Day 30: The Finale - Gratitude Post

(Photo credit)

This post idea is inspired by another post I read earlier today but the tone and theme are quite different. I usually believe in counting my blessings and be thankful for what we have. Alana's post inspired me to find gratitude in blogging and the challenge that I have been taking this whole month. I'll accept that it hasn't been easy. I have had to push back a bit of work to prioritise writing the post for the day. I'd rather finish it first when I sit to work rather than scramble to meet the 12 am deadline (like I did last year)

Gratitude also seems like an apt finale rather than the usual lessons-learnt-from-the-challenge post that I did last year. There are things I learnt this year too but I'll be putting them differently. No listicles. :)

First of all it feels great to achieve my first 30 on 30 in a daily challenge! And I think this is possible only when it is set as a challenge. Goals are fine but challenges really drive us. We don't want to be left behind or accept defeat. When I took the challenge last year I was deluded into thinking that writing everyday can be so easy peasy! Just continue what I did for a month! And it took me 8 days to come back for my next post in December! Once the challenge is up, there are other things that jump at us which we have deferred for too long in the favour of the completing the challenge. So yeah! We all need a challenge once in a while to best ourselves. In fact, we should change some of our goals into challenges and we'll definitely have a better shot at making it!

I really enjoyed writing this time. Mainly because I got to dip into post ideas that I have been jotting down for pretty much the entire year. And I've really wanted to write on all of them. I covered quite a few. Plus, I ensured that I found the time to research and provide resources in my posts. It did cost extra time but it definitely improves the quality of and satisfaction from writing the post.

Another thing I managed to do this time, and loved it, is hopping on to others' blogs and reading them. I've found some great blogs and since this is an international fare, I read some posts on Thanksgiving, the US election and other things that aren't relevant in my country. The #NaBloPoMo community is truly international, all of us got talking about the issues that concern us in our immediate surroundings.

So to begin with, I think the first person/people I want to thank are people behind the amazing BlogHer community. Not just for organising this whole challenge, creating the blogroll, putting up prompts and being the encouraging, engaging community that it is. But also for the prompts that they put on their blog every month for us to pick and choose what we want to write on. Getting bloggers from across the world together is quite a feat!

I am also grateful - to the writing gods, I guess - that I could be part of another challenge and actually complete it. I love writing and it has been a great experience to write and put content out there for everyone to read after the abysmal year its been for blogging here.

Also, thanks to all my readers who've stuck around through times of no content and come back when new posts arrive. Also, a special thanks to bloggers from the #NaBloPoMo community who dropped by and left their encouraging comments. I have tried to return the favour and will continue to look up more blogs to read from the Blogher Facebook page.

I still have topics in my list left. And hopefully, if the streak of motivation continues, I should manage a post or two a week. Nothing ambitious for now! :) Looking forward to you all coming back for more posts.

This post is the final post for #NaBloPoMo blogging challenge of 2016 which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer every year.

Day 7: One Week Update Of The Challenge

The joy of writing and challenging oneself is an exhilarating experience (Photo credit)

So, we are at the one week mark in our blogging challenge! Hows it going for all of you? I had a rough October work wise and decided to jump into the challenge only on 31st. Since I took the challenge even last year, I kinda know the drill of registering, sharing etc. And I think this is the best opportunity for me to finally attack the blog ideas I have been writing down for months. So with 2 prompts used last week, I am able to finally write about things I have wanted to for quite some time now. 

Since this is my second time, I can’t help but compare it from the last time. So here is a bit of an update on how this challenge has been for me so far:

I am a lot more planned. 

No! I don’t have the whole month figured out. But I think writing every week on my work blog on communication and soft skills has put me into a routine of planning. And even when I run my workshop on blogging for beginners, planning a few posts before beginning to write is my first tip. So I guess it’s not hard for me to figure that out for myself. And like I mentioned, I have been jotting down ideas (which is actually the first tip in my blogging classes) and couldn’t wait to dip into it and start writing.

I am not scrambling last minute. 

This is one big change from last time. I remember writing my post for the challenge as the last activity of the day hurrying to make it to the 12 am deadline! Sometimes I posted and went on to edit later! But that definitely wasn’t comfortable. This time I learnt a valuable lesson from a fellow blogger I got acquainted with during the challenge. Shalini's posts for the day go out at 12am! Which means she is a day ahead in writing it rather than a day behind, like I had been. Although I still haven’t been organised enough to write the previous day, I do get the challenge post out of the way as the first task of the day. (In fact, the post for today is late due to ill-health) And I know I am able to do this because I have scaled back a bit work wise and I’m able to indulge in the joy of writing.

I have read other blogs too.

This is a bigger change for me since I have never been able to hop onto others’ blogs and read. I just never managed to find the time. I think what really helped, apart from being planned, is the blog link thread on Facebook. That really worked as a ready reckoner to read other posts. Every time I post my link, I look up a few blogs and comment/share posts. Another thing that helped is looking up the blogs of people who commented on my post. I am guessing that they landed on my blog from the thread since they are from different countries. It is great to hop over to their posts and return the favour. That covers a few more blogs. Although it is impossible to do justice to the madness that the number of blogs and new posts there are everyday, I think looking up a few every day and making friends along the way is a worthy goal to set for ourselves.

Conversations with fellow bloggers

I not only hopped on to other blogs and discovered amazing blogs, I also had conversations on Facebook around the usage of daily prompts on Facebook. It is heartening to know that most people use a mix of prompts and freewheeling in their posts. 

I am planning more variety in my content. 

I think of my posts in a very linear fashion. I am trying to break that thought pattern and put in more variety in the content. Maybe I should keep this under wraps and you can see it for yourself when I post :)

It’s been a great writing experience so far. And I am already gearing up for week two and planning posts. It is such a great joy to write and even more so when you challenge your own self and see it through. All the best to everyone else taking the challenge. 

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Posting Month hosted by BlogHer. The last date to join the challenge was 5th November. You can still look up prompts and write for your own practice even though it wouldn't be a part of the challenge. 

