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Lifestyle January 5, 2020

How to pursue your passion with a Full Time Job?

You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

The reason you are drawn to this post is that you have a desire to do what you love, but you do not know how or when.

Money and societal expectations makes our world go round. This is why we see so many people abandoning the things they love doing, for the things that provide a more steady lifestyle.

And, if you are like me you realise after a while what really speaks to your heart.

When you stop doing the things that you love, you bury a part of yourself. You teach yourself to be comfortable in a mediocre and monotonous life. Some of you might love painting, but you give yourself the excuse of time and responsibilities. This numbing of your desire to paint can cause you to not be at your utmost happy self.

From now on, we are going to refer to what you love doing as Bliss.
Not following our bliss in some, or the other way, makes us stray from our purpose, and then we compensate for that by showing off things and relationships to our peers.

It is always our bliss that brings the most happiness and contentment to our life.

These ways have helped me in writing my book ‘Live More: Magic begins with you‘, being the production manager for TMD Storyteller (Production House) and also creating yoga and well-being YouTube channel, Città Space.

So, if you are in a day job and cannot find time to work on your craft or you are already in one profession and trying to make a switch to the other one. Here are some tips, to help you pursue your passion with a full time job.

Question Yourself regarding your passion

1. Find your Motivation

We never give priority to anything, which makes us feel uninspired. Therefore, you need to find a sound reason to reason to work on your passion. Though, the word passion in itself means that you don’t need an additional push to work on it. But, if we are out of touch with our craft, it takes time to get back into the groove and start working towards it.
Find your answers to the following questions:
How do you feel when you are working on your bliss?
Are you a happier person when you are working on your bliss?
Why do you feel the need to pursue it?

Planner with roses and phone. planning schedule for your passion and full time job — Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash

2. Take one day at a time

I would not suggest you to work on it each day if you are beginning after a long time. As it may feel overwhelming, and your excuses may make you give up on it once again. So, if you are only beginning, set aside an hour per week, in which you will be alone with your bliss. Work, read, or learn more about your passion during this one hour.
If you are working on it on and off, but can’t find the time to create something, then, create a reminder which you would be looking at each day. You can use a sticky note and write, Work on ____ today, stick it in a place you visit repeatedly (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or wardrobe).

Giving time to your passion — Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

3. Invest Time

It doesn’t matter how strongly you feel about your passion, it does not help unless you invest time in it. You have to dedicate at least 30 minutes each day to your craft. And, if you think that you do not have those 30 minutes, then put your phone aside, and you will definitely find some. For anything to prosper, you will have to give it time. Treat these 30 minutes as an investment in yourself.

4. Be Consistent

Apart from giving it time, you will have to make sure that you are consistent. You cannot wait until one specific day to do the things you love. It is the same as Exercise the more you work out, the easier it gets for you to give one hour to exercise. Whether you are giving it one hour a day or a week, stay consistent.

5. Educate yourself

Take up an online course, read articles and books to know more about your Bliss. Learning more about your passion opens fascinating possibilities, it helps you sharpen your skills, and it also presents more challenges to your mind. You can enrol in classes if your schedule allows. This learning will further help you in being more confident about yourself.

woman stressed over deadlines from her full time job

6. Avoid pending work from Full-Time Job

You do not want any additional stress when you are managing your passion with regular work. It is necessary to not miss any deadlines or to wait for your deadlines to approach and worry about work, out of your working hours. These are the instances where you can lose your balance between the profession and passion. We need to minimise these situations by being punctual at our full-time job too.

Planning leaves with a calendar for your full time job to make time for your passion

7. Plan your leaves

Since you are in a full-time job and your leaves are accounted for, do not waste them on Monday Blues. Do not take leaves just because you feel like. Instead, build a schedule around your days so that you can utilise your leaves for the days you really need them or spend them with your bliss.

