Discover your Purpose : Three easy steps to to find what you were meant to do

Determining what we were born to do is not at all easy. But we are all curious about it. Finding our purpose in life can be the biggest moment for all of us! So how can you go about it? How can you find your purpose in life?

Today I am going to give you 3 steps that will help you discover your life purpose.

There are three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life:

Understanding the principle of choice

Choice -is the most important gift that you have got, because when you  make a choice, you announce your desires to your own subconscious mind. And once the subconscious mind is aware of your desires, it makes it your goal. And if you are sincere in pursuing your goal, there is no reason you should not be able to accomplish it!

But indecision or not choosing, will only create frustration and anxiety for you. It will confuse your subconscious mind about what your true desire is. This is also true when you are doing something because someone else told you to. When you say "My heart is not in it." That is the time you should truly listen to what your heart says to you. 

Your first step towards finding your true purpose, is to find out your true desire - believe me, they are connected! 

Take a notebook and answer the following questions: 

1. What are the things you love?
2. What are the things that you enjoy the most?
3. What are the things that make you feel better when situations start going out of your hand?
4. What are the things that inspire you to move ahead, even in hard times?
5. Do you like doing something creative or artistic? What is it?
6. Do you enjoy nature? Whats is the part of nature that you love the most?
7. Do you like the sea or the mountains? Describe how you feel near it.
8. Do you enjoy helping others? How often do you get to do it? How do you feel after helping someone?
9. Do you get pleasure from making a difference in other people's lives?

After writing this, you will have a list of things that you love to do. Now look at that list and answer the following questions for each one of them:

1. What thing do you love to do?
2. What is it that you love in this thing and why?
3. How could you do this for money, and make a living out of it?

Creating Your Underlying Principle

After you have answered those questions the next step is to find out if there is a recurring theme. Maybe it is the contribution to the society that keeps coming up, or the desire to seek or give love, or helping old people cope with the set of problems that arise due to age. Whatever it is, try to identify the central theme of the things that give you real pleasure in life. 

And now, get ready to create your mission statement - by putting the central theme in a short precise statement. It may even be a quote by a famous person, or a philosophy that has influenced you. Of course, as you grow up, this statement could evolve, but its soul will remain the same. 

Now, write down your Mission Statement.

Aligning Your LIFE With Your Underlying Principle

Coming now to the final step. It is now time to create a pathway to your purpose and begin implementing changes to align your daily life with your purpose - or your Mission statement. By making little changes in your life, you will be able to begin to live your life according to your mission statement. Its not going to happen overnight, but being intentional in the way you live your life, will definitely make some wonderful and welcome difference to your enthusiasm to live! 

How can you make those changes? 

If you find that you love being amidst nature - plan out a holiday in the middle of it. It could be a camping trip with your kids.

If helping others is your thing, then start to look for opportunities to volunteer in your community.

Sometimes, doing this process might even result in you getting a new job or even starting your own business that is more in line with your mission statement.

So there it is! By following the steps outlined above, you will be on your way to finding and living out your purpose. 

As you go through this process, just remember,

“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.”

Steve Maraboli

My story - from an architect to a quilter to, now, a life coach

 Everyone asks me, who are you? And did you decide to become a life coach? Today I am going to share my story with you. A complete raw, honest and heartfelt story. So take a cup of your favorite beverage, or a glass, sit back and join me as I go through my journey!

I was born into an entrepreneurial family, one where back in 1959 - when women did not even dare to step out of their homes - my grandmother ran a shop. She was soon joined by my aunt and then my uncle as they grew up. We even had a small shop in the front room of our house when we were growing up.

I was 15 when I first became an entrepreneur. I had a product (Diwali Lanterns), a manufacturing team (yours truly), a source to get the raw material cheaper (my uncle's shop), sales team (my three brothers) and a sales strategy (asking my littlelest brother to approach the customer and making sure that he looked malnourished - wasnt hard as he was very thin, we just made him wear the middle one's shirt so that he looked thinner!) We also invested our money in firecrackers that year! It was a fun venture and I still have amazing memories of seeing the smiles on my little brothers' faces!

Five years before that, at the age of 10 I had decided to become an architect. I loved a house near mine. And it belonged to an architect. I came to know that architects design homes and I wanted to live in a beautiful home - that was my motivation at the age of 10 - to be an architect! I became one in 2001. After working with a legendary architect in my town for an year - the same one whose house I loved - I went on to start my own practice under the name Niti Consultants. I worked on over 20 projects independently and was absolutely loving my life.

In 2004, I met Mr Right. Though it was an arranged marriage, I knew he was the one the moment I met him; so did he. He got married in 2005 and I moved to a town 100 km away from mine. I still continued working on my projects from before my marriage. Niti Consultants changed to Shruti Dandekar and Associates as Shruti Pandit became Shruti Dandekar. Life was new and exciting. But my practice was a total failure in the new town. So I went back to work with another legendary architect in this town. Till date he remains my biggest supporter and my mentor.

2007, my wonderful son was born. Things changed. The rainbow started to disappear. Life was  no more exciting. It felt like dark clouds surrounded me all the time. I loved my son, but I really appreciated help that I got in the form of a maid to look after him. I did not even realize that I was depressed. In 2009 I finally started therapy after realizing that things are going too far when I started having suicidal thoughts. Later I realized it was post-partum depression. 

I took a sabbatical from my career to pull myself together. During this phase, I accidently discovered quilting. And I fell in love. Life was beautiful and exciting once again. I was working from home looking after my son while I created artwork through the medium of quilting. As my son grew, so did my passion for quilting and my talent too. Soon I went from being an unknown quilter in a quaint little town in India, to be sort of a quilting sew-lebrity. I made the quilt I was  born to make - the Shivarajyabhishek - a 19 feet x 8 feet - 7 kg quilt made with 22,888 pieces in January 2019. After that I started feeling burn-out. Nothing that I made excited me. I loved quilting, but I started having trouble coming up with ideas to monetize and I knew I should change my focus.

