Blogger Interview With Sahana

The one where I got interviewed by my numero uno blogger!!

Thank you so much Pooja (https://lifesfinewhine.ca/) for this incredible opportunity. I’m literally over the moon today to see this post go live.

Life is great!! This is one of the major highlights of my blogging journey!

Lifesfinewhine

I have been a big fan of Sahana’s blog for a while now so I’m very excited to share this interview with you guys Please do take a minute to stop by her blog I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do

1. Thanks so much for being a part of this interview. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what your blog is about. 

Thanks a million Pooja for this wonderful opportunity to get interviewed by you. This is truly one of the most memorable experiences of my blogging journey. Hello everyone, I am Sahana from https://thesupermode.wordpress.com. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession and work with an Indian private bank. My blog is a reflection of my thought process. I write about anything and everything that goes on my mind. I’m a little inclined towards motivational / inspirational posts and self help as that’s…

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Gracias : 200 followers!

WHAT? REALLY? This seems unbelievable to me right now! The journey from zero to 200 followers has been INCREDIBLE. A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to each one of my fellow bloggers and readers who took the time out to read, comment and follow my blog. I am ecstatic to have hit this milestone in my blogging journey. I feel extremely blessed to be on such an amazing platform of readers and bloggers who are supportive and don’t leave any stone unturned to lift each other up.

Writing is the best form of therapy for me and I intend to continue this for as long as I can. My best wishes for everyone on this beautiful journey of growth and self discovery.

The one with the hundredth

100/100

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” 

-Bernice Johnson Reagon

WOW! My emotions are all over the place today. I feel emotional, elated, proud and ecstatic at the same time!! I DID IT!! I completed my challenge of posting an article daily for 100 days. This feels surreal. To be honest, I was very scared of leaving this goal unaccomplished during the initial days of this challenge. I do have the tendency to set huge goals for myself and realize later on that I don’t have the ability or willpower to accomplish it. But this was different. Writing an article on my blog never felt like a task, it was something that helped clear my mind everyday. My day felt incomplete without posting on my blog. Maybe that’s the reason I was able to conquer my irrational fears about this challenge and reached the shore without having to experience any sort of turbulence on the way.

The impact of this challenge on my life

When I started out, I had zero confidence in my writing skills. This challenge forced me to think beyond my limitations and pour my heart out every single day on this blog. I have a long way to go in the field of blogging and accomplishing this challenge is a step in the right direction for me as it helped clear a lot of mental blocks such as :-

• I was worried that I would run out of topics to write about for 100 days. Turns out as long as we are alive in the Universe, we will always have something to share to the world.
• It is not as difficult as my mind made it seem like in the beginning. I started taking each day as it comes and broke down the 100 days into 1 article each day and concentrated only on that day’s article. Thinking of the challenge as a whole can be quite overwhelming, breaking it down into smaller, more achievable goals is less intimidating to our mind.
• I don’t know if my there has been any improvement in my writing skills, but I sure am much quicker and better at putting my thoughts into words now. That’s a big win for me!
• Whether you do something or not, time passes by anyways. It’s better to utilize time to the best of our ability and do everything that our mind can dream of.
• You don’t need to have a particular skillset or extraordinary talent to do something you like. If you are truly passionate about it, you will grow along the way and become better with each attempt. Don’t let the fear of societal judgement hold you back from your dreams.
• You can never know what you are capable of unless you attempt it.

Gratitude to the readers and my blogger friends

I started from square on with about 6 followers and now I have about 160+ of you following my blog. This is the biggest level of appreciation for me and motivates me to continue doing what I love. Thank you for your amazing comments, likes, support and feedback, I cherish them dearly and it fills me up with gratitude and love!! All the bloggers on this platform are superstars in their own right and have the most amazing writing style. I get to learn something new from each one of you. Keep up the great work, you guys are INCREDIBLE!!!

What next?

The challenge has come to an end but this isn’t the end of my blogging journey. I’ll continue to post articles (hopefully daily) for as long as I can think of till I find my niche and a fixed schedule to follow. A heartfelt thank you for all the support and amazing friends I have made here. I am truly overwhelmed!

The one where I hit a 100!!!

#43/100

This is an appreciation post! I’m absolutely over the moon since I hit a 100 followers on my blog. I’m filled with gratitude towards every single person who has followed me, liked my posts and taken precious time out from their life to comment on my posts. Your support means everything to me.

I created this blog in 2016 when I was going through a difficult phase in my life, however I hardly posted 10 times in the last 4 years. Writing was a way to let out my emotions and get clarity on my thoughts. I have always enjoyed reading blogs and they never fail to give me a sense of direction when I feel lost in life. I’ve come across so many amazing blog posts that were totally relatable to the situation I was going through and reading their experiences gave me strength and support. I always harbored a dream to write well and connect with people with my writing. I’m a juvenile in this field and have a long way to go. Yet every single milestone is extremely special to me as I feel like I’m on the right path.

