been quite supportive all this while. Today being a holiday she has been after my husband since morning to play with her and listen to her song and at all times she got a response “ Baby there is so much work and I cant do this right now”

I held his hand and asked him to tell her that “playing with her is not a priority and there is other important stuff at the moment”

The moment I said this – not sure what shifted in him but he sat patiently and told her “ I am listening to you, please go on. You are the priority “

Had he not said that in so many words in his mind, the response would have not changed. I am pretty convinced this is the only brave way to face reality- a true check for what matters.

Worth a try – what say?  

One day it all makes sense

One day it all makes sense- yes it does!!

The people you meet, the mistakes you make, the decisions you take,

It all makes sense.

Doesn’t matter how many times you cry, were left hurt or lost

What matters is how many times and how you stood up?

Because in the end all of it will make sense

Remember the day when you were all alone and hoping someone to be with

How angry and rejected you felt

Just so that you know, it’s all for a reason and in the end it all makes sense

Times when there was no energy and you didn’t feel like fighting anymore

Days when you almost gave up on yourself and life still flowed

Because someone up there knows – in the end it will all make sense

When life is harsh and shows you no sign of mercy

When living itself looks meaningless and blurry

Brace yourself, be kind and keep walking

In the end it will all make sense!!

One Step at a Time ..

The Alarm went up at its usual time, but it was unusually difficult for Trisha to get up. The last 15 days have been super hectic – with Samar being ill, critical project deadline, Vinay travelling and to top it all no maid. Things were so messy and out of control that she requested her mother in law- who lives in Jaipur to come down for support.  

But thankfully things are getting back to normal. Samar joined school after a week-long break just yesterday, her final presentation would get over today, Vinay gets back home tonight and the weekend awaits with open arms. Trisha gathered all her courage and got up almost in a robotic style and started with her daily routine.

She was very happy to have things getting back to normal and also the fact that she has weekend for her to catch up on all the lost sleep. With things getting back to normal her mother in law decided to leave for Jaipur over the weekend, after she meets Vinay. She has been of great help holding the fort with all the challenges around. Trisha thought of planning something special for her before she leaves. It was her own way of saying thank you to her MIL and also to cover up for the fact that she hardly was able to spend any quality time with her.

While Trisha was getting Samar ready for school these thoughts were running back of her mind and a plan came to her almost instantly.

“Maa I will come home early today , Vinay also will be back tonight- let’s call Arun mama and family for dinner. Been long we guys met. It will be a good surprise for him too. “ Trisha said

“Are you sure? Will you be able to make it in time? “ Comes a quick reply 

Normally these kind of statements does upset Trisha but given that she was so excited and looking forward to the plan she didn’t react. Trisha calmly responded 

“Absolutely Maa, dont worry my presentation finishes at 2 and I will immediately leave post that. Will be fun . “

Quickly picking her and Samar’s stuff, Trisha said rushing out of the house “ Bye Maa,  you leave everything to me I will manage everything. “  

As soon as she sat in the car she called Arun Mama and invited him over for dinner. Arun Mama agreed and the plan was all set.

Arun Mama is the youngest of the siblings and is almost like son to Maa. Vinay and Arun Mama get along very well, just like friends. To add to the equation Samar shares a very good bond with Arun mama’s son – Veer.

With a huge grin Trisha looked at Samar and said “Samar boy are you ready to have fun? Arun Dadu and Veer bhaiya are going to be home tonight. And this will be a surprise for papa when he comes back tonight. Now you be a good boy and don’t drink anything cold in school. Mumma will pick you from Day care early today”

Samar was all smiles and gave a tight hug to Trisha and entered school.

As soon as Trisha entered office she immediately got all her focus to work and started to do the last minute revision and final touches to the presentation.

Trisha was fully engrossed in the slides, when she heard

“We good??”

She immediately looked up and see Sameer standing. With a reassuring smile responded

“Yup, all good”

“This will be an important presentation, the team and especially you have been working on it for a very long time . All the best Trisha “Sameer started to leave , just then Trisha interrupted and asked

“The meeting starts at 11 –right. No reschedules expected? “

“Yes absolutely , we have both MEA and APAC teams on call so no change . “ responded Sameer.

10.45 am – Trisha was in the meeting room , taking care of all possible details – projector, speaker , instructions to IT team and was making herself comfortable for the meeting.

