Doing up the interiors of your home

My sister recently purchased a house and I find her totally consumed with all things related to the interiors and decoration of her new space. Almost all our conversations are about the house – either it is the furniture or the new lights. Or some days, it is a debate on whether there should be a uniform colour across all the rooms or should the living room have a one strikingly different coloured wall…I sometimes think that she eats, sleeps and breathes interiors!

A home after all, is a reflection of one’s own personality. The colours speak their own language and the design and artifacts collectively weave a story of their own. Countless efforts are made to ensure synchronicity across rooms so as to give an overall cohesive look and feel. Those who can, also bring on board the services of such specialists who support with translating the owner’s dreams into reality.

The energy and resources consumed doing up the interiors of one’s home can be utterly mind boggling and also have a debilitating effect borne out of frustration and the endless quest for harmony.

The inner sanctum

Now, imagine transferring the same energy and zeal in sprucing up our soul. Delving deep within our recesses into the realm of self-awareness and aiming to find our answers…this sounds so tough and difficult! Almost impossible, one would say.

The journey to our deepest depths can indeed be quite exhausting. Yet, it is also the most transformative one. This path is strewn with us having to come face-to-face with our inner most demons, fears, and thoughts. That’s a tough one indeed.

Where does one then begin really? The answer is really simple – by being mindful of the moment, of the present. By being in the now. It is akin to taking a deep breath and reflecting on one’s feelings and processing what is going on then and now. I do not want to pepper this by saying ‘meditate.’ For many, meditation is equal to staying still in one place and that can be a very intimidating thing to achieve. Our mind is a continuous trail of innumerable thoughts. The very thought of controlling our mind can be scary! And that fear in itself can impede the start of our self-awareness journey.

What works here is to be kind to oneself and accept the fact that yes, thoughts will come and go. The idea is not to control those thoughts or block them. The whole essence of being mindful is to listen to your soul and being aware how those thoughts are impacting our emotions, our feelings and our own well-being.

Being aware professionally

Our workplace is a hot bed of emotions. Literally! When one has to deal with cross functional teams, projects, managers and external stakeholders, the daily juggle of managing emotions and feelings can be quite tiring. Sometimes, that one sentence or one word or one task gone awry can mess up our feelings and result in us believing that we are not up to the mark professionally.

Let me share a secret – everyone makes a mistake, irrespective of which ladder they are at. Even the top leaders. What makes successful people different is that they are nonjudgmental about themselves and their feelings. They do not allow themselves to wallow in thoughts of self-pity and let negativity bog them down. They are connected to their mind and body and are willing to reflect and figure a way out of the situation. Believe me, they are as human as you and me. And they started their journey through mindfulness, at exactly the same point that you are at today.

So, the next time you find yourself on the edge because of a new project or a deadline that seems unsurmountable or having to face a stakeholder with whom the going can be tough, remember, that these are the normal curves and bumps that come along our professional journey. It is up to us to gather the strength to find our way and navigate them. We have the power to decorate our soul the way we want and embellish it with our own love. Our self-love can pave the path to a better us. You are your own interior decorator. Go, colour your life with the choicest of vibrant shades!

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Sarita Bahl

Sarita Bahl is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Swedish Institute of Management Program. An experienced and versatile leader, she comes with nearly four decades of professional experience. She has over the years successfully overseen the communications and public affairs function and led the corporate social responsibility strategy for Bayer South Asia, Pfizer, and Monsanto, among others. Sarita has held multiple roles across diverse industries, the public sector, trade associations, MNCs, and the not-for-profit sector. Her areas of interest include advocacy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and communications.

As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.