Day 2: When was the last time you did something brave?

Being brave is letting go and taking the plunge! (Photo credit)

For today's post, I decided to use the official prompt for the challenge - when was the last time I did something brave? Hmm... I think bravery at a personal level is a subjective term. Unless it's universally accepted brave deeds like saving a baby from a tiger or jumping out of a burning building. In the subjective sense, stepping out of the house for a conservative woman is brave. Finally finding the courage to ask your crush out is brave. Or a child learning to walk despite all the falls is brave. Yes, it is. Just that the baby just doesn't know it!

So one thing is for sure - being brave involves doing something we haven't done ever. It is definitely stepping out of our comfort zone. It is like being exposed and naked in your actions - probably for everyone to see. Although, it could also be a private moment of pushing our own boundaries. I also feel that the definition of bravery has changed in the recent times. It is ok to tread the path less taken and be a pioneer of new thoughts. It is also a great time for women to be brave. There are a whole lot of initiatives helping us untie the knots of stereotypes and step out of patriarchal boundaries. And believe me, there is no dearth of conventions we are supposed to follow as women. From what we wear to how we behave - there's a judging glance everywhere if we step out of line.

I don't think being brave would have made any sense to me even a few years ago. I am surprisingly a conformist - although some may find this surprising about me - and have always followed rules, kept up with deadlines. So sometimes even a slight deviation feels like being brave. Having lived in the unsafe capital of India, Delhi, it still feels brave to be out after 8 or 9 pm even in Mumbai. It's just that the timelines of being back home are so strongly ingrained that it still feels odd to stay out late by myself. It sounds crazy but the mind is a strange thing and sometimes you just can't beat it!

This post required a bit of bravery to write since there are only a handful brave things I have done in my life. Talking about them seems quite personal. Giving up the comfort of a 9-5 job was itself a brave step for me. After training corporates for 6 years as a freelancer, starting my own company was a brave thing to do - since it took months of time and effort to build my online presence. I could never go back to functioning like an individual trainer who accepted whatever came my way. I had to be the agency that initiated action and have an identity of what I do!

The first blogging workshop - Blog Like Suman - in Mumbai

But the most recent thing that I have picked up is about a year old - yes, that's recent! I started a series of workshops on blogging for beginners last December. It was on a whim since I wanted to do something before the year ran out. There was enough talk on social media about what I do, it was time for some action. I wanted Soft Skills Studio to be seen doing what I claimed I was good at - train people. I picked up blogging since that has always been a passion and I learnt so much when I set up my work blog in 2014. (Unlike simpler times in 2009 when this blog was set up) I wanted to share all those insights with people. It wasn't a run away success the first time. Or the second time. I incurred the expenses for most workshops since the participation wasn't even enough to cover the costs. But I kept at it and the 4th workshop this year finally turned the tables and yielded a positive margin for the business.

The most recent one in October which saw women in full force!

Through the years I have learnt that you can try and might fail. But if you don't try, you'll definitely fail. I know that this sounds quite cliche. But I don't think I'd have achieved anything, learnt all the valuable lessons and felt confident for the future if I hadn't taken that plunge. Being brave may not benefit all the time but it definitely keeps our adventurous spirit going. And that's what is important.

Have you done something brave lately? I'd love to hear about them to reassure myself that I wasn't the only one attempting things that seemed so stupid at that time. I'm waiting to hear from you.

This post is a part of #NaBloPoMo hosted by BlogHer where I will write one post everyday this month.

And it's the 200th post!

And it's 200 posts!! (Photo credit)

So here is my 200th! I started blogging in 2009. Wow! That was a long time ago and you can read all about it here. It's quite boring to be honest. Blogging evolved rapidly only in later years. And I started writing in much simpler times.

What is exciting is that it took me years of sporadic blogging to hit the 100 posts mark. And it has taken me a little over a year to write another 100! Thanks to the encouraging blogging community and a couple of blogging challenges along the way. The research I did for my training blog a couple of years ago also served as an impetus to keep the momentum going here. You can read some of the lessons I have learnt through blogging along the way. 

Blogging is a lot more vibrant and interactive activity now that it was when I started. Since I got started with my training blog and updated my knowledge on blogging for it, I've had tons of ideas. But time is always a constraint. What stands out in my mind is that no matter how frenetic and complicated the blogging world is, I have let this space be my peaceful sanctum of writing. And the reason to write here still remains the same: for the joy of writing. I have never bothered about the traffic on this blog - which might seem stupid to some people. The whole point of a blog is getting as many readers and build it to apoint where it can make money, maybe. But with so many other things to bother about, I don't want public opinion or deadlines of commercial writing mar my passion for writing. At least not here.

What is also amazing is that I'll be writing two posts today. This one, since I just realised it's my 200th and another one for an ongoing blogging challenge. Since I couldn't have woven this into the prompt of the challenge and did not want this milestone to pass unwritten about, I decided to an additional post to mark the event.

Keeping up with a blog is hard work. And the most common complaints are writer's block, lack of time or the motivation at the end of the day to pull out your blog and type. But every post we write is a step ahead. It doesn't matter how many breaks we have taken or how frequently others write, as long as we have something to write about and we make our voice count, we have done justice to our blogs. And this is one step ahead for me in keeping my blog alive and putting out my voice out there. 

5 Life Lessons I Learnt From Working Out Regularly

Working out regularly changed my attitude towards life in a lot of ways! (Photo credit) 

It all started a couple of years ago when people started pointing out - like they usually are the first ones to - that I had become fat and should do something about it. My gym had shut down a few months ago and I hadn't gone back to working out. And dieting is really not my thing. So I guess I had become fat! *eye roll*. So I walked into this fitness centre - they insist that it's not a gym - on the next street from my house (proximity is always my number one criterion) and got details from them. It didn't seem like a bad place since they claimed to have a mix of workouts like Pilates, Yoga, Kettle bell, cross fit, aerobics etc. Variety and group activity come a close second and third when I choose a work out place. I have endured enough of proper gym with a treadmill kind of boring, monotonous workouts and am never go back to it. 