Just then one of the admin staff walks in and said “ Trisha mam just got a message from global team, the meeting is rescheduled to 12.30 pm today. There is some critical matter that has come up at our  Singapore office and thus the delay. Apologies for the last minute change mam”

Trisha completely lost the plot at this point, and just sat down in frustration and anger.

Why ? Why ? Why? That’s all she kept saying and helplessly banging her wrist on the table.

Mind was running in multiple directions - What am I supposed to do now? The call will start at 12.30 and will easily go till 3.30 pm. When will I pick up Samar, how will I manage the dinner tonight, and what do I tell Maa? And with all this back of my mind, how am I supposed to handle the presentation with the APAC team? Why does it always happen with me, I have worked like crazy on this project - today was my chance to show my work  but with all this in my head I don’t even know what will I do

Was expecting a little happy moment with family wrong? Why it has to come crashing at all times.  

It might not have been more than 10 minutes since Trisha was into this, she already felt extremely weak and tired and getting hit by a headache. While she was entangled in the threads of these questions- suddenly the phone rang .

Maa Calling

Trisha kept looking at the phone and just could’nt gather the courage to pick up and talk. The call got disconnected.

This isn’t right – whatever it is I will have to face it , said Trisha to herself.

She almost immediately called back “ sorry maa missed your call “

 “Trisha I was thinking of making Dahi vade for evening, Arun and Vinay both like it a lot . Can you get some imli for the chutney on your way back? “ Said Maa

It was like someone has poured a bucket full of ice water on her, someone who is preparing with so much enthusiasm where does she get the heart to say I am not coming now. That helpless stare at the ceiling and with closed eyes Trisha responded  

“ Maa I will order the stuff and get the delivery done just now but I am stuck at work and  will come home only by 6 pm. “

“What happened  ? What about the dinner tonight? You should have not planned the dinner tonight? Said Maa,  in a concerned voice.

“Maa, don’t worry all will be managed. Something just happened that’s not in my control. I will not let the evening plan get ruined. You please carry on with your plan as earlier.” Reassured Trisha

God only knows how Trisha handled this conversation. She had no clue of what needs to be done, but didn’t wanted to hide the facts too. This is something she has learnt with experience, there was a time when just to keep others happy she used to hide true feelings and facts or say things the other person wants to hear. That used to leave her struggling from within, so for her own peace after Samar was born she had decided to be what she is and not hide anything to make the other person happy.

One stare at the clock – 11.30 am.

Trisha wanted to desperately talk to someone; she was so restless and tensed. She called her best friend but as luck would have it; her friend was busy in a meeting and couldn’t take her call. This just added to the frustration and helplessness. For a couple of minutes Trisha aimlessly kept staring at the screen and then what started was the self-pep talk series by Trisha for Trisha. (at times having the entire meeting room to yourself is also goodJ

What is wrong with you Trisha? What is the problem- you won’t be able to make it in time for a dinner? Or you won’t be able to cook? OR The things are not happening as per your plan? You can’t mess it up like this Trisha, lot of hard work has gone behind this. Even when your child was unwell you did not lose sight of this presentation. How can you just loose this by mere change in the meeting timing? What was the idea of the dinner tonight? 

Having a good time together, saying thankyou to Maa for her support and a surprise for Vinay. 

Where are these getting missed, with the changed meeting timing? Arun mama and family will come over not to eat food cooked by you but to meet and spend good time. What is more important? 

Creating memories and sharing smiles. That will happen. Right now what is the priority - focus  on the presentation. If this goes wrong even you making in time for the dinner will not help. You can do it Trisha, you can do it. Just stay calm and take one step at a time.

That very moment, Trisha switched her mind off everything else and got back to the presentation. She started her revision once again and kept looking at the backup slides and her prep notes.

The meeting started sharp at 12.35 pm with full participation form MEA , APAC and India team. The meeting was a grilling one – it was to present the scorecard around a new product launch. The MEA team is a tough one, not an easy one to convince for sure. But glad all the homework was done well and all the relevant information was present. .

Meeting got wrapped up and Sameer was happy the way Trisha led it from the front. The MEA team too was supportive and left on a positive note.  