I started focusing on teaching more than making and I started enjoying it once again. My 2020-21 calendar was filled with teaching gigs all over the world. I went to Chicago and Austin i n February 2020. I came back to a world that was totally different than the one I had left. As people started realizing the magnitude of the virus, events started getting cancelled and my calendar started emptying. I did not enjoy teaching online - as I feel that quilting is a  tactile medium. So I decided to take my second sabbatical.

I spent the first lockdown making masks and donating and selling them. I donated over 10000 masks to the district police and many more to so many people that I have lost the count. But that was not something that gave me satisfaction. So after 4 months, I handed all he material over to my friend and diverted all mask enquiries to her.

During this time, I started looking for a work at home opportunity, as my pockets had also started emptying just like my calendar. Fortunately, I got a job at a leading edutech and started  teaching coding to little kids. I do enjoy my job, but I also knew it right from the beginning that this is not my purpose.

During this  time, all the free time I got, I spent a lot of time in retrospection. During one of my journaling sessions, I had to write about "Am I happy?" I kept thinking and realized that I have always been happy. Even when my business was  not doing well. Even when I was going through depression. Even when I was working 18-20 hours a day. Even when I was away from my family for major milestones like 10th anniversary or my son's 10th birthday, and 12th and13th. Even when Mr Right did not seem to be that. Even when I lost 80% of my stuff when my studio was flooded. I was happy because I was always doing  something that I was passionate about! My passion was my purpose during that time. And it always gave me immense happiness.

That was the light bulb moment for me. I felt as if suddenly the path in front of me was  lit up in fairy lights! I knew what my purpose was. Having just crossed the big 4-0 s and venturing into my 42nd year, I felt as if it was time I passed on my knowledge that I have gained through over 20 years (actually 26 years) of being an entrepreneur. I got certified to become a Life Purpose Coach. And now I help others find their guiding light. Help them find their purpose - which helps them stay smiling and fills their life with abundance.

I offer coaching in group programs  as well as one-on-one sessions. I will write more about my programs very soon. Sign up for my newsletter when the form pops up to stay in touch if you haven't already. And most important grab my FREE Take decision worksheet to find out if your BIG idea is worth it!

 

Failure : Turn it into your first step to success

We all fail. I have failed, numerous times, and at some point you will too. It is what you do after that matters. Today I will talk about how you can make your failures work for you.

You have worked hard on your business. And in spite of pouring in everything you had you failed. Be it a failure to sell your stuff in the craft fair, or not being able to achieve your goals. Here's what you can do to not just help you deal with failure, but learn from it and turn it around into your biggest success.
1. Accept it. The first thing you need to do after you have failed is accepting your failure. Accept that things did not go as you thought they would. Own it up. Do not blame anyone or anything else (we will analyse the failure later). Once you have accepted the failure you will be better prepared for your success.
2. Don't make it personal. Remember every moment that even though what you have done failed - your actions - its not you who failed. Separate yourself from your failure and then you will be able to look at it with a more critical approach.
3. Look at it from a bird's eye view. First, learn to look at it in a disconnected manner - like it is someone else's problem. Now analyse it to find the why. Make a list of all the reasons you come up with.
4. Look for solutions. Now look at your list and find multiple solutions for every situation. Were your products too costly for the crowd at the craft fair? What can you do to reduce the cost? Were you not able to promote your webinar on social media? Can you create a strategy to do that or maybe hire someone to do that? Find multiple solutions for each of the reasons.
5. Learn from it. Now make a list of changes that you can make right now based on your findings that will prevent the same kind of failures in the future. And then, implement them, right now.
6. Do not dwell on it. Don't spend your time thinking about your failure. Look forward to implementing the changes and seeing yourself succeed. Do not let the negativity pull you down. Like you would do when you fall down while walking, get up, dust off the dirt, look at why you fell and keep walking ahead.
I am hoping my six-point plan will help you get over your recent failure and gear up for success in your business ahead. Is there anything else you might want to add?

Being original : 5 ideas and exercises for you

Sometimes we become too inspired by something and tend to create something that cannot be called original. Today I will give you 5 ideas that will help you assimilate all your inspiration and create a unique idea - be it a product or a service.




Inspiration comes to us sometimes and sometimes we have to go looking for it. In either case, it leaves a mark on our minds that helps us create - products, content - everything that we make.

Our inspirations always influence us. But we can definitely control the amount of influence that is visible on the final outcome.

If you are inspired by a fellow artist and make a painting exactly like theirs - its copying. But if you are inspired by them and make something based on the idea that you love in it - maybe its the colour choice, the style or sometimes even a brush stroke!

Its not wrong to copy someone's ideas - with permission. And it is close to a sin to copy someone's idea and project that as your own.

A few years back, I ranted on my quilting blog and on FB about a fellow Indian quilter who had copied some other quilter's design - not a block (which is very common), but an intricate design of applique and thread stitching - line to line - and said it was her original work. I did not have a problem with her copying someone's work. I had a problem with her claiming that it was original.

Have I not ever copied someone else's work? Of course I have. But I have credited the original artist every single time. Every time, I have asked them for permission before starting the project and then when I finally made my quilt, I mentioned them in the post everywhere.

In my quilting classes, I am very commonly asked about how to make sure that the work that my students are creating is original.

Here are 5 things that I do to make sure that my work is not a complete replica of my inspiration. You will find me going back to quilting for examples having worked in the industry for the past 10 years.



