Thala for a reason :))

And what it means to you and I

Dec 16, 2023

Hey Friends!

Welcome to another edition of Raw and Real, our weekly conversation where each week we have:

1 Raw and Real conversation
2 One-Liners (because what’s life if it isn’t quirky? :D)
3 Gratitudes (because gratitude = plentitude)

PS: Before we start, I want to introduce you to “The Year of Writing Dangerously”.

In 2024, I am going to be publishing one e-Book every month, and one big, paperback book each in June and December.

That makes it 14 books! (12 e-Books, 2 paperbacks)

Topics include:
(eBooks): Getting started as a writer, Dealing with heartbreak, Achieving huge results through the power of processes, Become a freelancer ultra pro max, Making good friends, How to write your own book. To decide on more. If you think there is something you need help on and I can write an eBook on, please reply to this email.

Paperback: Raw and Real - June (yes, it will be a paperback book, something different from this newsletter yet on similar lines); and Focused AF - December (the most unusual book you’ll read about focus).

PPS: You also get to be on the exclusive list and get access to every book at 20% off for 2 days before it goes to the rest of the world. More details in the next week’s edition. For now, let’s begin!

1 Raw and Real Conversation

The other day, I came across a video of Rohit Sharma - his first interview after the World Cup campaign.

If you are someone who follows cricket religiously, or are like me who follows it every four years, you know how badly Rohit Sharma wanted to win the World Cup for the country.

As a matter of fact, whenever I came across any interview of his during that time, he was always smiling, looking childishly happy, and fulfilled for where he was.

But this interview, I could feel something within him was broken.
A part of him is not yet able to make peace with the fact that he lost.
He was wanting that World Cup so much (just like the rest of us) that with that World Cup, I think we also lost his smile.

Which is what reminds me of MS Dhoni.

One of the most detached players anyone has ever seen.
He was in the mountains when the World Cup was being played.
Stays away from social media and its highs and lows, and creates his own world.

All of this, I believe has a huge role in the kind of cool, calm, detached demeanour we all admire in him; which came on to be “Thala for a reason” trend as well, recently.

However, what has Rohit got to do with Dhoni, and more importantly, you and I?

I believe I was a lot like Rohit, who took a team defeat personally, and it went on to affect me for longer than it should.

I wasn’t happy at myself when my team wasn’t performing.
I loved them a lot but became self-critical when there were issues.
It went on to affect my self worth, and undoubtedly, spilled over to my life outside work.

Not a healthy thing for anyone.

Thus, my friend, when you are doing your work, be like Dhoni.

Give your best.
Be the best at who you are.
Make everyone better than who they could imagine themselves to be.

And then, once you have done your work, irrespective of the results, go to the metaphorical mountains.

Let it all go.
Enjoy the wins, and the losses.
Learn lesson from both, and don’t let either get to your head. And heart.

I now have been experiencing this with my current business, and let me tell you, it is liberating.

Not that I have any grudges for Rohit Sharma, rather he and his team gave us memories for lifetime, that no Dhoni team could give.

I am only saying that if a positive trait of someone the world admires even after their retirement could help us overcome our negative trait, we must take a leaf from their life.

Thala for a reason :)

2 One-Liners:

You can never fall in love with the joy of reading if you skip preface, foreword and acknowledgements section of a book.
Smart people deal with discomfort, but wise people chase it.

3 Gratitudes for Life:

(PS: I share these to give you a perspective of how small things can make huge differences, if we are just aware and grateful)

Urban Company cleaner: Got someone from Urban Company to do deep cleaning of my bathroom, and now I cannot even recognise I am in my own bathroom! I even extrapolated his hourly earnings to my earnings, and realised how blessed we all are.
Sunshine: The peak Delhi winter has begun. Nowadays, I sit in sun at my landlord’s terrace till noon, and soak in the warmth. Bliss!
The ability to let go: The other day someone told me they were angry at a relative for not calling them at an important function. I am so glad it never happens to me, because, a. I don’t go to functions lol; and b, people will do that all of the time, till when will we allow them to govern our lives?
You and I have more meaningful things to do, isn’t it?

On that note, hope you all are chilling around at the end of the year. Do not fret too much about reflecting, new year resolutions, etc., and focus more on feeling good. Because that is the title of the book I am penning for you for this pre-New Year. 🤞

Everything else, will take care of itself.

Have a great weekend, folks. 🤗
Nishtha

PS: Whenever you are ready, here are two ways I can help you:

The Art of Corporate Communications, a course that shares the exact system I used to go from 0 to communicating with people of 20+ years of experience, conducting audits with opposing people for 5 years, managing Content team of a brand with 9Mn+ followers, and now leading my solopreneurship. (Fun fact: 90% of problems are due to communication).

The Career Changing Guide, a simple easy to read e-book to change your career to do something you love, and make money off it.

Raw and Real by Nishtha

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