That sighs of relief- like a big heavy block getting off your head. The newly found energy, that you can conquer the world, that confident and comfortable look said it all. 

Trisha started to wrap up and picked up her phone to check. Saw a couple of missed calls and a message from Vinay

 “Boarded, see you soon”

Trisha smiled looking at her phone.

“Hey Sameer, I am leaving for the day. A personal commitment that needs my attention, I will block sometime with you on Monday for a follow on discussion “Trisha said.

“Ok, it’s your day ‘Sameer responded back with a smile.

Trisha quickly wrapped up work and cleared last set of emails and made an exit. While she was walking towards the parking, Trisha was super excited and happy. How difficult was it to work on this presentation given the challenges at home, what all happened in this last month and what all she went through. The evening get-together looked even more meaningful after the meeting. She was eagerly waiting for Vinay, it’s been over a month he has been away.

Trisha finally entered home at 6 pm with a super excited Samar and all the grocery and food items.

Food, snacks and deserts were all ordered from a nearby Indian restaurant, and Trisha just kept the beverage and serving department with her. She quickly changed and got started with settling the stuff and getting the crockery out. 

Arun Mama and family arrived a little later and from that very moment it was a different world – there were giggles, laughter, and chatter all around. They all were meeting after almost a year but it didn’t feel like. All logistics were well managed and everyone was having a good time. The carefree smiles said it all.

Everyone now was eagerly waiting for Vinay and to see his reaction. At 9.30 pm Vinay came and his reaction was priceless. There was a festival kind of environment in the house and it all looked so lively.

Trisha was a happy soul that moment.

‘Now that Vinay has come, let me quickly serve dinner “Trisha announced

While getting the table ready, Trisha could not help but revisiting the events of the day in her mind.  

That time in the day it was impossible to even imagine that the evening will unfold like this.

At times we complicate the situation by over thinking about it. Situations might look extremely tough; you may feel helpless, angry and frustrated but that is all a result of our over and negative thinking. By imagining the possible negative outcomes and reactions, we just make the situation even more complex. We can’t control the future or people’s reaction but we can take control of the present and focus on the right thing.

At times what really is required is to “Stay calm, stay focused and take one step at a time”

Break Ke Baad !!

Since childhood, Break as a word and concept has been very close to my heart. Till the time I was a student this word “ break “ had special powers to make me smile just at the thought of it. I am still carrying its love with me  – in form of love handles and atleast extra 10 kgs around my tummy.

During the growing up years , I frequently entered war zones with myself. Troubled with questions , clarity of thought . Questions like “ who am I ? “ what am I here to do “ “ how can I add value” these questions come only to very great people , so I didn’t get either of them. My problems were “ Why is my mother not increasing my pocket money” “ why cant I go on a trip or late night parties “ “ when will I have a boyfriend ? “ Those war zones always lead me to a silent break  me time ; where I used to keep talking to myself , GOD and keep presenting my case both as a defence lawyer and public prosecutor. The real twist was – I was playing the judge too .

But this always worked for me , I always landed up getting clarity and feeling better – for the next few weeks at least. 

As I graduated out of college, and entered into the new world and the REAL world I often found myself lost . Lost not because I don’t know what to do, lost because there was so much to do all alone. When you enter the professional world, one has little idea what to expect. We are just bubbles of energy flowing around in the office atmosphere. I wasn’t clear what I want to be 10 years from then, so I decided to give my 100% to everything I do.  Crazy work load, but I was loving every bit of it. This was also the time I met my Mr.right. So when I met Mr. Right – things immediately clicked, we were like long lost friends. We together would be on phone almost always ( No wonder Airtel was doing so well then ) 

And when all was going well, I asked for a break from Mr, Right too. Reason- all was too good to be true , maybe we have just got used to each other , our being together was a result of our boredom, or lack of options in the otherwise boring office. So let’s call splits, and see what it is for real. It was almost a 10 month long break, we had just basic contact during this time and yo ho it worked “ I got the clarity and the conviction that this was true “ and mr right realized that he loved me madly  , because even with the most weird ask he didn’t killed me and waited for that long.  