This year, due to the current situation that we are in, I had a lot of time on my hand. This was the right time for me to improve my writing skills and learn a little more about myself in the process. This milestone is a great motivation for me to continue my efforts and work better.

A big thanks to everyone once again!

The power of priortizing

#37/100

I always have a regret at the end of each day for not utilizing the day well enough. I’ve decided to live in the present and not concern myself with my past or future. This sure is a tough thing to do but with a concentrated effort and dedication anything is possible. If we focus on living in the present, every day becomes special and important. Earlier I used to live my life waiting for few special days and filling up the space in between by just existing and not living. I don’t wish to do that anymore. I want to live my life more with each passing day. I want to make every day of my life special than few momentous days.

To do that, I need to prioritize my days well. Every Friday I’m elated to spend the weekend doing everything that would make me happy. However, I end up spending half my day on the couch doing absolutely nothing. That’s not how I wish to spend the days of my life. One way to make sure I make everyday worthwhile is by prioritizing my tasks for each day. That way, I have something to look forward to each day. We were taught to prepare to do lists and timetables for our studies in school. I used to enjoy the process of making time tables, however, I’ve never been able to follow them throughout. I have a tendency to go overboard with my timetables and pack in a lot of tasks on a single day with the intention of being productive. No points in guessing that the excess tasks used to overwhelm me and I ended up procrastinating on all of them.

What I wish to do now is to make realistic to do lists. It’s okay if they have just 2/3 tasks for the day but I wish to jot them down and review them at the end of each day. This would ensure that I’m living my life rather than existing as I’ll have a written record of my life. I’ll try my level best to do this starting tomorrow, wish me luck!

-The Lock-down Tag-

#29/100

I went through Anusha’s post on her blog for this tag and found her answers super cool and interesting. She very graciously decided to nominate me for this tag and I’m extremely thankful for this sweet gesture. Please do check out her blog, she has put out some pretty amazing stuff out there that’s sure to mesmerize all the readers. (https://blatherskiite.wordpress.com)

This time I won’t be picking out specific nominations, please feel free to nominate yourselves for this tag if you find it worthwhile. 🙂

Rules for Award

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Answer the blogger’s questions
• Nominate other bloggers

Answers for the questions asked by Anusha :-

1. Overall, how are you handling the quarantine?

I’m sure like any other introvert, this quarantine has been more of a blessing than a hindrance to me. I’ve had a hectic routine every since I got out of school and have never spent such a long duration of time at home. Some days I was productive, on other days I just did nothing. My hectic life was on pause this entire time and I’ll most definitely cherish it for years to come.

2. Have you violated any of the restrictions? If yes, what rule(s) did you break?

Violating rules freaks me out! My conscience will kill me if I even think of doing anything out of line, so no.

3. What viral recipes have you tried during the lockdown?

I don’t keep a track of any viral recipes but I did cook a lot during the lockdown. I started with baking, had a lot of failed attempts before I could bake a proper cake for my mother’s birthday. Here’s a picture for you guys. I was very thrilled when it turned out decent enough, my mom loved it!

4. What activities have you missed the most during quarantine?

The only thing I missed was outdoor running.

5. Do you wear a mask when you leave the house?

Yes, most definitely.

6. Are you an essential worker? If yes, what is your job title?

I’m not a frontline worker but I do work for a bank which has been categorized under essential services. I am a business analyst for the treasury function of a private bank.

7. How do you exercise during the lockdown?

I absolutely love working out. Even before the pandemic struck the world, I preferred working out at home and have never set foot in a gym. I follow HIIT workout routines on YouTube.

8. Have you subscribed to any new subscription services since the lockdown started?

Yes! I started meditating regularly during the lockdown to calm my anxious mind. I use a brilliant app called “Headspace“. It has amazing courses on meditation and mindfulness and has been helping me out a lot. I subscribed to their annual pack when I stumbled upon a huge discount on their website.

9. What did/does your daily schedule look like before the pandemic started?

My day used to start at 6 am, workout for 30 mins and get ready for office. I had to board the 7.30 am local train for my office. I used to study for my upcoming CFA Level 1 exams on the train or utilise the time to watch movies/listen to music. Post work I reached home by 7/7.30 pm, freshened up and study again for an hour. I spent time with my mother, talk on the phone with my sister who stays in a different city and sometimes catch up with my close friends. Weekend mornings were reserved for runs and the rest of the day was spent in relaxing or catching up on shows/reading books/meeting up with friends.

10. Do you think that the pandemic is getting better or worse?

I honestly am not following the news related to the pandemic at all. I hope and wish it gets better as soon as possible. Thinking about it makes me very anxious hence I decided to divert my mind from it as much as possible.