I look at more than one inspiration. I will talk about one of the most favourite quilts that I have made, The White Rainbow. The inspiration came to me after I read Danielle Steel's book Sisters. I just thought - I want to make a tactile quilt that will appeal to an artist who has lost her eyesight. Then I looked up people who had made tactile quilt or quilts with textures. That was when the Trapunto technique came up in the results. I had been making my reverse applique portrait quilts at that time and decided to apply the same technique to add texture. Around the same time, the idea of writing the names of the colors in Braille peeped into my mind. And that is how, all my inspiration assimilated to create an original quilt - which wall an all white quilt with the names of the colours written in braille - such that blind people could actually touch and read them.
I give it time. Any time I am inspired, I do not get working immediately. I let that idea sit in my mind. I think about it. I give it enough time to morph. In the meantime, I experiment or work on something else altogether. Sleeping over an idea usually gives me enough time and ideas to work on something based on my original inspiration, but yet making it my own. When I made my son's portrait, it was based on Sandra Bruce's Material Matrix technique. It took me three years between being introduced to Sandra's technique and actually making Aadi's portrait. I met Sandra in 2015 and spent the day in her Studio. She shared her technique with me. But I modified it to make my son's quilt. It looked similar to her quilts, but the method was drastically different. Both of us started at the same point and reached the same destination - but we used different paths. And even then I credit her with the inspiration for the quilt - every single time.
I experiment. When I find something that is truly irresistible, I start looking for ideas to make it simpler, faster or cheaper. Usually, one of these experiments helps me stumble upon an original technique. When I started making portrait quilts, I made the first one the traditional way - Raw Edge Applique. But deep down, it did not satisfy me. I had a feeling that something was missing. And also that if it took three months to complete one portrait chances of me making another one are pretty slim! So I experimented. It took me an year to come up with an original technique to make portrait quilts! Using this method I can now make a two coloured portrait quilt of about 36" x 40" even in just 7-8 hours!
I journal. When I find an idea that keeps coming back to me, I go and scribble. Sometimes its words and sometimes sketches. If its an idea for a blog post, I write down what i feel about it. I analyse the idea till I find out the real reason I want to copy it. What do I like in it? What do I hate? Why do I like it? Why do I want to write about it? Why do I want to make it? This is a very common process I use to come up with blog post ideas. I have a running list of topics I want to cover in my notebook. I just skim through them every time I plan my monthly content. I then pick the ones that resonate with me - at that time - and research them. I read as many blog posts as well as articles on websites like Forbes, Economic Times, Washington Post or even NY Post about it. My Kindle Unlimited subscription also offers me many options to read more. After I have assimilated all the info, I usually wait for a day and then just sit and directly type my post. I do not worry about the formatting at this point. After I have written everything, I read it aloud to make sure that it is all in my language. Anything I am not comfortable speaking out loud, is a sign that it is not original by me and is highly influenced.
Sometimes, its just okay to copy - with permission. In spite of all of the above steps, sometimes the original idea is just so powerful and unique that you cannot come up with something that is more unique. At that time, it is okay to accept that you cannot do anything about it. But you still want to share it with your audience? First Ask permission. Just drop an email to the person who created it. Don't forget to tell them how much you loved what they did and how it has been on your mind for a while. And then ask them if you can use their idea/words/picture in your post/product/book. Make sure you are completely honest about any monetary gains that might be in it for you - are you including their words in a blog post that people read for free or a book that you will be selling? Will their design be made into a quilt that is meant to be a personal gift for your family or are you making it to enter in quilt shows - and potentially win a money prize. Make sure you convey everything that you know to them. Including a permission form (PDF) for them to sign and email back is a very good idea. That way you will always have a letter from them when you need it. And last but not the least always give them credit when you publish it. If its a blog post, link back to their website, page or blog post. If its a book, include a footnote. If its a product, mention it in your product description.
Being original will always help you grow your business. Because when you copy you become a second grade version of the original artist / creator. But by taking the efforts to be original you will be a first grade version of yourself!

Things you should know before hiring your first employee

You have thought it out well and finally, your business has reached a stage where you have enough work for a person to work for you full/part time! Congratulations! You know that you will need to hire soon but are not sure how you will go through the process! Keep reading while I take you through the process of hiring an employee.


Your main concerns might be:

What to do before hiring?
How to hire?
How do you know who is right for you?
How to help your new employee settle in?
How to fire an employee?What should YOU do before you hire an employee?


The first thing to do is to determine what you actually need. Which areas do you need help in? This process is almost halfway done by the time you realize you need to hire someone. But now, you need to think whether there will be enough work for the person you hire to keep them busy in their working hours.Before you consider hiring someone make sure that the work is not something you can outsource or collaborate for. These options are easier if you need help for a shorter period of time. When you hire an employee, you will not only need enough work, but also regular work. Think about all these aspects before you decide to even start looking for someone.

How to hire?


You can look for people you know to hire them, or you can start looking for new-to-you candidates be looking up on LinkedIn or by publishing an advertisement or a call to apply. Here are a few things you need to keep in mind when you write your Call for Candidate (advertisement or listing or even messaging acquaintances).
Your listing must have information about your company and your work culture.
It should have a clear description of the Job title, expectations and responsibilities.
If there is a certain skill set that you require the candidate to have (a software that they need to be well versed with) mention it.
Compensation, perks (if any) and benefits clear.
Before you start the interview procedure, make a list of EVERYTHING you expect the person to do for you. Time yourself doing the stuff and multiply it by 1.5 (you have been doing it for a while so you're obviously faster). That will be the time required for them to finish the tasks. Then multiply by the current hourly rate that is popular in your industry in your region. Check with a few friends who do what you do or similar work. That should be the compensation you should be willing to pay the person. Be ready to negotiate a little. When I employed my first assistant, I told her, "You work on the salary that I say for a month. After that if you do the work like the way I want, I will pay you the salary that you want!" It worked remarkably! I got to know how efficient she was and she got to know how much work there was actually to be done here.

How do you know who is right for you?


My best suggestion when it comes to hiring employees is to let them do the talking at the interview. Ask them enough questions to get them talking. Do not waste your time on rhetoric questions. Ask open ended questions that will get them speaking. Their manner of speaking, the words they choose as well as their knowledge will all tell you if they are the right person for you. If you are hiring for a skilled job, you can ask them to bring along something that shows off their skills. Even better, you can ask them to demonstrate their skills. Make sure you explain all the responsibilities to them. There should be no surprises later.
Like you expect to get the best person to do your job, you should also be the best employer for your new recruit. How can you do this? Pay well. You want the best work, they want the best pay. A little generosity will get a lot done. But do not overdo it, or your employee will expect the same.

How to help your new employee settle in?


It is essential for both you and your new hire that you help them settle into their new role in your team. Here are a few ideas to help you do that.