Once I started working out, I was pleasantly surprised. Astounded, is the right word. My stamina started building and so did my muscles!!! I had never dreamt that would ever happen. One hour of workout is still the best time of my day. And the trainers come up with the most ingenious ways to challenge our fitness levels. A glimpse: 

The black ball here is 6 kilos heavy!

I did not intend to share the story earlier but it just all came tumbling out once I started writing. So coming to the real point - I have not just developed stamina but also learnt a few precious life lessons that have stuck:

1. It’s not easy: Almost nothing in life is. Although a set class time makes it easy for me to set an hour out, it's still not a breeze to make time. I pretty much plan my whole day around it. I leave office/meetings to ensure that I am home 30-45 min before class so that I can rest, change and be there on time. Anything that we want to achieve in life needs meticulous planning. You will see results only when you put in consistent effort. I have been lucky to have great trainers who keep me motivated and drive me towards results. Hence, a great support system matters. Find your own. 

2. Regular efforts will yield results: I am an impulsive person and give up easily. But working out over a period of time - and setting up my own company - has given me the much needed lesson in patience and perseverance. Rome wasn't built in a day. And neither will anything else of substance. Over time, I can see a rise in my fitness levels, boost in my self esteem and I feel great about my body. Anything worth it takes time and a lot of work. Giving up is just an easy escape. 

3. Don't compare yourself to others: This is a philosophy I believe in life too. When I joined my class, there were others with better fitness levels and who worked out 6 days a week. I was stuck working out with minimal weights for months and did it 5 days a week (still do). But I figured that's where I started with my stamina and to compete with people who have already been working out is a futile effort. All of us have our own path to our goals. Each is different for each of us. We need to put our strengths to good use and we will hit the heights that others have eventually. Or maybe push the bar even higher with our efforts.

4. You will fail: Or will you? It all depends on how you look at faltering or taking a break. I have traveled, taken vacations, fallen sick in the last 2 years and all this has taken a toll on my workout routine. Faltering is not bad. Never getting back is. Every time there is an interruption, I just resume like before. Even if it's the 7th of July and it's a Thursday, like it happened this month. We all have times when life takes over and we can't get done all that we planned. Take blogging, for instance. I have been off and on on this blog because my work takes a lot of my time. But I do get back and write sometimes. I haven't given up because of my absence and never will. Just show up - that's the key. 

5. Work in progress is permanent: This is personally a very important lesson for me. My impatient self has always looked for instant gratification. All these months of working out and my shoulders are still not strong enough to do a full push up. So many years of blogging and I still struggle to keep up a routine. And I have become a lot more patient with work in progress as an accepted status for a lot of things in life. Like I mentioned earlier, each of us has different goals and each take his/her own time to get there. Celebrate small victories and keep your eye on the big goals. Enjoy the process.

There's nothing like an intense workout to prove the presence of endorphins - the feel good hormones that kick cortisol - the stress hormone - in the butt. And with the stressful lives that we lead, I am happy to get away from it all and invest an hour a day to take care of myself. And many times, it's hard to work after I'm back from my workout because I am sore and exhausted from it. But endorphins are addictive and I look forward to my dose at the end of each day!

Is there something that you've loved doing over a period of time? Long enough to notice how your world view is shaping because of that? I'd love to hear about it. Do drop in a line about it and let's get the conversation started! :)

Your Mind is Mine: The Ugesh Sarcar Show

Your mind is mine! (Photo credit)

When Blogadda sent me a tweet asking if I wanted to attend the Ugesh Sarcar show, I had no idea what it was. I went online and did a quick search for the name. The results were intriguing. Ugesh Sarcar is a mentalist, psychic and street magician. I think the first two terms are enough to pique anyone’s interest in the show. I am usually curious about new things and I thought this would be something different. In hindsight, I am glad that I agreed to go. I was eligible for couple platinum passes for the show. Since I had no +1 with me, I went on my own. 

The helpful staff of Blogadda helped my find the venue when I was a little unsure. I reached there and found the ticket counter. The line for everyone was the same. When I found people there holding booking codes, I wondered if I had to do the same. But when my turn came, it was all sorted with the seat number and everything. I collected my ticket and went to the waiting area where others were also waiting. There were some interesting things around even when we were waiting. That’s for you to find out when you go to the next Ugesh Sarcar!

I was full of skepticism and wondered how anyone could read someone’s mind. But the show justified the hype. Ugesh Sarcar, the son of renowned magician MC Sarcar, has grown up with magic around him. And when he steps on the stage, it’s like he just walked out of the poster of the show. The mysterious kohl-ed eyes, the black attire and the black hat complete the look. The big difference - this street magician has no rabbits coming out of his hat. The tricks he performed blew our minds. It is a pretty powerful thing to be able to read people’s minds and doing that before a live audience is the mark of a true genius! He found answers to questions people only thought of during the show and guessed numbers that were random. 

Although I am sure there are strong scientific principles behind these ‘tricks', it was a unique experience to witness something like this before our eyes. And it was all the more special for me since it was my first time and I had no expectations. I’d recommend this show to anyone who hasn’t yet been to it. It's hard to do justice to the real thing in blog posts. 

(Disclaimer: This post is not a paid one and the views here are from my own experience of the show)

Blogging Break: Putting Things in Perspective

Take a break! (Photo Credit)

So, it’s another come back of sorts to my blog. Does that bother me - the long break? No, it doesn’t. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit quietly and watch the world go by. This time, I also watched the madness of other bloggers go by. This break also proves that one can’t rest on one’s past laurels. And that, one is never invincible after overcoming a challenge (the #NaBloPoMo, in my case) unless one continues to put in efforts. So, I am back with no promises of coming back often. To me, it’s ok to flow with the flow once in a while. It’s ok not to push things to do the way it should be done to conform to some arbitrary rule I did not make. 

