Stay Fit & Dance Away the Monsoons

Petrichor: the smell of earth after rains. If you are a ‘pluviophile’ like me, a lover of rains, someone who finds joy and peace in the pouring raindrops from the heavens above, then you may understand the calming yet invigorating effect of petrichor on the human mind. And if you are a person who has ever experienced a well-planned, energizing workout routine – then you will know why I am talking of rains and workouts in the same paragraph.

Thunders, downpours, colorful umbrellas, vehicles swooshing  through puddles, and the spreads of tempting mouth-watering fried pakodas, samosas and vada pavs. A perfect ensemble for the little voice in your heads to find innumerable excuses to roll down that lane of unhealthy living, accumulating kilograms on its way. Continuous heavy rains may become your perfect routine excuse to skip exercising, walks and healthy eating. Do you see the approaching monsoons stopping you too, from exercising? Is there any way where you can burn calories & stay healthy even in monsoon season? Absolutely yes!

“Maybe I can’t stop the downpour, but I will always join you for a walk in the rain”, says the bundle of energy with an infectious smile. Her name is Jyoti Rajput and she runs Carewell Fitness, in the elite area of Powai in Mumbai. An hour’s vivacious discussion with Jyoti over a steaming cup of coffee, taught me the fun way of loosing weight and staying fit during the monsoon season. She truly states that monsoons are a season of joy ! Maintaining a positive attitude towards the weather is crucial for a happy and healthy living. Exercising regularly during the monsoon season will give you the much required boost to perk up your spirits, when the clouds get grey and gloomy. Following a routine of active fun workout prepares you to swoosh through the rainy day with a bounce.

Monsoon is just the right time to join a gym and consult a professional trainer. “Working out with your fitness trainer is the same as driving the car with a navigation system. It keeps you on track.” says Dharmesh Rane, a fitness guru and partner at Carewell Fitness Gym. Dharmesh believes that exercise can be fun and helps you prepare for the day ahead. He designs the fitness regime for his members at Carewell Fitness, keeping the barriers of Monsoon season in mind. A practical approach combining cardio, weights and a good amount of stretching, supplemented by a healthy diet plan by Jyoti Rajput.

Monsoon is known to bring happiness and pleasure. Plan your exercise regime, eat light food and welcome the rains with pleasure, rather than brooding over weight gain and inactivity. Look for innovative ways to keep yourselves active, fit and happy during the monsoons. Wishing you a happy rainy season !

This article was written by Ms. Iza Jameel as a Guest Writer for Carewell Fitness. Original  is Here.

Out growing

Sandhya Iyer Bhide – the voice of Nalanda International Management School; a woman of impressive intelligence, both rational and creative. The ease with which she has captured the need and essence of ‘transformations’ or ‘outgrowing’ as she calls them, is commendable and thoughtprovoking.

iyerbhide

What do we do when our clothes no longer fit us? Either we discard them or work on ourselves to ‘fit in’. It depends on the frame of mind at that point in time and could be influenced by several factors, including sentimental ones.

And what happens when we out grow a situation or relationship? Applying the clothes analogy, we could give them up or work on them and ourselves for the “fit-in”.

Giving up, out grown clothes or relationships/situations creates space for new ones. Work still has to be done on the ‘new’ and ourselves too. There is no escape from the ‘doing’ or ‘working’ part.

When we outgrow a relationship or a situation and wish to work on ourselves to still ‘fit-in’, to my mind, the communication becomes vital…both internal and external. And the awareness comes first. Until the awareness of outgrowing does not make a place and…

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A personal brand called ‘YOU

We can’t become what we need to be, by remaining what we are. – Oprah Winfrey

This powerful statement coming from the lady who is the most appropriate and successful example of positive personal branding, puts at rest all arguments against self-marketing and self-improvisation without any debate. An interlude full of energy, wisdom and humility with some of the most successful CXO’s of our times, have left me amazed at the fact that these people who have seen and experienced success are still more than willing to learn and excel through every opportunity that comes there way. And yes, they believe in the power of ‘personal branding’ and ‘powerful professional appearance’.

In life, as in business, branding is more effective, powerful, and sustainable than marketing and sales and an effective way to eliminate your competitors. It’s about influencing others, by creating a brand identity that associates certain perceptions and feelings with that identity. A person’s brand identity is there ‘image’ – their physical appearance which reflects their inner perceptions, their social eminence and their values. Rich Image believes that a person’s individual image is like a ‘business card’ on display twenty four hours. It communicates even when we are totally unaware of its existence. It is observed, perceived and judged at all times. We are all CEO’s of the brand called Me Inc. and as per the marketing gurus – visibility is the key to success. It is up to us how we wish to be seen and perceived.