Show them around. Show them where they will be working. Where the coffee machine (or the pantry) is. Where the toilet is. Show them everything they will be using.
Introduce them to your team. Introduce them to everyone else who works for you. As you do this make their designation and role clear so that those who will be working directly with them are aware of their position.
Give them a few days to get the hang of how things work. Assign them a work-buddy if you can.
Be friendly. Check in with them regularly to ask if they have any concerns.
Define their responsibilities clearly. Do not keep anything ambiguous There are a few ways you can make their experience better.


I suggest a rewards system. I use this even for my maids at home. If they complete all of their allotted work in the month and do not take a single holiday, I give them a 10% Bonus! That way they are motivated to not take a holiday.
You can also tie in some non-monetary rewards. Every year, in Navaratri, I send all my domestic staff to Kolhapur to visit the Mahalaxmi temple. It means a lot to the women in Maharashtra and they really appreciate it. I also invite them to lunch on one of the days. They totally enjoy it! Be innovative with your ideas! Do small things everyday that will help you connect to them.
Remember their birthdays. Remember their children's names. Inquire about their health when they seem a little off. Ask them how they feel about their work. If you find them excelling in their work, ask them if they would be willing to take on more duties.

How to fire an employee?


Sometimes everyone does everything right yet things dont work out and you have to tell your employee to leave. I personally find this to be the most difficult task. I have pushed through with an unfavorable employee for over 8 months because I did not know how to tell her that she was not the right fit for my studio!
Here are a few things that can help you. The first would be to give regular performance feedback. Even if you have only one employee, get into the habit of having a monthly performance meeting. It does not have to be formal. Just sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about how they are performing. Are they working up to your expectations? Are there any changes that they need to do? Keep the conversation light and friendly and you will avoid a lot of uncomfortable situations. Firmly, but gracefully, show them areas where they need to work on. And at the next meeting give them an evaluation. If the offence is repeated over and over - warn them in no uncertain words that it might result in their termination.
Once you have decided to terminate someone, be very clear when you talk to them. Tell them that they have been terminated and their duties are no longer required. Tell them when they are expected to leave the premises and make sure that they do. If possible, previously pack their things into a box or a bag and keep them ready for them to take when they leave. That way you can be assured that they are not leaving with any of your important tools or documents.
Firing will be stressful for them as well as for you. So keep yourself calm and avoid raising your voice. There is no point in arguing with someone when you know they will not be working for you again. Assure them (if they have not committed any offence like theft or damage to property) that you will give them a letter (or word) of recommendation if they require it.


I'm hoping that my article will be useful to you. How many employees do you have in your business? Who was your first hire? Have you ever fired anyone of them?

Business bestie: Who? Why? How? What?

We have all grown up with BFFs (Best Friends Forever). Your BFFs might have changed over the years or stayed the same. It does not matter. Having that one friend (or many) to have your back means a lot! You share everything with them. Your successes and failures! Your hopes and dreams! E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.






Sometimes, your best friend is not an entrepreneur like you. So even though they try to understand your situation, their point of view and their solutions might not be the ones you are looking for!

What do you do at such times? Who do you talk to regarding achievements, goals and successes in your business? An ideal situation would be having a Business Bestie!
When I speak of Business Besties, a lot of questions come to your mind. Who is a business besties? Why do I need one? How do I find her? What do we do when we are together? Keep reading to get answers for all of these questions!!!

WHO is a Business Bestie?



Sometimes when we are overwhelmed in our business, we end up cursing ourselves for creating the mess we got ourselves into. That is when we start having doubts about our capability! We need just one person who swoops in at that time and offers us something we need - a word of encouragement, a sympathetic ear or an ability to make us look at ourselves in a more positive manner! That is a Business Bestie. They are the first people we go to when we have that brilliant million dollar idea! They are the ones that we go to when we think we have failed miserably! They are the ones who have our back, share our work, give us tough love when we need it and offer advice that we respect. They are like BFFs but for our business. More often than not, the relationship between Business Besties is much more than just business! They know so much about each other! They are a part of our lives, sometimes much more than our families!

WHY do you need a Business Bestie?



Here are a few reasons why I think you need a business bestie.

They love and support you. They will love you through your failure and your successes. They will support every decision you make. They will help you get over your mental blocks and move on towards a successful business! Just like your best friend extends you full support in spite of anything! Just like she might curse you when you are alone but with fight like a wild cat if anyone else says the same things as she says, your Business Bestie will point out your shortcomings to you, but will support you and your business before anyone else!
They share your work. You do not need to even ask them to do that. Every time you create something new, your Business Bestie is the first to share! They are the ones whom you talked to before you created your stuff so they know it as much as you do and can talk about it with confidence.
They give you a kick in the butt if needed. If you are being an ass, they will let you know and will not hesitate in bringing you back on track. They will tell you when you are doing it wrong. They will reason with you. they will try to explain it to you. And if you still do not understand, they will be ready to kick you in the butt!
They inspire you to do better. They are the ones whom you do not want to let down. They constantly know the right things to say and do to keep you motivated. Just like when you were kids, you worked hard at studies because your results pleased your parents, you work hard in your business to please your Bestie! Not because she is someone to be pleased; but because you value her pleasure as much as you valued your parents' happiness.
They understand your business woes. They have worked on the ideas of your business as much as you have and they understand exactly what you're going through. You can share any troubles with them and they will help you overcome them and find solutions - that work!!!
They will give you honest feedback. They will definitely give you an honest feedback. You can depend on them to tell you if your product is overpriced or if the combination that you are working on will not work!
Remember, having a Business Bestie is not a one way track! You will have to do the same things as they do for you if you want it to work! So unless you're ready to put in the same amount of efforts in HONESTLY helping someone grown their own business, do not expect them to do that for you. If you feel you cannot do it, or you do not have the time to invest in that kind of relationship, opt for a business coach! They will charge you a fee to do all these things!


HOW can you find a business bestie?