Breaks are good. From whatever one does in life. Surprisingly, looking at others go about their frenetic activities while you are on a break makes them appear even more fast paced. So when I think back about blogging related activity that I noticed around me during my hiatus is - there’s just too much of it. Could be because of the effect I told you earlier. But I also felt that everyone is so much in a hurry to blog. To blog more. To blog everyday. To write for every weekly theme. There are so many conversations around how to just keep posting no matter what. I am honestly astounded at how fellow bloggers can not just churn out posts everyday but also share them on various blogging platforms for others to read!! I constantly wonder - how do they manage! I figured that maybe I am not just that hardworking or it’s not in me to be able to do that or just plain ‘don’t care’ attitude! Any which way, I realized that not being in the rat race works for me. 

And I think the more I saw that happening on social media, the more I savoured my luxury of not blogging when I did not want to. To choose to stop typing just because I don’t feel like. And to be ok with it. As I have mentioned earlier, I write for the passion of writing. I write because I feel strongly about something. I don’t know how to write to increase page views (I don’t even know that for my professional blog! “What a fool!”, you say? Well!). I don’t know how to write to drive traffic. (I think this means the same as what I said before). Yes, my professional blog has some semblance of planning for the posts of a month. But that’s about it. Blogging is not the central thing in my life. I am sure avid bloggers reading my post - if anyone’s reading this post at all - might gasp in incredulity at this assertion. But that’s just how blogging works in my life. (Though, hats off to people to who manage all the blogging with kids and full time jobs)

Another reason for the hiatus has been probably a common thing that all of us go through - life takes over and it’s hard to find the time. With some personal issues and the rush of keeping up with my professional blogging, I has to compromise on a few things. And my personal blog is usually the casualty. Plus, once you stop, the languor sets in making it even harder to begin again. You know, you’ve been there! But after avoiding looking straight in the eye of my neglect of this blog, even when I could begin writing, here I am fighting through my lassitude. 

While I was pondering about blogging sitting on the periphery of the blogosphere, I figured what might work for my blog here. I need to work on what works for me. Daily blogging doesn’t. I need to go back to my reasons for writing - the love of it and improving the craft of writing. So consistency through well thought of posts seems to be my kind of plan. I am outright incapable of writing a good post every single day. Maybe, if that was my only profession. So, I need to find a rhythm that keeps me going and the blog too. And I think I have kinda figured what that rhythm could be.

If you have made it all the way here through my rant, thank you so much! Your free gift of good karma should reach you soon! And while you are here, have you been through a phase where you just took a break even from something you love? It could be a hobby or a (weekly) ritual that you followed for a long time. Tell me about it. I’d love to hear about it. 

4 Firsts of my life in 2015

Photo credit

As this year is coming to a close, I am surprised at how many things these posts have helped me discover about this year. I had dismissed this as just another uneventful one. But now I think there have been a lot of seeds sown this year and hopefully will bear fruit in the coming years.

Today I want to talk about some things that happened for the first time in my life this year.

1. First friends in Mumbai: 8 years in Mumbai and no friends. This status definitely changed this year, thanks to Twitter and a few events offline.

2. First set of muscles: Though I have been in and out of gyms over the years, I seem to have found my perfect workout place this year. No boring gym equipment - just group exercise with music and the count of the trainer. The different kinds of workouts have ensured that I developed some muscle mass this year. Though I am far from toned, I look forward to being active for an hour a day and work towards fitness.

3. First blogging challenge: Having been a busy year with setting up my professional blog and promoting it on social media, I still decided to jump into my first blogging challenge. And the experience could not have been better than it was. It has made me so much more confident as a blogger and I think finishing a challenge is such a boost to one's self esteem.

4. First open session: At the fag end of the year, I decided to take the online action offline with my first open session on blogging for beginners. It was taking the plunge after being at the edge for sometime. From making graphics to promoting it on social media and designing session content - it was almost a one woman army all the way! I did have friends who have always motivated to go ahead. I made a few mistakes, learnt a few lessons and I feel confident about taking on more such adventures in the coming year.

How has your year been? I am sure you can also think of new things that you did this year. I'd love to hear about them. Do share your experiences your comments.

8 People Who Made My Year

Photo credit

Not that I won an award this year, but there are people who made my journey of self-discovery worthwhile. And I think gratitude is one of the best ways to acknowledge what we have in our lives. So here's the list, starting from the beginning of the year:

1. Darshan Gajara for being the tech genius in my life! My professional blog looks the way it does solely because of him. I am sure it has been challenging for him to deal with a tech novice like me but he has been patient through all my challenging, "Why is it not possible" phases! Thanks, Darshan! I am glad I found you on Twitter!

2. Ankita Dhawan, my first girl friend in Mumbai (not to confuse with all the SMW friends I mentioned in my earlier post where most are guys!) and a blogging inspiration in my life. Sweet and helpful, she was the reason I kicked myself out of my blogging lethargy and took up the 30- day blogging challenge this year. Thanks for being around, babe! Also, she's great at beauty and lifestyle blogging which solves a lot of my make-up woes! :) (check out her awesome blog here)

3. Blogchatter, the blogging community handle on Twitter that turned my blogging fortunes around when they made me the #superblogger of the week sometime in September this year. I hadn't done anything to deserve it since I wasn't really blogging much. But this brought me back to my love of blogging since I posted for 7 consecutive days that week to justify the title I was given. And the rest, as they say, is history!

4. A big thanks to my friend, RK for suggesting to me to the ideal co-working space! To find your own space in Mumbai and one that's fits your budget is next to impossible. But this place has been a gift from heaven...sorry RK! :) It's helped my productivity go off the charts and been able get some ideas up and running from that space!

5. Gratitude is also due to Milind Kher, who has been very helpful and motivating. Endless emails with him to bounce off my ideas have kept me going during some times of self doubt.