Authenticity is the secret mantra for successful personal branding. The image you desire for yourself and the rich image that may be designed for you, has to be in sync with the ‘real’ you. To create that immaculate authentic personal brand for yourself, you have to begin by knowing precisely ‘who you are’ and be in love with that person. Abraham Maslow said: “We can only respect others when we respect ourselves. We can only give, when we give to ourselves. We can only love, when we love ourselves”. Without knowing your true flavour, it’s very difficult to love yourself and others. You need to make a positive emotional connection with yourself and find yourself interesting first, if you wish to be noticed and acknowledged by others.

With an authentic Personal Brand, your strongest characteristics, attributes, and values can separate you from the crowd. Without this, you look just like everyone else. Your image needs to have the three essential qualities to bring you the success and recognition you strive to achieve – consistency, uniqueness and sophistication. When we talk of ‘consistency’ in image and style, it comes as a surprise to our audience; if we do not appear to be consistent in our image, we may confuse the people we are meeting and this confusion may lead them to doubt our reliability. A person’s physical image may play strange games with the viewer’s mind.

Image – if attended to with care and wisdom maybe our weapon to success, and if ignored maybe our surety to disappointment. One morning you may wake up and realize that you are not the person people think you are…and you will wonder what went wrong. That morning you will realize that you did not create an authentic personal brand and have been communicating all the wrong messages to the people around you. And so as Oprah says, we cannot become what we want to be, by remaining what we are; take charge of your image and create an authentic personal brand that reflects the true person you are to the world.

Nurturing Saplings…

Graduation ceremony of my young cheerful friends and students at Saplings Play-way, New Delhi…has left me with beautiful memories, forever friendships and heartfelt gratitude. The assignment was taken on impulse, a project close to my heart. Four weeks, twelve sessions and twenty four hours with the enchanting little creations of God…I am still deciding whether I was able to teach them as much as they made me appreciate life.

A day of introductions, sharing smiles, wiping tears, being there…and the next day the greatest reward was their shining, eager, smiling faces and the loud cheerful welcome they gave me when I entered. After interacting and speaking for mature audience and at acknowledged events…I come back to these close-to heart projects as often as I can, to be rewarded with the genuine appreciation and innocent reverence that no money can overpower. A week down the journey, and the inquisitive young minds amazed me…the eagerness to learn filled me with the vigor an excitement to give them the best. Though unfortunately, I also realized the pressure and expectations that some of these young souls were experiencing …to perform, to excel and to win.

The trust and faith shown by the parents was overwhelming…the willingness to provide the best to their children was daunting. Everyday, I had mothers and fathers walking in to discuss the ‘challenges’, they were facing or the solutions that I could suggest to help them make their child be the best in everything. And now I write…addressing the parents…

Develop a Positive Self Image:   always talk positive and use affirmative sentences with your child. Every word you say is defining and designing his/her self image and this self image is going to shape their self-esteem and confidence. Comparisons, public admonishing, self-deprecating words…can ruin your child’s future. Do not let your own anger or fatigue and any person around your child paint a negative picture on your child’s young mind. Give them the love and appreciation they so deserve and see them blossom.

Ease your Expectations:   Every parent wants to be a proud parent ! agreed ! You are doing so much for your child, working so hard every day…you do deserve the best performance from your child. But please be careful that your expectations should not fill them with fear, nervousness and stress. Child stress can lead to hindered growth and restlessness. Let your child know…that you will love him in any condition, that its alright to not be ‘1st’ sometimes, that you are proud of who they are and as they are…and then happily witness the peaceful yet energetic desire that fills your child and helps them be the best.

Know your Child’s True Potential:   Every child is unique. Every child is a genius in their own special way. Do not judge a fish by its ability to climb. Do not judge a rabbit by its ability to swim. Being a parent myself I know the magnitude of responsibility that weighs on our shoulders. Every moment we ask ourselves – ‘am I doing the right thing for my child?’ And this dilemma and confusion that we witnessed in dozens of parents, encouraged us to lay the foundation of the Rich Life process with BATTOL. Biological Aptitude Test is a blessing for parents and guardians who wish to discover the true genius of their ward. “It is almost like magic, I know my child like I have never known her before…this will guide me in helping her choose the right path and be happy in her life” – said a parent. Our children don’t come with an instruction manual and neither can we afford to loose precious time in ‘trial and error’ with our child. You are the parent, you want the best for your child…but take the assistance of resources and experts who know the best for every child. The priceless bundle of joy that destiny blessed you with, is a ‘future’ in your hands. Nourish them with the love, faith, trust and knowledge they truly deserve from us.