The first option would be to look at all your existing friends. Is there someone who is also running a business? She might not run a business similar to yours, but as long as she runs one, you surely can become Business Besties. You already have that connection and trust in your relationship. Becoming Business Besties is the natural next step.
The next place to look would be a community of women entrepreneurs. Be it your local community or an online one. A good option would be to pay a visit to a local business that is run by a woman and introduce yourself and get acquainted. Just talking about what you do with others, helps you in building your 'tribe'. Will you be Business Besties with all women that you meet like this? NO But you will have a tribe! A common group to come to in case you need anything. Maybe one of them will become your Business Bestie, but it wont happen overnight! This relationship needs trust. And that has to be built!
What if you do not have a local community of women entrepreneurs? BUILD IT! You can always take the first step to build what you want! Start by visiting your local exhibitions and craft fairs. Better still, if your business will be helped by it, book a stall. Connect with other women who are running businesses and then develop a relationship beyond the exhibition or fair. Once you get to know them, start promoting them - WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING in return! Just promote them. Compliment them on things done well. They will start reciprocating your actions soon and in no time will you have a roaring network of women who support you! But remember - TAKE THE FIRST STEP!
As your relationship with your fellow women entrepreneurs develops, get to know them better. Meet regularly and start discussing your business with them. Start by discussing common problems and issues that all of you face. It will help in breaking the ice and women will feel safer to share. Be the first to offer solutions. Get them to trust you. Be a leader. After regular interactions with your group, you will realize you connect with some of them more than the others. Let your friendship grow naturally. And you will have your Business Bestie!WHAT do you do when you have a business bestie?



Now that you have your Business Bestie, we come to the next question - WHAT next? I highly recommend meeting regularly. If you are in the same town, meet up for coffee every week. Make it a habit of keeping one day of the week aside for your Business Bestie. If you live far away or meeting up every week is not practical, make it a point to talk to each other often. I call Kausalya almost every day! We talk about a lot of things related to both of our businesses. The ideas that we have. The problems we're facing. The success we have achieved. She is sometimes the first to know about my achievement even before my husband knows! Staying in touch is the key here - regularly.


One thing that is super essential for a Business Bestie relation to work is that you should not feel insecure. You should NOT look at her as competition even if you are in the same business. There is enough room for both of you to grow, and some more! You need to trust the other person to make this work. You need to be honest with them.


Here are some topics that you can discuss when you meet, if you do not know where to start :

Ideas for growth of businesses
Struggles you are facing
Recommendations
Upcoming events and how you can help each other
Requirements in your business
Work-life balance
Promotion of products or events for each other
Financial advice
Feedback about products and services
Anything else that is bugging you!
And you can always gossip about that one woman who is a pain in the a*% for both of you!!!

Do you already have a business bestie? Or is your childhood friend also your business bestie? What do you two do when you are together? Did you find my tips useful? Do leave me a note in the comments.

Self doubt : How to tackle it and turn it around?

Do you have a big idea that has been brewing in your mind, but you have not felt confident enough to actually go through with it? There something holding you back. That little voice telling you that your idea might not be as brilliant after all!
That, my friend, is “Self-doubt”






It can poke it’s head up in the best of times. You have been working hard on your idea; researching, designing, even making it. And then as you start getting ready to share it, something happens, inside you. A little voice from somewhere starts talking to you. It usually starts with, “But…” And then your thoughts spiral right out of control.
But, is it really that good?
But, will it really work?
But, is it really worth it?
But, am I really capable?
It’s not easy to stop. The butterflies in your stomach start making you queasy and you just feel like giving up altogether.
Today I am going to tell you how to tackle the beast that self-doubt is. Together we will slay it and tame it to make it work for us.



Accept it. It is very essential to sit down and accept that you are having doubts. You might want to just push it away and keep working, but I do not recommend that. The more you push away your doubts, the stronger they get. Denying them will only delay the inevitable and then when it rears it’s head, the time might be the most inconvenient and if you are not strong enough to push through, it might even end up making much more damage. I would suggest taking some time off and acknowledging your doubts. It’s like you are telling your mind, “Hey, I am listening to you”.
Scan them. Scan every doubt you have thoroughly. See if there are any valid ones. If it were a friend of yours in your place and they came to you with these self-doubts, what would you tell them? Put a little distance between yourself and the doubts and look at them to check their validity. Discard aside the ones that are unjustified. If you find yourself questioning your capacity, try to think impartially about it. Are you really unqualified to do it? You do not need a formal education. You need desire and clarity. Do you have it? It helps to go back to your why at such times. Why did you start thinking about it in the first place?
Search solutions. If you were presenting a paper and someone asked you questions at the end would you not take time to defend your ideas? Do the same here. I love writing down my doubts and then kind-of arguing them on the paper. It helps put things in perspective and it also helps me better my product or presentation. Find solutions for each doubt that you have. If I feel that my quilts might not sell if I only use imported fabric to make them, I know it is a valid doubt. It will make them costlier. I can then work out if I can use a combination of Indian and imported fabrics to make them more affordable.
Be prepared. The biggest self-doubt is the fear of failing. Imagine what will happen if you fail. It is not always the worst thing. Even if you fail at what you are doing, there is always something else that you can do. Decide what you will do in case of the worst case scenario. You’ve prepared a bunch of bags to sell online and no one buys them. What can you do? Well, you can always gift them to your friends and family on their birthdays and special occasions. That will save you money and you will get some constructive criticism so that you can find out why it happened. Once you have gone through these steps, you will realize that you are more than ready to go ahead with your idea, without an ounce of self-doubt. There will be hurdles, there will be times when you hear that little voice come back and tell you “I told you so” but now you will be prepared to deal with any situation that arises and make the most of it.

Are you ready to tackle your self-doubts and slay your goals?

Why did your goal fail?

How often have you set goals and worked hard to achieve them and yet, have faced failure? I have. Many times. There are many instances where I have worked hard a diligently, but it has got me absolutely nowhere.