Mindfulness written on a paper — Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

8. Be Present

The essential part of balancing two separate types of work is to be in the moment. Do not think about what you will do in the time you give to your passion while you are at work. Do not think about your Job at the time assigned to your bliss. You may come up with ideas throughout the day, write them down, on your phone or journal, and look at them at the start of the time you dedicate to your Bliss.

Friends talking to each other — Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

9. Share it with Close ones

Share your Bliss with the people close to you and ask them for feedback. Closed ones have an unusual way of reminding us of what we are supposed to do with our time. Even little questions like, “ Hey! How’s the writing going? “ can make a difference. The people close to us can motivate us to work on our desire because, unlike your day job, you do not have a manager or supervisor to tell you what needs to be done or to give you the deadlines.

And so the adventure begins. Now you can pursue your passion with a full time job

10. Start right where you are

We spend so much time thinking that we are not ready enough to start it yet.
Once I get that promotion, I will have more money to pursue my passion.
Once I lose weight, I’ll begin working on my bliss.
As soon as I have more time…
Just start! Go ahead. Start working on the things you have been waiting for.

I hope you find the above tips useful. I have been able to finish a book, with a full time demanding job because of these methods. Let me know the Bliss that you are waiting to work on in the comment section below. If you have more useful tips, let me know.

Do the thing you love the most.

Life December 26, 2019

At my own pace | A year in Review

While the end of the year is the most beautiful of all; Sometimes, it brings along melancholy, a feeling that the whole year has gone by and you haven’t done anything significant. Maybe there are many resolutions still undone on your list. It can feel heavy and uninspiring.

2019 has been an overwhelming and in-comprehensive year.

Believe it or not, you have had many learning experiences in 2019. It may not be as great you thought, but you moved ahead.

I have a bad habit of rushing things. Until I don’t get the prominent things on my list done, I feel as if I haven’t done anything.

If I look back, on the surface, nothing really changed. But, if I look again and be more thoughtful, then a lot of things did.

(I’ll have to check my phone, for the record it has maintained during 2019)

I think that was a bad idea, as I could only find pics of various weddings I attended this year.

Let’s try again.

I shifted to a healthier lifestyle, I am now more aware of the nutrition my body needs.

Before this, I was more concerned about calories and maintaining weight; But now, I am more thoughtful about nutrition intake because I can see a shift in energy levels and overall health.

I started working on TMD Storyteller and Citta Space.

These two projects took most of the time of 2019. TMD Storyteller is a production house that brings life to the stories by turning them into movies, and Città Space is an initiative we started to promote wellbeing by yoga and meditation.

Next, I met amazing people and learned a little more about life.

It is amazing how every person you meet leaves some impact on you and alters the way you see life. To me, every person is a lesson and a part of our reflection. I met this amazing mother who works hard for herself and also focuses on the acting career of her two kids, and she has just started a new business, hats off to the time management skills. I met people who made me want to read more, learn more and express myself in different ways.

Felt super confident, doubtful, anxious and confident again.

Questioned my decisions, worried about the future, thought I will never get out of this, found serenity and balance again.

It was a rollercoaster, I have always been socially anxious and I do not enjoy public gatherings as much until they are with the people that I adore. Well in 2017, I learned that it is fun to meet new people and learn about their lives. But, when it comes to large gatherings and parties, I always have a hard time making the small talk, and this year was all about that because of WEDDINGS!!!! And, I felt as if I have no time for myself because of all this. Also, the project at my office was time-consuming and challenging. I started using a second bullet journal (I have two now), which makes it much simpler to get my mind together.

I decided to not be so hard on myself regarding timelines.

Had my highs and my lows like everyone else. This year was beautiful, and as it is ending, it is teaching me something new,

A new way of letting things go.

Each year brings its lessons, and to make space for the new ones, we have to let go of the things which are not serving us anymore. Feeling pain is part of my life, but holding on to that is a choice.

One thing that I am doing this year is, letting go of all the self-doubt, worries, and resentment I held on to this year, let New year bring the new ones (>_<).