Remember…Children are not things to be molded, but are People to be Unfolded.

Women Entrepreneur – Her Challenges !

Fortune brought my way the opportunity to become a part of the ‘10,000 women entrepreneurs community’, selected globally by Goldman Sachs. Drown in my work; careworn by the everyday tasks that seemed Herculean…it was like driving through heavy fog, straining my eyes to seek the signs that will assure my progress towards my desired success. Suddenly, the 10,000 Women Entrepreneur certification program emerged like a lighthouse and I was called to attend the business and management course designed and offered to felicitate successful entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs and ISB Hyderabad in association with Birla Institute of Management & Technology, Noida.

Destiny smiled. I couldn’t help remembering my application from 20 months back – completed, sealed and addressed waiting to be couriered. I was in middle of the mind-boggling process of diversifying my business, my precious daughter was not even two years old…and most importantly even after 6 years of managing a self sufficient business and years of senior management experience with world’s best companies, I was in the process of rediscovering my missing confidence that almost all new mothers have to undergo. Still I had faith that I will connect with this global network – and I did ! Ironically, I applied online and my 20 month old application is still in the drawer of my desk.

Guided by the amazing, empathetic and highly organized team of BIMTECH, orchestrating the entire program – I entered their peaceful campus on the morning of 11th Feb 2013. For the next six days each of the attendees of the program were simply amazed at every step – we felt important, assure of ourselves and entirely at home…thanks to each and every member of the organizing committee at BIMTECH, Noida.

Nine hours each day of finance, strategy and market research; six days of informative sharing with women entrepreneurs from different sectors but same phase of life; a week of core-shaking, highly motivating yet bluntly truthful interactions with the country’s best faculty…and I learnt that we all are seafaring in different boats but our sails are in the same state of struggle and we all feel that the winds always rage in the opposite direction. And here are the top three not-so-technical things that I learnt during this week –

• Scarcity of Funds – you want an office to meet your clients, but you don’t realize that Skype can help you meet more clients than any office can. We all complain of not having enough money! And we need money to buy things or intellect which we think we need to expand. We learnt how we can utilize our existing resources in the optimum way…and surprise! We realized we can survive and grow without external funding.
• People Don’t Take Me Seriously – ‘you are dressed in your crumpled kurtas but you want to be recognized as an entrepreneur’ (no offense intended)…and this is not coming from me as a visual communication expert but it was stated by a senior faculty of financial strategy.
• Team Matters – women are always better as individual performers…but during the six day session, I saw a tremendous synergy developing within the group and we realized that alone we can walk towards our destination but with synergy we can conquer our destined success!

So…here’s to all the multi-tasking, dynamic, enterprising women who are carving a niche for themselves with their creativity, zeal and passion to serve !

Get Out of the Shadows !

You connect to a corporate honcho, share your elaborate highly structured resume and send them the invites to your impressive social media profile – and when this person finds you, they discover that you are just another ‘blue egg’ or a ‘grey faceless silhouette” among a crowd of similar eggs or shadows. Do you think they will wait to hire you or do business with you until you are ‘hatched’. No pun intended, but the simple truth is that social media networks are not to solve mysteries or do any guessing games. They are there to get rid of these – people visit your social media profile to make a decision and yes ! a good profile picture matters.

Linkedin is the most sought after and trusted social platform for the corporate world and the professionals today. I agree that you have completed your profile with high profile tenures, a remarkable skill set and you have recommendations from a considerable group of trusted names – but a profile without a face is like a company without a logo…and I do not wish to start here on the importance of a company logo. Now lets sit back and think of the reasons behind your still your faceless profile –

1. you do not feel there is a need for a profile picture.
2. you do not feel safe putting your photograph online.
3. you do not have a good photograph for yourself.
4. you do not think your profile is impressive enough to be added to your profile.
5. you do not know how to zoom in your face from the only decent picture you have for yourself on your laptop.

I think I have said enough about the first reason to be checked off right away from the above list. The fact remains – the first thing a visitor notices on your profile is your ‘profile pic‘. Coming to the second obstacle…think about it, you are mature enough to have a Linkedin profile, you are not the only one on social media with an interesting face, there are enough celebrities out their for people with nothing to do to mess up with. If you are still not comfortable then try this – put a watermark of your company’s name across your photograph. So lets move forward…start looking for a good photograph that is worthy of being a profile picture.