6. Social media is a mammoth to conquer and making your place in it is a herculean task. Akathmadevi, the social media dynamite, has been my go-to source for a lot of concepts I couldn't understand and had questions about. She has always been kind and found the time to help me out on phone, msgs or even Skype! Thanks, darling! Couldn't have done it without you!

7. I believe that selfless deeds are the ones that have kept goodness in this world alive. And how could I forget my #FF and RT angels from Twitter. Thank you, Kunjal Kamdar for all the #FFs over the recent months when I needed them and Gurudutt Kamath for the RT sprees! I also want to thank everyone who went out and RTd my tweets to share information even though they did not have to!

8. Not to sound too cliched but credit is definitely due to my better half who's made everything in my life possible! Not just this year, but all the years I have been with him have been awesome times of learning to believe in myself, exploring my passions and stepping out of my comfort zones knowing that he's around to cover me for blunders I might make in the process! :)

This post turned out to be longer than I thought! But bear with me for a couple of more minutes. The year would not have been this awesome without all the people who decided to follow me on Twitter, like my FB page and encourage me to keep at it. I also met wonderful people like Vishal Kataria, Mitu Samar and Ajay Kontham, my Twitter friends, in person. I also made new friends on Twitter and I look forward to knowing them better next year.

Can you think of people who made a difference to you this year? Even if it is just one person, make an effort to thank them! No one? Hug your mom! You probably did not realise but she has been the only selfless person caring about you all year long! :)

11 reasons why 2015 was awesome for me

Countdown 2016 (Photo credit)

Starting today, I am doing a countdown to the new year with a new post everyday - just a fun way to make the end of the year more fun! So, for today I thought of 11 reasons why this year was awesome for me.

1. I made my first set of friends in Mumbai during Social Media Week earlier this year
2. I got into the routine of regular workouts and it feels great
3. My training blog has 80 posts and I took up a 30 day blogging challenge on this one
4. I became friends with a visually challenged person and learnt to appreciate life through her eyes
5. I got to train in Srinagar, which was a pretty unique experience
6. I was featured among female entrepreneurs on We Are The City
7. I met blogging stalwarts like Purba Ray, Arnab Ray, social media geniuses like Jeff Bullas and Sean Gardner
8. Lost my blogging mojo and found it back, thanks to @blogchatter on Twitter
9. Got myself certified as a coach
10. I discovered co-working spaces and have a so-called office I can go to and work from
11. I should reach 1800 followers on Twitter by the end of 2015 from a paltry number of a few hundred at the beginning

Actually, there are more awesome things like sitting through the creative writing class by Natasha Badhwar and the master class by Jeff Bullas. So, it was a great year in many ways.

Can you think of reasons why this year was brilliant for you?

#NaBloPoMo Day 30 - And the challenge ends!

The 30 day blogging challenge comes to an end today. After 27 posts in 27 days, I skipped the last 2 days due to travel. So did I miss the perfect 30 day streak at the fag end of the challenge? I don't think so. 27 posts in as many days has been great enough for me. Sure, I could have done the perfect 30 but perfect is so boring. Who's interested in perfect! It's the I-just-missed-it-and-yet-I-am-happy stories that are human. It's the vulnerable that we connect to. It's the imperfect that makes us feel better about our foibles and weaknesses.

Also, I think it's fun to break rules sometimes. It's liberating to take on a 30 day and do the unexpected - not do the perfect 30. I kept for all these days - through insanely busy days and pretty tiring nights. But if I tried to do it just to make a perfect 30, it wouldn't be me. I knew I couldn't have blogged during the weekend because of logistical issues and so I let go. It's great to take up a challenge. But it's also important to be able to let go. To not make things matter so much to us that we lose perspective. So what it's worth for, I thoroughly enjoyed the blogging challenge. This is definitely going as an achievement in my writing life. Stay tuned for the wonderful things doing this challenge has taught me - coming up soon.

I'd like to thank everyone who inspired me to write, left comments on my blog, shared my posts on social media and made this enjoyable journey even more delightful! Thank You!

(Btw, I am writing on a train from Delhi to Mumbai with limited connectivity. But I had to write this post and express my love for this wonderful blogging month of my life)

#NaBloPoMo Day 27 - What is your passion?

For the post today, I decided to borrow one of the daily challenge prompts - Do you think it's better to be a recognized expert for one thing, or known to be really good at lots of things? I think being an expert in one thing is important. You may know a lot of other things or have other interests. But there should be one thing that defines you because you are the expert in it. Here's why:

Expertise in one area, for me, is connected to your passion. It could be anything. A sport, movies, music, academia. A lot of us have a profession but our passion lies elsewhere. We are really good at something that's a hobby. And so we know pretty much everything that is there to know about it. If your passion is your profession, you hit jackpot in life. So, I feel it is important to be passionate about at least one thing in life. Knowing that passion gives a lot of energy to keep going in life.

It is important to have one thing you want to be known for. Practically speaking, you need to prove your expertise in one thing to be able to get a job or promote yourself for. If you can do a lot of things well, it is great but might get confusing beyond a point. There has to be one thing that you can do the best. And the other things become transferable skills which bolster your passion.

Being the best in one thing also adds to credibility. I could pursue a lot of hobbies - sing, dance, read, write and play an instrument. But I wouldn't be able to do well in all of them at the same time. There will be one thing I am better at and also love doing. Focus on one (or two at the most) will help me have a command over the skill/subject giving me confidence and credibility in the eyes of others.

What do you think? Have you had many interests which you have pursued successfully? Or you, like me, believe that expertise in one thing is important? Share your thoughts and I'd love to hear them.

#NaBloPoMo Day 23: Can I confess?

