The Coach and Artist in me

I Have Two Careers   I was reading this interesting write up by  Kabir Sehgal   “Why You Should Have (at least) Two Careers”  and it made me think and ponder upon.    Kabir says “you also will be dreaming about switching to a career that’s drastically different from your current job. It’s rare for people to make a leap, the cost of switching is too high, and possibility of success is low. The answer here isn’t to plug away in your current job, unfulfilled and slowly burning out. The answer is to do both. Two careers are better than one. And by committing to two careers, you will produce benefits of both”.   As I put my own experience in this write-up, you will visualize, how this has helped me.   In my case I have three vocations: I work with Entrepreneurs and Corporate Clients; I am a Wildlife & Nature Photographer and I also write. I have been asked this question many a time and they ask, “How do I find time to do it all’? My answer to them ...

This is a story not from my corporate work but from a different place. I enjoy travelling to wildlife parks and photograph tigers & birds in their habitat. I have picked the topic of Humility and Gratitude from my experience from my visit to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh. The forest is beautiful to see, feel and experience. The lush green forest feels lively and exciting and this story is from one of the winters I was there. BTR has three main zones i.e. Tala, Magadhi & Khitauli and buffer zones.   In our evening safari, we were told that a tigress (Baghin) with her three cubs was moving in the area in that zone. Her favourite place was near the water body that had tall grass. We were there, we heard alarm calls and knew that we had a chance. We waited for the entire evening timeslot. We had to leave the park as it was becoming dark.   The next day morning, the desire to meet the tigress and cubs made us reach the same spot. We did not want to m...

I have come across a lot of conversations in my professional fraternity regarding Authenticity. This is more so when we are in a lock-down  where a lot of questions on being genuine, transparent, true to self and others is spoken about. While I started putting my thoughts together on this subject, I thought I should also reach out to my friends, colleagues, academicians etc. and understand what their definition of the term ‘authenticity’ is. Also, in this process I will put down my thoughts on the subject. Sharing a story, one of my senior colleague said that one will always find three kinds of people and he compared them with temple elephants. The first category is the slog elephant the one that you would find moving logs all day and since they take interest in their work, they are used in every piece of work by the mahout. The next set of elephants, he named as circus elephants, the one who is jumping around, super active and knows when and where to be present. The third set ...

  We say the first impression is the last impression. Does this principle apply same in the conversations that we have with others? should our first conversation be our last conversation or can our first conversation be the beginning of the long lasting, enriching and contributing relationship. I have picked ‘Conversation’ as my topic for this write up as I am looking at it beyond my coaching practice and in every activity where I am involved with others. When I limit my focus of conversation to an outcome, I am only listening to what is being said on the subject and I focus on what I believe I know about the subject. In such situations, I either get into giving or taking. I am either a winner or a taker. I either decide to take it or leave it. Deep conversations are mutual and everyone is a winner. Both the members or group of members share, involve, participate and experience similar feelings and similar involvement. Deep conversation creates a space for me to open up and del...

In my last blog I had said that when your beliefs become bigger than what they should be, you need to let them go. I also said that we need to let go of things that stop us from being free to look at things with new perspective. The impact of carrying things in us and making it a part of us keeps us away from the possibilities that are there at that moment. Beliefs are of two kinds, ones that are limiting and ones that are empowering. Beliefs that elevate our self-image are our empowering beliefs. These beliefs help us accept the change happening around us and helps us participate in the change. As we open up to these beliefs, we experience new possibilities, new opportunities, new potential and creativity. The beliefs that limit us, root from our insecurities. These insecurities tend to grow within us over the years as a result of our experiences, the unpopular ones. Beliefs are also shaped up by people around us. When I was young I used to hear my elders say ‘Lie that is said t...

What are my beliefs and are these beliefs preventing me from looking at situations differently? My experiences have framed a lot of my beliefs. These beliefs have played a major role whenever I have made decisions, popular or unpopular. They have grown within me over the years and have started driving my thoughts. They have made me judgemental many a times, when I did not see situations falling into place the way I visualised them. What if I fail…what if others don’t approve of my views…what if I am not accepted… what if??? They say when a certain set of beliefs start creating a bias in your decisions, you should let go of them. The stronger the beliefs the longer it takes to get out of them. They tend to overpower your thoughts and drive your judgements. As a Coach, I have learnt to let go off some of my beliefs and I will have to continue to do so. These include beliefs that stop me from looking at things with a new and fresh perspective, that don’t let me experience things a...

  I have been working for more than 20 years, and the various experiences I have had so far have shaped the way I lead my life today. The six weeks spent on my Coaching Certification from Erickson Coaching, have been a period of introspection; giving me the knowledge to understand which of my qualities I need to sharpen and which I need to unlearn.  Life has had some great learning's planned for me; I am enjoying my new find. A good coach and my fellow learners have added flavor to my learning's and have provided me with great experiences. “Coaching is my journey of self-exploration” The best learning in the Art & Science of Coaching for me has been to slow down a bit, to live in the moment and to experience the joy and happiness of exploring the inner strengths of oneself and of others. “Who you are is How you coach” The first exercise, which I was asked to do was to pick a metaphor that resonates my journey of coaching. I chose my camera, that I believe is ...