Most of the time, the reason for a missing profile picture comes from 3,4 or 5. The fact outsmarts me when professionals with golden laurels have faceless profiles for the same reasons and they still fail to realize the value of visual communication. A missing profile picture and lack of one readily available, should bring forward these questions in your mind – am I not clicked often ? am I not dressed according to my position ? am I not projecting the right image ? am I communicating what I wish to communicate through my appearance ? am I in need of a visual makeover ?

 

WHAT MAKES A RICH PROFILE PIC :

When choosing or posing for a profile picture, the first thing to remember is that its not a passport size picture needed for an official document. Your online profile picture should bring out your personal style, your professional passion and your individuality in its true sense. Have fun with your background, be sensible with your attire, bring out your creativity and make it interesting enough to capture attention and invoke trust and respect. In the world of global marketing where you have to promote your talents and skills in the most influential manner, your profile picture should be the personalized logo for the brand that’s ‘you’. As the cliche goes: you do not get a second chance to make a first impression…let your uniqueness pop out from your first look. A picture speaks a thousand words…

 

 

2013 & Emeralds !

Pantone announces the color of year: Emerald Green (17-5641). And nobody can be happier than me !

Rich, luscious, vivacious…the deep lushness of emerald green has always been my color of choice for creating an enchanting, refined and rich appearance.

Color of life, vigor and vitality – emerald green infuses in the wearer a feeling of happy well-being. The emerald greens of a natural wilderness and its various different shades calm the weary minds and fills the soul with serenity. The freshness of rich greens possess the phenomenal ability to relax and invigorate the senses at the same time. Emerald Green can make you look elegant as well as alluring – if you simply remember that the verdure of emerald green can only be captured in rich fabrics like silks, satin, chiffon, cashmere and wool. The next step will be to choose the right shade for your skin color and personality type; followed by deciding the degree of color you want to carry and choosing the article of clothing or accessory in the perfect shade…a signature styling session with Rich Image is the answer to capture your most stylish and impressive image in the color of the year 2013!

From keeping it minimal and simplistic in professional situations to increasing the luxury and richness levels for glamorous evenings, making the right decisions and choices is the key to remarkable style. You can take it from a complete two piece matched suit in silk or wool; to a notable dash of emerald green in a beautiful pair of earring or a silk scarf. Emerald Green may be the most beautiful and attractive color in the rich color scale palette, but it is also the trickiest color to incorporate in your wardrobe. A shade lighter or darker can totally highlight or spoil your image and appeal. Shade, value, texture, degree, percentage – all play a vital role in deciding the emerald style scale factor. Emerald Green looks especially alluring in Indian attires, may it be a classy churidar in silk or a breezy saree in chiffon. 

Emerald Green looks exceptionally good on men. Men who have the attitude to carry a color can pull out a emerald green wool blazer or a warm pullover, or even wear a silk waistcoat beneath their grey jackets or over their classic shirts. If you do not wish to experiment with garments or if your personality does not blend with it, you can add a spark of emerald with a classy silk tie, a cashmere scarf, smart cuff-links or maybe just a emerald tie-pin.

My 2013 emerald green wish-list is ready – a silk shirt, a vintage emerald brooch and a luminous chiffon scarf ! Whats on your list…???

Related articles

• Why Emerald Green Is Pantone’s New Color Of The Year (news.stylecaster.com)

Happy New Year 2013

“Challenge yourself this New Year…to transform and transpire…into your most Vibrant, Vivacious & Victorious self.”

My 2013 Snapshot Plan: I choose to be –
Sensitive but also Sensible, Industrious but also Invincible, Friendly but also Fascinating, Diligent but also Dazzling, Graceful but also Gorgeous…..and Successful but also helping others SUCCEED !!!

Romance of a Warm Shawl

Spun in its threads are centuries of monarch rules, overthrown dynasties, classic romance, richness of literature and burgeoning emergence of the eternal fashion world. The richness and elegance of a ‘shawl’ can transform a ‘plain jane’ into a picture of wisdom, opulence and romance. Think about Edith Warton’s elite sophisticated protagonist Lily Bart from the “The House of Mirth”- Edith describes her as…”everything about her was warm and soft and scented; even the stains of her grief became her as raindrops do the beaten rose.” and I see her Lily Bart draped in a beautiful rich pashmina, softly falling from her graceful shoulders in a cascade of luxury.

The picture above is of a lithograph plate from 19th century France that stands witness to the favoritism of the rich and stylish for shawls…worn in patterns and drapes that can make even the most tasteful fashionista of today’s world jealous.