I am scared. Shit scared at times. Life feels like an empty zone where I can't make sense of anything. The future seems dark. What did I do wrong I wonder. But then I think the world changed too. And too rapidly at that. Garbled thoughts whirring through the dull ache in my head. (Yes, these frequent, dull headaches. Stress? lack of sleep? Tumour in my brain? I should find out soon). It's like nothing I know or did all these years matters anymore. I am suddenly thrown into this alien, fast paced world that I can’t seem to make sense of most of the times. I think it's the difficulty in relating to the world around me. The change is so rapid. The rate of new information rapid. I schedule my tweets to stay in the race. I revamped my Feedly thrice to make the content relevant. I have 13 years of professional experience. But kids a decade younger are challenging the beliefs I have held all my life. And they are succeeding, aren't they. They are born in this world. They can move at break neck speeds. I am just thrown into this world because there isn't any other. The feeling deepens as I sit with a 24 yr old revamp my modules for me by making them more appealing. Just information isn't enough, he says, people want to have fun. In training programs which will give them important life skills, I ask? This is how things work now, he says. I feel old sometimes because these youngsters have better ideas and so attuned to today’s world. I decide to jump into the bandwagon hoping it will make sense soon. I am smart and intelligent and educated. How hard can it be? These kids do it! I tweet, write updates, set up a blog. I read for hours for months to make sense of this new world. I think I am making good progress. But then what dents my belief in my capabilities? In my confidence, in my courage and strength to fight on?  I do a great job at projecting that calm, tough exterior while I am making sense of this world. No one can see the struggle that goes into it. It’s all ‘social’. We just project what we want to, not our real selves. I look at the opportunities of the new world. I frantically swim to keep up with the tide. I can see that I can do anything I want in today's times. But then I find that they are doing it better than me. Am I obsolete? Am I old? Does my experience count? Do I stick to what I do? Do I become like them in the new world to be accepted? And there is nothing new left to do in this world. There's no 'unique' anymore. Anything worth doing has been twisted so badly and done to death that my simple ideas look mundane in comparison. The world is so used to tinted glasses of fancy marketing that my sane voice of reason seems out of place. So what is left to do. I look down at what I have been working on and wonder will there be any takers for this? The treats at others' stalls look so much better. And that's what we do when we buy stuff - we decide based on how things look. I am not sure how good my treats are. And I am filled with self doubt. I still put on a brave front and decide to plough through life. Come on! I don't believe in giving up, I tell myself. Let's do what I do best and things will work out. Edison too failed 10,000 times and this is my favourite mood lifter! I get online, start connecting with people. They say they know their work and have done great at their jobs. I go out there and talk to them. But soon I am left standing at the periphery of a crowded room where everyone knows everyone else. I am the only outsider. And I thought it was a 'community' to help people out. Why isn't my voice heard then? Why am I invisible? Why did people promise to help and then forget about it? Is it because I don't know the right people? Connections matter, you see. But then I don’t understand their conversations either. The communities are closed. Successful competitors talk about marketing and money. They seem to be achieving milestones after milestones. Their life is so sorted, I think. And I am still missing something. I can't seem to find a method to the madness. But not someone to be disheartened with this, I tell myself that I will make it - with their help or without them. I spend days, months building my presence brick by brick. I pause, often, to think what I want. I ask, frequently, what do I want to be? In my quiet moments of contemplation I realise that it's an identity I am looking for. Who am I? is what draws a blank. My school friend is an Asst VP with this MNC bank, I tell my spouse. He just grunts knowing where I am going. I could have a full time job and a successful career, I think aloud. You are successful, he says. But in a unique way like no one else is, he reiterates. I am still not convinced. I go back to contemplating about it. Turning words around my tongue. The things that I think I am. Some terms sound familiar to my tongue when I say them aloud. Some sound even more exciting. But I not sure which one of those I really am. None of them fit the conventional roles. I go out and meet people. What do you do, they ask. I am a corporate trainer, I say though not very convincingly anymore. There are other exciting things in the world that have begun calling out to me. And I have realised I can be so many other things. And this only adds to the confusion. I share my dilemma in my conversations with friends. I eagerly wait for someone to say - you are fine as you are. I secretly wish someone will take this burden away from me - the burden of not knowing who I am. Some people wonder why do I need an identity of my own. Your husband earns well, they say. Why do you need to be someone, they ask. You don’t ‘have’ to do it. I tell them, No I don’t but I love doing what I am good at. They shrug their shoulders, roll their eyes and move on. I go out and meet people as a wife. That’s an identity. And I like it. But what do You do, is the emphatic question. Do I need an identity of my own, I wonder. I am a strong support to him, I venture. Come'on, you are more than that is their answer. And I wonder what is it that they are looking for. No, I still don't have answers to my question. You can be whoever you want to be, my spouse says as I melt into his arms with tears of frustration in my eyes at desperate times. He pats me and says, just do what makes you happy. That's the most important thing. That does feel a lot better. But the quest for an identity continues. Some days are bright with ideas and I love what I am doing. Some other days bring along waves of self doubt. But like I bounced back so many times in the past, I know this too shall pass. 

#NaBloPoMo Day 18 - Does writing have the power to change the world?

This post is inspired by a chat I was a part of on Twitter today. The chat got into a heated discussion when I pointed out how blogging can be used as a powerful medium of change and not just a personal goal of posting once a week. I have been active on a few blogging communities, learning from others and getting to know the issues that other bloggers face. I understand a lot of their issues but also disagree with a few like writer's block.

One of the issues that we all face as bloggers is lack of time or motivation to fit in regular blogging into our schedule. Life takes over and we are left with guilt for not writing as much as we thought we should. Being able to stick to our plans and write regularly is definitely a personal achievement. And with each of us meeting that goal, it sure makes blogging stronger and more of our thoughts go out there hoping to make a difference.

But I am thinking about blogging for the sake of making a difference. I believe that blogging has the power of changing the world. When someone can use the power of social media to become the Prime Minister of the country, I think the time is ripe to use online activism to  bring about real change. Write to build awareness. Write to change attitudes. Write to bring injustice to notice. Write to throw light on social parity. Write because you can use the power of words. Write because pen will always remain mightier than the sword. Write for the larger good of the world.