Questions for the nominees (Same as the ones I answered)

1. Overall, how are you handling the quarantine?
2. Have you violated any of the restrictions? If yes, what rule(s) did you break?
3. What viral recipes have you tried during the lockdown?
4. What activities have you missed the most during quarantine?
5. Do you wear a mask when you leave the house?
6. Are you an essential worker? If yes, what is your job title?
7. How do you exercise during the lockdown?
8. Have you subscribed to any new subscription services since the lockdown started?
9. What did/does your daily schedule look like before the pandemic started?
10. Do you think that the pandemic is getting better or worse?

Thank you so much for reading and for appreciating my work. It means a lot! 🙂

Inner peace

#4/100

What is your idea of inner peace? Lately, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The other day I just wanted to lie down, close my eyes and experience the feeling of not having my mind blast out thoughts at the speed of light. It’s this constant chatter in my mind that I want an escape from.

I’ve started meditating and let me tell you, the feeling is incredible. Of course, my mind won’t stop churning out thoughts while I’m trying to concentrate on my breathing. That’s not the concept of meditation. The whole idea is to attain a higher level of awareness of your thoughts to help you not dwell on it for long.

I remember being a very happy, optimistic kid. I seldom experienced the emotions of boredom, anger or sadness. I guess all kids are like that. As we grow older and experience life better, our collection of memories grows bigger. It’s our memories, rather bad experiences from our past that makes us experience anxiety, sadness, nervousness, anger for the future. I’m sure no one on this earth has led a life without any struggle. Everyone deals with some or the other discomforting situation in their lives, some people just end up dealing with it better.

In the end, I’m well aware that everything is in my mind. The situations I’m fearing or dreading haven’t taken place yet. Many a time, the reality unfolds in a diabolically different manner than my thoughts. Yet, every new uncertainty makes me anxious. It makes me anxious to the extent that my present and future seem blurry.

When our mind, body and heart are in complete tandem, we experience inner peace, the feeling of true happiness. 30 years of life experiences have forced me to become an anxious person. Anxiety is no one’s friend and I don’t wish for anyone to experience it. For now, I’ll try to meditate my way out of my life’s uncertainties, at least the ones that my mind has creatively scripted. It’s my 20 minute escape from the world. As I continue to actively practice the art of meditation, I want to become a more calm, settled version of myself, more at peace with life, the way I was as a kid.

The missing pendant

#1/100

To kick start my first article of this challenge, let me document one of the most miraculous days of my life.

Ever since my childhood, I had developed a habit of wearing a gold chain on my neck. I call it a habit because I’m not particularly interested in jewelry or accessorizing as such, it’s just a thing I had picked up as part of our community values. I know it doesn’t make sense at all, it’s just one of the crazy things we south Indians do, “Your neck looks bare, wear a gold chain!”

As I started using the public transport for my work commute, I became extremely fearful of wearing a gold chain on a daily basis. There have been many instances of chain snatching on the trains or railway platforms and that honestly scared the shit out of me. I still carried on with determination and built up my confidence after almost a decade of using the public transport.

However, an incident that took place about a year and a half back forced me to change my view on this. I had started going on long morning runs ranging from 7 to 10 kms during the weekends. On one such run, after completing few rounds, I slowly felt my gold chain slipping through my back. I turned around and saw it on the ground. In the momentary celebration of having found my gold chain back I realized that it didn’t have the most important element, my precious tortoise pendant.

Although I didn’t have an interest in wearing jewelry, I absolutely loved the pendant. It was a beautiful small gold and diamond pendant in the shape of a tortoise, it even had eyes carved on it for crying out loud! Let me insert a reference picture here for you to understand why I absolutely adored it.

https://www.bluestone.com/pendants/the-tortoise-pendant~9509.html

The realization struck soon, I might have lost the pendant way before the gold chain slipped from my neck and I just wasn’t ready to lose it. I was running on a concrete road with tiny pebbles and leaves all around. It was physically next to impossible to find the pendant on the ground. I still spent the next 45 mins going over the same stretch of the road multiple times to try and locate my precious pendant. All through the ordeal, my mind was exceptionally calm and confident that I would find it. However, the positive chatter soon ended when I wasn’t successful in retrieving it. Reluctantly, I decided to head back home. I couldn’t complete my running target either and honestly that bothered me even more.

I started taking painfully slow steps back home with my eyes still fixated on the ground, eagerly trying to locate my precious pendant, without any hope left to find it. I walked for sometime, probably the most disappointing walk of my life, when my eyes fell on something shiny on the ground. You’ve got to be kidding me, there lay my pendant, smothered in mud and tiny pebbles! This place was way behind the path where I had felt my chain slipping from my neck so I had no inclination of searching for it here. My pendant had slipped from the chain almost a kilometre before the chain lost it’s balance. I had spent 45 mins looking for it in the completely wrong direction and path. I was exhilarated! I absolutely couldn’t believe my luck! I found my pendant back!

I had an exciting story to share to my mom that day and also a valid reason for tucking the chain and pendant safely inside the locker. To celebrate this miraculous victory, I decided to complete the run that was disrupted by the missing pendant incident. Yeah, that’s how I celebrate, I run!