An unstitched garment initially known as a man’s garb, has covered a long eventful journey, gaining on its way the richness of fabric and weaving, the intricate splendor of paisley and the lushness of silk and pashmina. It became the measure of nobility and a symbol of grace. A handsomely crafted piece of hard labor and diligence  a perfect shawl warms the body and the soul of its wearer…providing a cocoon of well being and aristocracy.

Today’s modern woman has revamped the delicate high maintenance shawl to a sturdy warm edgy statement…just like herself.  At home, travelling or attending a social glamorous evening, a ‘shawl’ is a faithful companion giving you instant warmth and assuring you the most dignified appearance.

Though what amazes me immensely is the ignorance of the masses of women today who underestimate the value and worth of an elegantly draped rich shawl. The heaps of synthetic hideous cheap length of cloth that are swarming our markets pretending to be the ‘shawl’ – have destroyed the faith of the trendy corporate girl, and she has discarded the most elegant outerwear in the fashion world as outdated and distasteful.

I urge you take a closer look !!!

If our sensible stylish diva will only pay a closer look at the Camerons and Jennifers that rule the style books of the fashion critics, she will probably learn to appreciate the grace and poise of a rich authentic shawl. I still feel that the value of a shawl is extremely underrated in our world today….the above celebrities don’t even come close to the magnificent pictures of aristocracy that the women of the 19th century France portray in their enviable drape of shawls (see the first picture).

Start your new year wrapped in the warmth of a cozy precious shawl…dig up your trunks, raid your mother’s wardrobe and you might be amazed by the splendor of the rich softness delicately adorning your silhouette…and as Edith said in her book…2013 will find you “warm and soft and scented“.

And heres something for the men….

Related articles

• Shawls Shall We? (nearandfar.wordpress.com)

I Choose to Speak !

Everyday since many days, I log on to Facebook and immediately choose to log out. I do not have the courage to ‘like’ and ‘share’ and ‘comment’ on the poignant tear-jerking photographs of helpless, lifeless children whose only fault was that they were born at the wrong place at the wrong time. Earlier Burma and now its turn for Palestine…the wars were surely not chosen by these infants….but they didn’t had a choice. Did they ?

Everyday since many months, I pick up the daily newspaper and then choose to hurriedly jumble the pages and add it to the increasing pile. I do not have the nerve to carry the burdens of atrocity and crime sprawling and spreading its roots in the lives of the common man. The political accusations of opposing parties and so-called revolutionaries, do not make any sense to me when I read on the same page the stories of men killed by mobs because they belonged to a different state, race or religion. With what hope should I teach my child about global political systems and civilizations, when young girls in my democratic country are being arrested for sharing there views on a social networking platform.

Everyday since many years, I see and witness people discussing and squabbling about political situations, terrorism, religious outbursts, corruption….and I choose to leave the scene without a word. I do not understand the futility of time spent on personal debates and scathing arguments that end in the confines of our homes and office cubicles.

But today….I choose to speak !

I speak for the inhuman carnage of innocent harmless children, who are helpless and ignorant to the reasons for which they are killed. I speak for the pain and suffering of the fathers and mothers carrying their precious one’s lifeless bodies in their hands. I speak for the young generation losing their lives, hopes, dreams and aspirations in the torrent of gunfire…they deserve freedom – freedom for thought, expression, education, happiness, life !

Source: Mirror News, UK. Egypt PM with a child’s body killed in Israeli airsrike.

Killing a Kasab in India was surely a victory for the nation…but is killing a Kasab the solution to this ongoing gang-war between nations and political giant forces. I have heard and read about the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights…but the actual realization of the human rights still evades the world. Decades of injustice and violence, a rocket fired from Gaza, Israel’s threat to invade the territory within 48 hours and numerous ignorant vulnerable children lose their lives for an unknown cause.

How can I write about fashion, etiquette, success, styling or celebrities…for a world who is losing the basic principles of life and humanity. And so, I choose to speak about the causes I didn’t have the nerve to talk about till today. It is so much easier to write about the truth…it was so difficult to choose to ignore and move on.  In every human life, we come across an opportunity every day, where we can make a difference to another life – if we choose to do so ! Today I urge you to choose humanity over all other beliefs and faiths you have harbored till today. I have thought for a long time that I am too helpless to make a difference, but maybe the difference will come eventually from the changing of attitudes and refusal to accept injustice. Choose to speak…choose to voice your opinion! Every voice matters! Every attitude brings a change in society  Pray for the souls of departed innocent lives…embrace humanity, embrace peace, extend love and life!