Just let girls be girls — in all their wonderful and varied forms
Recently when congratulating my friend on her wedding anniversary, I was telling her how different she looked in her wedding photos. At the same time, I was also telling her how I have always been a tomboy. And how on my wedding day, so many people were surprised to see me in my wedding attire, just because they were not used to seeing me dressed up.
I then stopped in my tracks.
I had called myself a tomboy when I disliked other people calling me that (at least after my teens) Was it my instinctive bias that made me do so? …
Yes, I chose the number 7 because of my craze for Harry Potter
I have been a book lover for as long as I can remember.
I started reading books at the early age of 6, a habit I can proudly say has been continuing till now. I read children’s short stories during my pre-teen years — stories from Indian Mythology, and comics, while Harry Potter, Enid Blyton, and Agatha Christie filled my teenage years. As an adult, I still read a lot of fiction and try to read as many genres as possible.
My relationship with books has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Through all these years, I have noticed certain aspects or emotions only a book lover can understand. …
It is time to build the life you want with the time you have got
“We don’t build the lives we want by saving time. We build the lives we want, and time saves itself” — Laura Vanderkam
Four months back, I remember staring at the growing pile of my to-do lists. Cleaning up the house, buy groceries, finish the development object for work, call parents and grandparents, finish writing an article…the list never ended.
The only direction in which my thoughts went was, “There is so much to do, and no time!”. I was tired, blank (in the head) and just wanted to sleep. So I did. For 12 hours straight. That is when I decided that things needed to change. …
FEMINISM
Stop calling women “aggressive” and “bossy” when they are being assertive
“Women get interrupted a lot, or people talk over them. I think there is an element that happens in the workplace where we actually condition women not to speak,”
— Nicola Mendelsohn, vice-president of Facebook and the most powerful British woman in the tech industry
Have you ever been in situations where someone in your personal or professional life, has called you “bratty” or “bossy” for being assertive? For letting others know what is in your mind? Or for being very clear with your expectations and not changing your decision for others?
We live in a patriarchal society where most of the industries are still male-dominated. I have never faced any discriminative treatment myself. But, I have so many female friends who have complained about the same to me. …
#4. Deals are 2-way streets — It is not always about money
I have been watching Shark Tank for some time now. Especially since the lockdown, when I came across the show while browsing on the TV.
For those of you who are not familiar, Shark Tank is an American business TV show which started in 2009. Small business entrepreneurs from all around the world pitch their idea/business model to a panel of investors (5 “sharks”) and persuade them to invest money in their idea — to turn their dreams into million-dollar realities.
The sharks who are the panelists in the 11th season are Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec and Daymond John. …
I was on a call with one of my friends from school sometime back. It had been ages since we spoke and thought of catching up with each other after some infrequent texting which lasted over the years.
It was during that conversation that I realised that, we had become different individuals altogether. Her ideologies and what she wanted from her life were not wrong, and I am no one to judge that for sure. They were just a far cry from my own.
This got me to thinking. We were pretty close when we were young. What had changed? Had we changed so much that we had such substantial differences in our core beliefs? …
“Pussy” should be used to call warriors (as a compliment) and not as a derogatory term
Many of us (including me) have been using some sexist words/comments for years, without realising that they were sexist. We never realised the meaning of the words and where they came from. We took our language for granted. At least I did.
Thus now when I am looking back at all those instances where I used some below mentioned words with no regret, I am filled with shame. Shame for the society in which I grew up in, and shame for the society which promoted such words.
All of us know that most of our societies around the world (actually all of them) are patriarchal. This, unfortunately, is reflecting on our language too. English is a language which is filled with sexist words. But with time, it becomes necessary to change. It becomes necessary to understand the meaning and origin of such derogatory words and stop using them. Probably remove them from the dictionary too, because they are pulling our society down. …
Use the “Thought Box” exercise to come out of the cycle
Dedicating a specific time to overthink? Who does that? Sounds too complicated! Can we exercise our brain that much?
These were the questions that plagued my brain when I came across this exercise, but when I practised the same, I saw wonders. I also realised, how much time I used to spend overthinking in my day-to-day life.
What is Overthinking?
The typical definition is, “to think about something too much for too long”. While thinking through the decisions we make is normal behaviour, thinking too much about your decisions where your negative thoughts consume you is called overthinking.
Overthinking any decision might push you towards not taking that decision at all. Since you become too afraid of the negative consequences of deciding and executing the same. The practice also causes health problems in the long run by increasing your stress levels and making your judgement cloudy. …
My writing journey started when I was 13 years old. I had got so inspired with Harry Potter, that even I wanted to become a “writer”. This resulted in me starting my first book… and not finishing it. It ended up becoming, an exact replica of Harry Potter with names and places changed :)
Over time, I became an “inspired” writer. I used to pen down my thoughts and emotions when it hit me. Not regular journaling, but occasional writing. If you know what I mean.
I was never used to forcing myself to sit down and write.
When COVID hit, like millions of others, I also began the “search” for my passion. This was also the time I got to know about Medium, and the platform reignited the passion I had for the craft. Getting to know this wonderful platform was pure luck. I started with no followers, no writing background, and on an empty page. Nothing other than my thoughts and experiences, which I wanted to share with the world. …
The day you left was the only time I had cried for a teacher
Hi Ma’am,
It has been so long since I last saw you (about 9 years), but your kind face and smile are still etched in my memory. Thank you, ma’am. Thank you for making me love a subject so much, that I went crazy about it.
I had always loved math no doubt. The passion my mother had for math was passed on to me, I guess (she had done post grad in mathematics). But it was you who made me feel passionate about the subject, for which I will always be grateful.
I still remember how you divided the whole class into groups, and each team was to get points when they solved a problem. I had never felt more competitive in my life. I also wanted to impress you :) (a teeny tiny bit). Every time you patted my back for solving a particularly difficult problem, I used to feel so proud! My chest used to swell with pride (felt like I won the Nobel prize or something) every time my team performed the best. …
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