It is not that the next year will be free of worries and hurt, but I will be happier with the new ones instead of digging up for the older ones. We can’t go much further emotionally without addressing the things which are still bothering us from the past. As it always the same lesson wrapped in a different color than before.

There are a few resolutions that I am still working on, and I will have to move them to 2020, but I am closer than I was before.

Rather than giving myself a timestamp of getting things done, I am working towards a more sustainable way of doing things. Where I can stay consistent and healthily work on my goals, not under the pressure of time is running out.

a carefree girl in field. — Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

If you feel that you have been missed this year completely, or got nothing done, take a good look, you might have received things or lessons to help you through it.

Lifestyle October 1, 2019

5 Things to Stop doing after Waking Up

Mornings are full of people trying to go to their workouts, jobs, and preparing for the day. No doubt that all this is not easy to accomplish in the first few hours of the day, we all need more time, right?

Mornings are supposed to be a fresh start, but many of us do not understand the importance of this time. The first hour of our day determines how the rest of the day is going to play out.

If you would have noticed, when you wake up in a rush to get things done, the whole day feels rushed out and similarly and when you wake up with worries the remaining day feels heavier.

Not acknowledging the first hour of the day is like taking life for granted.

Here are 5 things you need to stop doing in the first 15 mins of your day

1. Stop Scrolling

This is a big one, we are so habitual of looking at our phones that as soon as our day starts our social media life begins. This is unhealthy on so many levels. The first thing you want to do is to look at what others have posted? This increases our chances of being anxious through the rest of the day.

2. Stop with your task list

Yes, you are busy and do not have much time to waste but breathe for a while before taking on to the next thing. This builds up the pressure to get things done too soon through the day.

3. Stop Worrying

Do I have to mention this one? Why can we not take the new day as it is, New! We have such a reserve of worries which are half processed through the night that we start worrying as soon as we get up.

4. Stop being Negative

This is a powerful time to manifest, visualise, or to set intentions for the day do not cause yourself harm by being negative.

5. Don’t get involved in the drama

Well, there are phases, when a lot is going on in our lives or in the lives of people close to us. Sometimes, we are the compassionate listener and the other times we are ones discussing our problems. However, do not approach these issues in the first few mins of your day. No drama is more valuable than your mental health.

Though these practices are very easy, we often forget to implement them in our lives. If you are performing any of the above, I hope you find your way to work on it as your mental health and happiness comes first.

Your energy in the morning is a clean slate, and you get a chance each day to build it up the way you want.

I like to start my mornings by waking up to my favourite songs, stretching and paying gratitude to the universe each day. I like to stay quiet and not engage in conversations in the first 30 mins of the day. During this time, I prefer to have green tea, lime water or apple cider vinegar. This helps me in staying calm and think more clearly throughout the day.

Well that was my morning routine, what are things that help you in starting your mornings on the right note?

Lifestyle October 1, 2019

#1 Productivity Hack

Corporate life has taught me a lot of things, and one of them was to stay at the top of your game and to be more productive, you have to keep a journal/ list or tool to track your activities.

Then, I started trying different things to work on my goals for the day. From Wunderlist to Evernote, I tried multiple apps and excel files but it still wasn’t working for me. I just couldn’t get the stuff done because I would write everything on the list, then I would forget to read the list and will miss tasks then and now.

Gradually, I shifted from keeping a virtual task list to Sticky Notes, and I would completely fill my desktop’s corners with them. The good thing was that they worked, the faulty part was the space that they were using.

Finally, I started making a handwritten task list on a page, and I would not mark something off until I completed that particular task. And, it helped, and I use them till this date. They are one of the best productivity hack till now.

Here are some tips to create your own list

Take first 5 mins of your day and note down the things that you have to complete in the given day.

Be realistic, don’t burden yourself with too many tasks.

Be honest, if you haven’t completed a task on the given day move to the next day’s list.