When I spent a little time thinking about why it happened, it also made me realize what I could do to change it and achieve success with my next one. Today I’m going to focus on 3 most common reasons I saw recurring in my own failures.
Unrealistic estimation. I realized that I always over or under-estimated myself. When I look at what I can do in a day, I usually over-estimate myself. I put too many things on my list and end up feeling bad when I cannot check them off. I make a to-do list and mentally make up the deadlines throughout the day. It will take me an hour to write a blog post and then 10 more minutes to edit the required images. In reality, it takes me close to 90 minutes just to get started before I decide the tone is all wrong and I just press Ctrl+A and delete! So at the end of 3 hours, I am done with the writing, but need another 90 minutes to find the right images and another 90 to edit them. Now when I look at the clock and see that the whole day went by and I did not complete the 4 other blog posts I was supposed to finish today, I get deflated and just give up altogether. When I think of my business growth, I realize I usually under-estimate myself. More often than not, I am much beyond my own personal growth goals by the end of the year. I did find a great solution for this problem. Now I think with a timeline of one week / month/ quarter. I do not set daily goals; I rather choose my focus for the week to achieve monthly goals. If I do not write the blog posts on time, I can always back-date them! On my CEO day, as I like to call it, which is the first Wednesday of every month, I take time to make a list of topics I would like to write about on my blog. This is usually a very rough framework and my focus is on writing 3 posts a week. I just make a list of topics against the dates in my bullet journal. I then spend at least 90 minutes every day writing about any topic that appeals to me THAT day or time. Sometimes, I just find my mo-jo and write 5 posts in an evening. Sometimes, I struggle through the introduction. But my goal is usually achieved and I have 12 posts posted on my blog in a month. I also usually work in advance. So while you are reading this in May, I am already working on my June posts.
Not believing in myself. A lot of times, I have set goals, especially when it comes to financial ones, and failed at them because deep in my mind I have believed that I don’t deserve it. I have been working on my mind-blocks and I think I am getting over them. It is a struggle. I need to remind myself that I am worthy! I am as valuable. I find that while I do not struggle to price my physical goods – the quilts I make or the in-person workshops that I take – I do struggle with pricing my online services and feel that I have over-priced them. I had a really hard time pricing my eBook. While I made a lot of sales at the $24.99 price, I had to struggle to remind myself that it isn’t about how much I have spent to write it, but about the value of the content that I am offering. Now I just think if I would pay that amount for the item if I had the money and needed it. It usually helps me price my products and services better and also boosts my self-esteem.
Not having a plan. Before reading about the concept of SMART goals, I had totally no idea what I was doing. I was randomly deciding things like I want to grow my business or I want to earn more money but had no clarity or means to measure them. I researched a lot of goal setting techniques and then came up with my own which, since then, has worked flawlessly for me. You can join the masterclass that I am teaching to learn the technique that I have developed from my experience. Believe me, it works. To sign up, you can just email me.Do you also struggle with achieving your goals? Have you ever thought about the WHY? How can knowing the reasons help you? Did you find my tips helpful? Do you have one of your own? I would love to know. Just drop me a line in the comments section below.

Every business has an ideal or dream client in their mind when they start. Do you know who your dream client is? How will knowing them help you grow your business?

When I first heard about profiling my dream client, the first thought that came to my mind was - okay, but I have just started and I want to sell to as many people as I can; so how can I narrow down to just one person as my dream client?
But then gradually I realized, I can sell to as many people as I want to, but I will design for my dream client. I will speak their language. I will be at the places where they are. I will appeal to them. And that helped me grown my business manyfold. I went from zero customers to being the busiest booth at the local craft fair. I went from being an unknown quilter in a quaint little town in India to a Brand Ambassador for three leading companies in the Quilting world!
How did I do that? I created my dream client profile and started speaking to them.
Do you want to create your Dream Client profile? Take a piece of paper and imagine who is it that you want to buy your products. You might have made thousands of sales by now or maybe this is your first product. It does not matter. When you made your product, who was in your mind as the end user? You can even use an existing customer if you think they are the ideal customer for you. Now answer the following questions about them.
What is their gender?
How old are they?
Where do they live?
Are they single or married?
Do they have a family?
What does their family look like?
What is their occupation?
What is their yearly income?
How does their regular day look like?
How do they best like to stay in touch?
What are the places that they frequent regularly?
What are their hobbies?
Are they a part of any groups or social circles?
Where do they hang out with family?
Where do they hang out with friends?
What are their favorite magazines?
What is their favorite social media platform?
What are their top 10 favorite accounts on that social media?
Do they read blogs? Write their 5 favorite ones.
What are their favorite shopping places?
What are their favorite online shopping places?
Who do they idolize?
Where do they spend their vacations?
What do they consider or think about before they buy anything?
What do they consider or think about before they buy from you?
What is the most important thing for them in life?
What is the most important criteria for them when they are buying products that you make?
You can add as many question to this as you want to make the picture so clear that you can go into a crowded space and pick your ideal client just by looking at them.
How will this help you in your business?
1. It will help you design better products. Now that you know what your dream client wants, it will be easier to design products by taking their needs and likes into consideration.
2. It will help you write product descriptions. Knowing what they consider before buying your product, will help you word your product descriptions so that their requirements are addressed and communicated.
3. It will help you to directly talk to your dream client. You know what they read and enjoy, so you can also read what they are reading and make sure that your language is similar so that your products will appeal to them.
4. It will help you be in the right places. It will help you be in the places that they frequent so that your product gets the maximum visibility.
5. It will help you target ads. If you have ever used targeted ads on social media you will know how much knowing in detail about your ideal client will help you target the ads to a smaller percentage and increasing the conversion rate.
5. It will help your business grow. An ideal customer profile can do wonderful for your business. As you start speaking to them, your following will gradually start filling with people who roughly match that profile. So every product you make will look like it is custom-made for them. Customer satisfaction will skyrocket and so will your business.
Remember that by creating your ideal client profile you are not excluding those who do not fit it, but you are attracting those clients that make you happy to serve.
Do you already have a client that fits in your ideal client profile? Or are you working on an imaginary one. Do let me know how ideal client profiling helps you in your business.

Creating your routine

We all know the importance of creating a routine and sticking to it helps us increase our productivity.  I myself have benefited from it immensely. So today I am going to help you create a routine.

 Before I teach you how to create a routine for yourself, I want to first highlight why having a routine is essential to me.