There was no social media or blogging when Gandhi was struggling against the British. Hence he organised a real Dandi March and launched Quit India Movement. To me, blogging can be that medium which can galvanise a nation into action. Words have the power to move. And when enough of us use that power, we will make a difference. We will force things to change. We will rope in more support for our causes.

I am reminded of the inspirational end of Purba Ray's speech at BNLF when she said that blogging can go to a level where when people ask you what do you do and you reply, "I blog", they respond with "Thank you".

You have the weapon of blogging. How you use it is your choice.

(I quote Purba from memory and I hope I have brought out the meaning and context in the right manner)

#NaBloPoMo Day 16 - Half way through the blogging challenge

So here I am half way through my november blogging challenge! Has it been hard? Yes. Has it been very hard? No. It's something I have to remember to do every day. Though it's not as simple as that! Read on.

For me, blogging challenges have been stuff that legends are made of! Writing a post every single day for a month? You must be kidding!! And that's the response/attitude with which I dismissed the whole idea. I did feel guilty too when I knew that my friend Ankita is taking these challenges with a full time job and a little kid. But since I was setting up my professional presence online, it seemed to stressing to take on something like this. Plus, to be honest, I was just lazy! But this November I decided to kick myself into some action and get some blogging done. I was mentally preparing myself for the daily marathon and there's something about a challenge that gets all of us going, doesn't it!

What made it worthwhile is that I always keep jotting down blogging ideas that I get and this seemed like a great opportunity to get my writing out on all those topics. I have just been running into that list and wistfully wondering if I'll get back to writing. Also, to me a blog post is something that has to be a substantial piece of writing. I am bad at writing small articles and feel bad when I do that just to tick my day off for the challenge. So, the ideas were ready and I had to sit down and hack away at the keyboard.

Well! The whole challenge about blogging is to be able to do just that - type all your thoughts out, apart from structure them well, proofread and put it out for people to read. And the first bit itself is a challenge with online and offline distractions to fight against. I have managed so far, sometimes scrambling at the last minute to get that post out. (One of them was the result of realising at 11.50 pm that I hadn't blogged that day and it was indeed 12am by the time technology acted up and let me finally post it!). I have blogged about 6 ways to beat writer's block based on my learning from the challenge so far.

I think the easier way to do the challenge is to follow prompts by BlogHer. That way you don't have to think of a new idea every day. You will need to think of something only for weekends since the prompts are only for week days. The bigger challenge for me is to explore my own ideas. I need time to structure my thoughts and write the whole thing down. It can't be a last minute, rushed affair. I have tried to find time to do that on some days. I have not been able to pick ideas, jot down points for them and type some of them out as buffer. I hope to do some of that for future posts since the Diwali madness is over and I have time for more serious work now.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of doing this challenge. Will I continue posting everyday after this is over? Probably no. But I know that it is possible to put out a decent post every other day at least. I just need to keep up the passion and sense of achievement I feel through the medium of blogging. We just drop blogging from our priority list and take it as a chore. And no one likes chores. :)

Before you zonk out of my preaching, I'd like to end by giving credit, yet again to @blogchatter who has been doing such a great job of encouraging bloggers and keeping them on track. If you are an aspiring blogger, currently a blogger or a successful blogger even, you should follow them on Twitter. I'd also like to send a warm hug and thank you to my blogger friend, Ankita (@LifestyleProBlog) for inspiring me always with her passion for blogging and writing. She is the only real person I know who takes blogging challenges and that felt something real than unknown people who do challenges.

If you have been sitting on the fence, just take up the challenge. For yourself. You may stumble but that's alright. You just get up and get going again!

#NaBloPoMo Day 14 - 6 reasons why this week was awesome!

In our everyday busy lives, there are only a few times that we cherish. There are different reasons for doing that. This week was one such time for me. This week has been pretty awesome one in a long long time. Reasons:

1. My most favourite festival, Diwali
2. I could do the whole ritual of Diyas, Lakshmi pooja, decking up in my fineries and with my better half with me
3. My ever traveling spouse was home for an entire week
4. We set up our new speakers and spent some quality time listening to them
5. I let myself indulge in sweets since Diwali is not Diwali unless you eat Indian sweets. And without guilt
6. I gave my work some rest and slept like I haven't in a long time.

Can you think of times you count memorable? I'd love to hear about it.

#NaBloPoMo Day 13 - The Spirit of Mumbai Autowallas

Why do rickshaw guys cheat? This is a question I have pondered over for a long time now. Why do they have the distinction of being untrustworthy, taking a circuitous route, being unfriendly? We all know that the reasons are rooted in our travel experiences in the past. Just like the people in uniform, we have a certain distrust of people who ply on roads promising us to take us to our destinations - but terms and conditions apply.

Having live in three cities of India (and traveled to others on work), I have a fair idea about the 'autowallah' scene in different cities. After living in Bangalore and Delhi, taking the rickshaw in Mumbai was a welcome change! I can safely vouch for the fact that the auto guys in Mumbai are very humane and well behaved people. There are instances where you run into problems with them but those are exceptions rather than the norm - like in other cities. And I will also accept that they do get a little choosy about taking passengers during monsoons.

What struck me when I newly came to Mumbai was promptly getting back a rupee for a tenner since the minimum fare was Rs. 9. Now, this was a surprise after Delhi getting the rickshaw guy to travel to your destination at a decent fare is as easy as answering the question - What do women want?! (I've heard that question is quite a bitch and no one knows the answer to it!) I remember choosing to wait for a bus to office than muster the energy to argue with a rickshaw guy.