Keep this list where you can easily see it through your day.

Review it, after the end of each day review your list and make sure all your tasks are completed.

Write it down yourself.

This was the main difference which made me more productive than I was. After writing the list in your own handwriting, you get a sense of investment and commitment towards your list. This hack has made me much more productive than I have been in my whole life.

Try this if you are struggling with managing multiple things at once and let me know your experiences and opinions in the comments below. Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash

Emotions October 1, 2019

Are you Stressed or just Overthinking?

Last few weeks have been full of gatherings, and it has been a fun but EXHAUSTING experience. But, here is the delightful experience which drove me to write this blog.

During dinner, on a Saturday night, the ever exciting topic of Stress came up. I have mentioned it in my book, how people think that Stress is an inseparable part of their daily life. One interesting question came up where Someone mentioned knowing that Stress is unhealthy but, it is difficult to distinguish the time which is being spent stressing, from the time being consumed in simply thinking about things.

Do you know? If you stay near the garbage long enough, it will eventually stop smelling.

Yes, this is what stress does, initially you get stressed and you know, but if you stay with this feeling consistently then, there comes a stage where you can no longer feel the difference; this means, that you are constantly worrying, even for the littlest thing.

How to know if it is stress?

Think about one person that you absolutely adore it can be your sibling, a family member, your lover, your friend, your pet or your own self.
Imagine being in their presence and having a good time with them, does it make you feel relaxed? Loosen up a little? Does this thought make you smile?

Now, notice the difference between this feeling and your usual thinking pattern. If you observe a considerable shift in energy then, you are stressed in the day to day life. Even a small thought grows up in your mind and creates disturbance, and now worrying is a habit.

Practice makes stress stay. The more you focus on things that worry you, the more your mind drags your attention towards the conditions which will lead to further tension.

So, if you think that you are no longer able to differentiate between the two, then it is time to change the way your mind is thinking.

Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash

Emotions October 1, 2019

Loving your Imperfect Self

How do you deal with the process of getting from where you are to where you want to be?

In a lot of cases, we do not participate in the process gracefully, which leads to an unhealthy transformation or an incomplete process.

We usually start our dissing our current self in order to get to the desired place.

Going from one state of existence to another involves a process.

This process needs to be completed from a place of love, or else it could give us unwanted results, or we may even end up leaving the process in the middle if it causes us grief.

Therefore, when you decide to develop yourself in a better person, you should not start hating your current self.

In the process of trying to lose weight, most of us start hating our bodies and follow the process with hatred towards ourselves, and punish our body for it. This creates an imbalance, and we may end up hurting our bodies in the process.

To learn any new skill you need a process. Remember when you decided to learn dancing, cooking, or singing, you followed a process. Did you judge yourself, or hate yourself when you did not know how to cook? Or dance? You just said that you will learn more and enhance your skill.

Did you start cussing yourself for being in ‘Grade 1’ on your way to graduation? No, right? So why do you put so much pressure on your imperfect self in the process of reaching to desired self?

Similarly, when we try to make more money, we start hating our current earning or existence. It creates an emotional gap in our connection to ourselves.

This emotional gap does not result in healthy transformation, and you are likely to get back to your old ways, or you may achieve the desired results, but you will not be in a happy place emotionally.

How would you react if someone asked you to do the right thing, forcefully? Their intentions may be nice, but how would you feel if a teacher punished you physically to achieve good grades?

We grow best in the in the places we feel loved.

When we are brought up in a loving environment where we feel trusted, we bloom the best. Having a partner who loves and trusts us, can bring out the best in us. We can be that partner for ourselves, we can love ourselves on this journey to become the best version of ourselves.

So when you want your body and mind to work with you in harmony, you have to give them love along the way. Thank yourself for choosing to take on this journey and for consistently evolving into a better person.

Loving yourself can make your transformation process a wonderful experience, rather than a torturous one.

So Love your imperfect self.