1. It gives me a sense of security. When I have a set routine that I follow every day, I am not stressed with the fear of the unknown. Knowing that the day is not going to bring any (big) surprises helps me stay calm and focused on my tasks.
2. I get more done. I know that I have a limited time allotted to the  task on hand and that helps me focus my complete attention on it without giving any scope for distractions. The end result is that I get a lot more done in a lot less time.
3. My work is better. I don’t multi-task. I am not sending out email as I prepare breakfast while also getting my son’s homework done while I catch up with my husband. This keeps my mind sane and the people around me get my complete attention when they are with me. 
4. I don’t put off tasks. I find it easier to just go with the flow and complete the task than put it off. It restricts my procrastination (though it does creep into some other parts of my day) and I get most of my important tasks done. It feels really good to be ticking off stuff from my list!

Now that you know why I love having a routine, let me tell you what mine looks like. I am a morning person and so my day begins very early. I love those couple of hours to myself, while the rest of the house is fast asleep!

04.15 am to 04.30 am : Wake up, brush & freshen up

04.30 am to 05.30 am : Exercise & Meditate

05.30 am to 06.00 am : Tea and journaling

06.00 am to 07.30 am : Work – Client work.

07.30 am to 08.30 am : Work - Blogs, emails etc

08.30 am to 09.00 am : Personal grooming

09.00 am to 10.15 am : Breakfast with the boys and quick chores around the house.

10.15 am to 10.30 am : Get desk ready.

10.30 am to 02.00 pm : Office Work (my day job)

02.00 pm to 03.00 pm : Lunch

02.00 pm to 06.00 pm : Office Work (my day job)

06.00 pm to 08.00 pm : Chores around house, Errands etc

08.00 pm to 08.30 pm : Prep table for Dinner, bath etc 

08.30 pm to 09.00 pm : Dinner

09.00 pm to 10.00 pm : Winding down, TV, catching up with my boys etc.

10.00 pm – Time for BED! (though on some days I’m crawling into bed by 9.30 itself)

When you glance at it, it does not look like too much. And believe me, it is not. I have maids who do the cleaning around the house and cook food. I get a good six  to seven hours of sleep which works really well for me. I do not set an alarm on Sundays and wake up whenever I feel like. Even then, I’m usually up by 6 to 7 am.

How did I come up with this routine? It has evolved over years and keeps on changing along with my phase of life. It varies on Saturdays and days that my son does not go to school because we like to spend more time together on those days. In the lockdown, when I did not have maids, it looked drastically different.

Now let me tell you how you can build your own routine!

Make a list. Actually, make 3.

• First, the non-negotiables. These are things that have to be get done around the house every day.
• Next, the add-ons, things that would be extras but you would like  them to get done in the day, preferably everyday or maybe weekly or even less frequently to keep your house running smoothly. Do not forget to write the frequency you would like to do them.
• And last, but not the least, your dreams, things that will make you happy when they are done! I know this list is going to be a long one.

The first time I made mine, it was about seven pages long! Include tasks that are being done by someone else at the moment. This is your master list of tasks that need to be done to help your house run smoothly. I prefer making a separate list for work and home. I feel it becomes easier to handle it that way.

Allot time. How much time does it take to complete each task? Just take a pen and write against the list. If there is someone else doing the task, write their name and strike-through the task (you should be able to read it). At the end of this step, you should have a list with just the tasks that need to be done by you!

Delegate. Look at your list and mark the tasks that are for you that you can further delegate to someone else.

• Maybe your son is old enough to sort the laundry – go right ahead and delegate it to him.
• Maybe your husband will be able get your children ready for school while you take care of breakfast. Ask them.
• There might be tasks on the list that might look like a total waste of your time. See if you can hire help for those. In India, we have household help in most of the houses. So most of the cleaning chores like sweeping, mopping and usually the dishes too are done by the maids. See if you can hire someone to do these tasks for you.

Categorize. 

• Now take your final task list and categorise it according to frequency.
• Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half-yearly and Yearly.
• Once again, put the time required for each task against it so you know exactly how much time you need to allot to it.
• Take each category and further sub-categorise it according to the areas of work. Eg. Household Chores, Cooking, Errands, Maintenance and Planning could be your sub-categories for your home. This sub-categorisation will help you club like tasks together so that you save time hopping between them.

Mark it in your Calendar. 

• Download the blank calendar I have created for you.
• Print it out and start marking your tasks in it. I use a pencil so that I can make changes necessary. If you do not want to use a calendar, just make a post-it for each task and move it around.
• Start with the Yearly tasks. Divide them equally among all months. Make sure it is possible to do what you want to do in that month. For now, don't assign a date. Just assign a month.
• Similarly, add the Half-yearly & the quarterly tasks. Make sure that they are all spaced out evenly so that you are not too burdened with them at a time. Remember the time it takes to complete them too. “Wash all curtains” and “Flip the Mattress” are not going to be equal, time-wise.
• Now take the monthly and bi-weekly tasks and start marking them into the calendar (in the next month). Once again, make sure you space them out evenly. Just mark out the weeks you want to do them in.
• Then take the weekly tasks.Take your calendar and open it to the current month, start writing the tasks onto the relevant day starting from the next week. Try to space them out evenly so that you spend roughly the same time doing weekly and bi-weekly tasks everyday.
• After you are done, its now time to  deal with the daily tasks. Take a piece of paper and start writing the tasks from tomorrow that need to be done in the morning. Write the ‘evening’ tasks separately. Other tasks that might be needed to be done in the middle of the day go into a third list. Now you are ready to build your routine.

Build your routine. Take a good hard look at your list of daily tasks divided into morning, afternoon and evening lists.

• Add up the times that you will need to spend in each slot (morning, afternoon & evening). Don’t forget the weekly tasks. You need time for them too.
• Now check your current routine to see if you have that time available to do those tasks. If you have, cool! Mark it in!
• But if you find that the time you have in hand is shorter than the time you need to finish them, think about how to accommodate them. Could you have a shower instead of soaking in the tub? Can you leave for work half an hour late? Or maybe you can move some of the tasks to the evening slot (provided you have time there).
• Pencil in your tentative plan on the daily planner. I keep my daily planner sheet in a plastic sheet protector and any changes I made I can write using a dry erase marker! Sometimes, I write everything using a Frixion (heat reactive ink) pen, so that when I want to change something, I just use an iron or a hair dryer to get rid of all the writing on the paper!