Break in life is very important and after my few successful ventures at it , I have been suggesting this to lot of my friends and family. No one really agrees with me, but I still continue as I feel its my Karma to enlighten humanity :)

When I became a mother , In my entire family ( including distant relatives as well) I was the first one to invent break from child concept. I was looked down upon by my own mother . She was so apologetic to inculcate such “ sanskaars “ in me. But still I went for my alone trips to my friend’s place for short durations. Those short breaks worked wonders, as I used to love my child and my motherly duties more after them. 

Our mind and body very quickly goes into a routine and if the routine is not broken once in a while, we get the constant itchy feeling. 80% of the people live with this itch and subside the inner voice . 20% like me take time to listen and amend accordingly. (the numbers are not based on any statistical research ) Like regular servicing for vehicles is required, life need servicing too. People across ages, professions should think about it. Life is to live and not just survive.

Listen to yourself, we all need fuel and timely servicing to go on and LIVE.

P.S_ Duration of the break may vary from individual to individual. It can range for few hours to a few years.

Connect to life, connect to yourself

It was 6pm and the office was almost empty. Trisha was helplessly staring at herself in the mirror in the restroom. Despite of trying very hard she couldn’t hold back her tears and finally she let emotions take over her completely. Her tears now turning into loud sobs. Aware of her surroundings she was trying to control herself but all attempts were going in vain. Just then Trisha heard someone walking into the restroom, almost in a reflex action she started to wash her face. It was the housekeeping lady. Trying to avoid an eye contact, Trisha quickly made an exit.  Even though it was few minutes of crying her head was already feeling heavy and eyes tired. As she walked towards her desk, various things were doing rounds in her head. She knew there is a task that needs her focus right now, but she was feeling so helpless and weak. She just felt like running away from everything and hide away in an unknown place, where no one knows her.

In few minutes she reached her workstation and opened her laptop but unknowingly her mind went to the call she got yesterday from her boss; Sameer.

“Trisha we have the presentation with R&F day after , keep the slides ready and we can review them tomorrow. It’s a follow on from our last meeting with them, so just focus on the key asks and we should be good”

“Sure Sameer, will work on it tomorrow and will be ready with the draft by evening for your review” Trisha responded

R&F was an old but an extremely demanding client. Trisha has been working for them for the last 2 years and knows the team pretty well now. The presentation was for a new project that’s going to get started with R&F. She had to leave office as she had to pick up Samar from day care and then reach home in time. Vinay’s office colleagues were coming over for dinner tonight, so Trisha had to get the house in order for the get together.  

She hurriedly left office and on her way to the day care picked up grocery.  Once she reached home quickly got to the task- setting the table, ordering food and cooking some khichdi for Samar. The entire evening went by very quickly and it was 11.30 pm by the time guests left. Trisha cleaned up the house before finally retiring to bed at 12.30 am. The last thought before she dozed off was around the presentation for R&F- “Tomorrow’s entire day needs to be devoted to the presentation. Will get it reviewed with Sameer by 5ish”

Today when she walked into the office with her plan of dedicating the entire day to just the R&F presentation, she got a call from MD’s office and she was asked to represent her company at an external event that was happening in Delhi. Since it was MD’s ask she couldn’t have said no. The external event and the associated travel took a great share of her day today and then there was a review meeting with Sameer and the entire team. Despite of being fully exhausted she was just about to start her work on the presentation; there is a ping on her laptop screen by Sameer- “ Let’s review the presentation for tomorrow, walk over to my cabin ..I need to leave by 6 today.” Shocked, tired, confused, fuming with anger she kept looking at the screen. Sameer was aware of her being away at the external event and she was with him in the review meeting, when did Sameer think she had time to be ready with the slides? She didn’t know what to respond and walked away to his cabin.

Hi Sameer , Can I come in ; said Trisha

Come in ; was Sameer’s cold response.

Sameer, I will take some time to put the slides up. Today has been a hectic day, due to the eternal event and the review meetings we had. I will be able to mail you the slides by later tonight or early morning. As this is the follow on meeting with the client should not be….

“ R&F is one of our most valued clients , we can’t be casual with them. I am wondering why we were waiting for the last day. “ Sameer interrupted Trisha

“Sameer I got the confirmation just yesterday…” Trisha tried putting her point

Sameer started to pack his stuff , with a cold face and said “ I don’t have much to say, all I can say is it could have been planned better. Lets hope the presentation goes fine tomorrow. I will wait for your slides. Message me once you mail them to me….”

