First of all, I hope and pray for wellbeing of everyone – the pandemic has come way too close but, hang in there, this too shall pass. And maybe do something that makes you happy and fulfilled – I wrote the below in quest of the same.

It was Day-1 of placement at the college. I had a solid resume with credentials developed in past 3 years to fit in the perfect world of corporate interviews. All I wanted that day was to make it – it meant the entire world to me! It was a long day, multiple interviews, case studies after case studies not helping the anxiety. But the one thing I vividly remember from the day is listening to “Chak De India” title song – I barely ate or talked to anyone but just heard the song on repeat in every spare moment I got. Now, I smile thinking back at that day. It somehow was the first song that played on my phone in the morning and it gave me so much energy that I continued to play the song for the entire day. And hell yes, I made it and I wasn’t particularly the most talented out there! There were a ton of other things that happened that day but I remember the energy the lyrics of that song instilled in me. Honestly, the song MADE ME PERFORM and bring my best on the table on that day. Note: I did not play that song on purpose back then.

There have been several more experiences in life, both personally and professionally, where I feel some words have done the magic of moving mountains within me and making me progress in life or so I think (I have made some terrible moves too 😊).

Have you got memories of:

a coach yelling at you to get-up and move when you are damn tired? And to your surprise, you do get up and take another lap or set or rep that you never thought you had the energy for

a mentor telling you something inspirational when you mess-up? And then from somewhere you muster the courage to take the step you never thought you would

a friend filling you with positivity and showing you the ‘big picture’? And you start to feel better, problems start to feel smaller despite it feeling like the end of the world just a few minutes ago

stumbling on a quote in an article or a book or a movie that hits you hard, real hard – something that was just needed in the moment? And it makes you take decisions that you pondered on for so long

What am I trying to get to with my rather silly ‘chak-de’ story and all these questions? Well, you may have guessed it already, but it is the POWER OF WORDS – power of few words said to you with the right rigor, right intent and in the right moment when you need it the most. Words can give you the courage, the push, the enthusiasm, the positivity you need so desperately in a moment of truth. They can help you make a decision or to perform at your best or to just lift your spirits. You are what you consume – be it food, air, water or CONTENT. Whether or not you do this consciously our experiences via what we read, what we see, what we hear hugely impact what we think, what we talk, how we react and how we perform.

But how do we ensure we get to hear these words at the right time. We can wait for that perfect song or the words of wisdom to fall in our years or we can set a process to surround ourselves with the content we need at the moment. Choose and choose wisely what you see, what you read, who you talk to and what you listen to and try to ‘script’ this process a little and make choices proactively. – don’t let anything and everything come to the scrolling window of your brain. And ensure it is in sync with your goals (short-term or long -term or day-long or how much so ever long)? If you want to loose weight, watching a dessert recipe won’t help. On the contrary, if you want to take a plunge into the world of entrepreneurship,  listening to stories of start-ups – what it took, how they made it etc. will help you either take the plunge or decide wisely why you shouldn’t.

Here I am listing a few of my top resources that keep me energized and help me to get out of my comfort zone! (note: your goals might be different and hence your resources might need to be different):

  1. Videos/ talks/ Articles (My #1 source of inspiration)
    • Om Swamiji’s wisdom words across platforms (os.me, youtube, black lotus app) –helps drive me both professionally and personally
    • Shivani Di’s discourses gets me going in personal life and relationships
    • Ankur Warikoo videos, articles and podcast: This is recent development for me but he talks about a variety of topics (life, work, productivity and more) and is impressive
  2. Books (Also, my #1 source of inspiration at the moment): Some of my favorite recent reads
    • That will never work by Mark Randolph (Story of building Netflix)
    • Shoe dog by Phil Knight (Story of building Nike)
    • Selling the wheel by Jeff Cox and Howard Stevens
    • The Psychology of money by Morgan Housel
    • The big questions of Life by Om Swami
    • Atomic Habits by James Clear (currently reading and it seems fantastic!)
  3. Netflix: Well I do watch TV, not big time, but sometimes. Sharing a few that really struck me
    • Inside Bill’s brain: Decoding Bill Gates (a documentary)
    • The Playbook – A coach’s rules for life (watch the first few episodes and you’ll know)
    • The Pursuit of Happyness (A movie): The struggle, the love for child, the ending (And Will Smith too :)) – all of it in some way, moved so much inside me
  4. Social media: I follow a few fitness enthusiasts, seeing them, hearing them helps me, motivates me and keeps me on track to ensure ‘I show-up’ and ‘I show-up’ every single day
  5. Music: I have a playlist that I put on while running. You might laugh at the selection so let me skip sharing it. But the point being, it’s the same few songs that help me run!

To be honest, it’s nothing new – mom always said keep good company, listen to good things. The big question is ARE WE DOING IT with all honesty and IS IT IN SYNC with your goals. I am learning too.

That’s it, I will leave you with that question to ponder over. And would love to hear of resources that have helped you with the right words at the right moment.

Lots of good wishes, happiness and health,

Shilpi