Try out your routine. Try out the routine for at least a week.

• Keep observing how things are working out for you. Do not make any changes in the routine right away. May be it is something that requires getting used to. Just give it time.
• If you cannot keep up with any task for more than three out of seven days, you need to change it.
• Anything less, deserves another chance. Keep making changes to your routine, till you no longer have to look at the sheet everyday.
• Do keep glancing at it once in a while though, so that you do not forget any weekly or monthly or any less frequent tasks.

I usually build up my work routine first, so I know how much time I have to give to it. And then build my personal routine around it. I find that building a routine is something that you need to revisit every few months, especially if there has been a major change in your life - like the lockdown, an illness, change of schedule of the kids etc.

Having a routine helps me go on autopilot without missing the essential tasks that need to be done. It takes out the 'tension' from everyday.

I am sure that building your routine is going to help you in your productivity immensely. Do you have a routine that is working awesome for you? Do you have a tip for our readers that worked for you? 

Goals or Dreams?

 

When we start a business we all have these aspirations. We all tend to imagine what  it would feel to crush our goals and wear the crown of success. But are your aspirations goals that you can achieve or are you just dreaming?

It is easy to think that something that you aspire for is your goal, but in reality, sometimes, it is just a dream. For it to be a goal that you can achieve and get the exhilaration of success, it needs to be a lot more evolved. How can you know whether it is a goal or are you dreaming?

Here are five questions that will answer that :

1. Is it generalised? Something like “I want to earn a lot of money” is generalised. If that is how your aspiration is, it is a dream. For it to be a goal, you should be very specific. “I want to earn a six-figure income every month” is a specific  goal.
2. Are you able to determine its value? Can you measure it? Is there any scale that you can use to measure how far you have come? No? then it is a dream. “I want to loose weight” is a dream but “I want to loose fifty pounds” is a measurable goal.
3. Is it realistically possible to achieve? You know yourself better than anyone else. Is you goal practically achievable? This is an essential but frequently overlooked question. Think about your limits – inner as well as outer – and then decide whether it is a practically achievable goal. “I want to climb Mount Everest” is not a goal for a couch potato, but “I want to go hiking on that local mountain trail” is an achievable goal.
4. Is it in line with your big picture? You should not have a dream just because everyone else is trying to do it. If you want to help the underprivileged, “Introducing costly courses” would be a dream, whereas “Offering freebies” would be a relatable goal.
5. Does it have a timeline? Do you have a fixed end date in sight to achieve what you want to achieve? “Some day I will travel to Europe” would be a dream, but “I will visit London in the next 3 years” will be a time-bound goal.

The questions that I asked above are nothing but determining if your aspirations are SMART goals.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relatable

T – Time-bound

Once you have asked yourself the above questions, it will be easy to modify your dream into a SMART goal and create a road map to work towards achieving it. 

What does your dream look like now that you have made it into a SMART goal?

Changing directions in your career

Do you feel stuck in your career? Do you feel like you need a change of direction? Do you want to do something new but are scared that you might not be able to go through with it? Today’s article will help you take that decision. 

If you feel like you are stuck or tied up, believe me, I can understand. I have seen many people facing that situation when it comes to the careers they have chosen. 

I have been there myself too. I was working as an architect, when I discovered quilting on a sabbatical. but it took me five years to be sure that I wanted to actually make it into a career. Since then I have grown as a quilter. But recently I discovered that my main passion was to help others find their passion. And that led me to starting dobedobedo!!!

I help people to convert their passions to their careers. And being stuck is a very common situation that I see in the process. You feel you want to do something other than what they are doing at the time. But you are afraid to take the leap. And rightfully so. Sometimes, it might not be the most ideal situation. Especially if your career is helping you take up important financial responsibilities at home. 

So how do you know if you are ready? And what should you do to make the change smooth?

1. Step back and look again. The first thing you need to do is to step back and look at it from a different perspective. Sometimes the solution to your problem is not a change in career but something else within your life. Sometimes you are just plain bored. And a change of direction in career will not help you deal with it for a long time. You will get bored again. I highly recommend consulting a career coach (me!) at this time. I can help you analyse your strengths and come up with the decision. Changing a career is a big deal. So think it through before you take the leap. And once you are ready, give it all you have.

2. Be prepared for change. A lot is going to change when you change careers. Your income, your lifestyle, your routine even your stress levels. Be ready for the changes that this is going to bring. If it means leaving a well-paying job to start a business, get used to saving more money even before you actually put in your notice. If it means getting up early, start getting up early right now! Be prepared to feel rotten for a while. Our mind and body does not accept change easily. Give it enough time to adjust.

3. Visualise what you want. Create a picture of what you want your career to be like. Close your eyes at least once every day and imagine. Run a movie before your eyes of the life that could be yours after you make the change. Observe your reactions and feelings. Do you feel scared? Terrified? Feeling a little scared is okay, its even good – it helps you stay alert. Btu if you are downright terrified and that feeling in your stomach is not going away, you need to rethink your decision.

4. Do a trial run. If you are planning on starting a new business, I would highly recommend doing a trial run. You can work weekends on your new business while you still work your 9-to-5. If you plan on starting an online shop, I recommend making a few items and trying to sell them on Etsy first. Think of this like trying on clothes when you are shopping. You want to make sure that not just it fits, but it does not pinch you anywhere and that you are comfortable in it. 

5. Define your goals. Now that you’re sure what you want. Define your goals clearly. Be precise in your goal setting. Make sure you know clearly what you expect – only then can you start making it happen. Look at the big picture. Make sure all your intermediate goals are in alignment with your big picture.

6. Create a plan of action. Now that you have defined your goals, make an extensive list of things that will help you achieve them. Write every little one that you can think of. Make the plan as detailed as you can – it will make things easier for you. This, again, is a wonderful time to consult a career coach. Just drop me an email if you want me to help you do it. 

I hope my ideas will help you take your decision and make the change in your careers smooth!