And he stands to leave.

Trisha was so frustrated at his attitude. Despite of giving her best to the job, and being a top performer this the response she gets. She was filled with anger and frustration. She wanted to shout and say “ GET LOST “ and run away. It was just then her phone rang, it was from Samar’s day care.

 “Mam , Samar has fever since afternoon”

Oh no , How much is the fever? Did you give him Crocin? Trisha Asked nervously

Yes we did , but there isn’t much relief. Suggest you have to come and pick him up early. , Said the day care Teacher.  

This was it, the final jolt of sorts. And Trisha just walked into the restroom.

She didn’t realize but she was still aimlessly staring at her laptop, while all this was running like a reel in her head. Standing up suddenly she took her phone and stole and started to walk towards the elevator. There was no plan , she just wanted to get some fresh air and a hot cup of coffee.

While waiting for the elevator, she made a quick call to Vinay .

“ Vinni,  need some help. Got a call from Sam’s day care; the boy has fever and we need to pick him up from the daycare now. I am stuck at office and wont be able to leave, can you go and pick him up ? “

“ Ohh no . Ok I’ll leave now . “ Was Vinay;s instant response.

She entered the elevator, her mind was not at peace at all and she asked herself what am I doing? Am I good mother? Am I a good professional? Why do I always fail ? Cant I plan better?

Trisha was blank , she was feeling so weak. All she wanted to do was to cry for hours. She walked upto her favorite joint and picked up a cappuccino. She made herself comfortable on a bench in the park just below her office. The cool Nov breeze and hot coffee were perfect partner for her at this time.

While she sipped her coffee she started to ponder on her life, what all she went thru and how have things changed.

Trisha has been a go getter and a strong girl. She lost her father when she was in college. And being the eldest child she had to start working very early to support the family. She has had a tough life, with a night job and college studies during the day. Post her graduation in Economics from DU , she managed to get a job with an MNC. She has given her 120% to her job and her 4 promotions in past 10 years are testimony of that hard work. She has had some wonderful colleagues and managers to work with. They all have a role to play in her corporate success. Vinay is a nice guy and has always supported her in all her decisions. She can’t forget how he stood up with her when she wanted to resume work post Samar’s birth. Her in-laws were against her resuming work and sending Samar to a Day care. But it was Vinay’s support that she was able to resume work.

She has bagged the best employee award thrice in last 7 years.

It was her 32^nd birthday just 4 months back and what a lovely surprise party her family and friends had organized for her. They had made a poster for Trisha, with messages from family and friends. All of them had written such sweet and lovely messages for her, best was from her husband and her mother. “ Happy birthday to our Jhansi ki Rani , our eldest Son- from Maa and Papa

“ To my magician , who adds color to my life “ Vinay

She didn’t realize but her eyes were moist with these thought. She is blessed to have these people in her life.They have stood with her and loved her for what she is. 

Today is just one bad day, she is a fighter and can’t be giving up to just one bad day. Life had given her worst situations to handle, this is just a day and this shall pass very soon. She is her papa’s “Jhansi ki Rani “ and Vinay’s “ Magician “ . How can she even think of running away?

It was like fresh energy running in her mind and body with these thoughts.

“ I am OK and I will do it “ Trisha said these word ‘s and got up to walk towards her workstation.   

The girl who was walking back to the office is not the same girl who came down an hour back. She was under control and clear in her head. More than that she was feeling positive and blessed.

She started her work on the slides. With the positive mind frame, it took her less time than what she had expected. She was able to wrap up the work by 10 pm and mailed the presentation to Sameer. While packing her stuff, she messaged Sameer - “Presentation Mailed, have a look. Thanks”

While driving back home, she was at peace and beaming with positivity. The day will be special in her memory.

Life is a great teacher and we as humans have immense power to overcome our fears. All we need to do is to connect with ourselves to get us that power . When we look back, we know what have we gone thru to reach where we are today- those experiences ; good and bad are our true learnings. There are so many people who have partnered with us in this journey and those are are our real treasures. At times it gets so important to spend some time connecting to our life, to ourselves. There are days when things don’t go right, we feel lost and weak. Those are the days when we need to drive our strength from our past, our loved ones and ourselves. Life is not a struggle, it’s a journey; a continuous journey of exploring our own new potential.