The ubiquitous mode of transport for Mumbai middle class (Photo credit)

This post is actually dedicated to the autowallas of Mumbai. I have never come across rickshaw guys who thank their customers, apologise for the wrong turn and take U turns to get you right in front of your destination except in Mumbai. I have never missed not driving because of the ubiquitous rickshaws in the city. And not going by the meter, thankfully, is not yet an option here. Mumbai is a safe city for women and there are rickshaws on the night beat - both of which make it super convenient for women to step out after dark without having to worry about travel back home. What takes the cake is that I have had a rickshaw guy taking a 10 rupee note and leaving one rupee when the fare was Rs. 11 and I handed 2 tens! This has got to be the best thing to happen to anyone traveling by this mode of transport. It's not about the amount but about the intention of the person here. While, drivers in other cities are known for fleecing passengers, here is an exemplary workforce willing to charge below meter!

The work ethic of Mumbai rickshaw guys sets me thinking about the other cities. Are the govt fares in other cities really so low that they have to resort to arguing with customers to make the cut? Do these guys not want to make money like the others? Why do the rickshaw guys in some cities refuse even though they seem to be jobless and chatting in groups of drivers? I don't have answers to these questions. I can only thank my stars that the city I live in has honest men who are willing to work hard for their living and honestly so.

Do you have any good or bad rickshaw experiences in your city? I'd love to hear about them. Drop me a line in your comments or hit me on Twitter at @Suman_Kher.

#NABloPoMo Day 9 - 6 ways to beat writer's block

Writer's block is an often discussed topic in blogging communities. I am no writer and I haven't been writing for years. But as I understand through our discussions, it is the inability to come up with new ideas and blog consistently. It's either lack of ideas or not being able to write well about them. I think it also includes not having enough motivation to actually sit down and produce some work. It's a strange procrastination that grips us once we keep stalling the act of writing.

I have been through the "What the hell do I write about" phase during the early days of my blogging. In fact, that was a such a large thought bubble that I did not blog for a year and gave it up as a lost cause. I reluctantly came back to write sporadically about something that caught my eye or something I felt strongly about and had to write. But as time passed by, I realised that there are a lot of things I could write about. I just had to be alert to things around me. Over time, I have learnt a few things that can keep the steady flow of ideas going and you could actually sit down to write about. Here's my secret recipe to beat writer's block:

1. Carry a tiny notebook: Or notes app of your phone will do too. When I first came across this advice, I pfffft-ed it and thought who can carry a book all the time. But an extra Moleskin book that I did know what to do with ended up in my hand bag became my write-ideas-as-they-occur-to-you-book. And you can see that I have used just a couple of the #NaBloPoMo prompts so far. I have so many of my own ideas!

2. Planning the posts: I don't mean create an editorial schedule of which post goes out when. I haven't done it even for my professional blog, let alone the personal one where I want to be my own unbridled self! I mean - pick an idea that appeals the most to you at the time and jot down points that come to your mind. For instance, I have thought of writer's block and points have occurred to me at different times - and the little book to the rescue. (I am also someone who needs some distance between writing and posting. New points will mostly occur to me when I let my ideas stew a bit) So when I sat down to write today, my points were ready. I am less likely to think of more after I have posted this. And the structure is ready for me to follow.

3. Posts can be short/varied: For years, I have believed that a blog post should be long. Or I think I have had so much to say about any topic I feel strongly about that short posts never worked for me. But as I read other people's blogs and was exposed to ideas like microblogging Mondays and wordless wednesdays, I realised that all posts need not resemble a thesis. I could talk about a quick point I had to make and be done with it. I did not have to research a lifetime worth of material to get a post done. And posting pictures and writing about them is so much fun. I guess it's fun reading them too. Though I still believe that blog posts should be meaty so that people aren't disappointed.

4. Write in the morning: Another piece of advice I thought was buhawkee! But then I still don't mean you need to be up at 4 am to finish your post. I don't do that either and am mostly struggling to meet the 12am deadline for the day (like today!) But the output is a lot better and stress free if you get some typing done in the morning. Not much - maybe arrive at work 15 minutes early and start working on the post of the week. You can add a bit during lunch too. Writing at the end of the day can be tiring and harder to stick to. (In fact, I am so used to racing against time that I forgot I had written in the morning on Nov 1 and was ready to chase the deadline the same night!)

5. Type straight on the blog screen: I have started doing this only recently - for the blogging challenge actually. I used to keep jotting ideas and partial posts in a word doc, almost finish writing there and then paste into the blog. I think the editing work increases because the look changes from a word doc to a blog screen. For some reason I haven't properly figured out yet, it just seem easier to straight away type here. Even the future drafts. That way I know what's in the pipeline.

6. Write when inspiration hits you: I am sure the best of writers never got a brilliant idea every single day of their lives. Everyone goes through a dry spell once in a while. Especially so when we are a burnt out generation mostly juggling jobs, family, kids, taxes, social media, traffic and a lot more at any given point in time. So, if you find yourself swamped with life around you, relax! Let it be for a bit. If you are scared people might forget you or you don't want to leave a gaping hole of your absence on your blog, you can reblog/repost stuff from the internet. Add a quick introductory paragraph to it for context. Your readers come to your blog to read interesting stuff and they will get it any which way. You can always find stories related to your blog which you can share.

Do you agree with what I said here? Do you still think there's writer's block? Feel free to send me your comments. I'd love to know what I might be missing in my understanding of the phenomenon.

#NaBloPoMo Day 8 - Why do I blog?

I started this blog in 2009 - a time when blogging wasn't a great phenomenon it is now. My knowledge was also so limited that I only knew about blogger and promptly made my blog on it. I just wanted to explore what blogging was all about. The only thing behind the venture was the pure love for writing. Even today, what keeps me hooked to blogging and I keep coming back even after breaks is the love of putting down what I think. And there's nothing more satisfying than a well written piece. (Sometimes we do run into our old posts and wonder - Did I really write this?)

Blogging has changed so much since I started here. There are ways to drive traffic to your blog, key words to worry about, blogoversaries to be planned and give-aways to attract more people. I have never celebrated a blog anniversary or planned a give away. But that’s just because when I started my blog, social media wasn’t an overarching, dominating presence in our lives. Well! It doesn't interest me even now. Although, now I know a lot more about how blogging and promoting content works, I still refuse to get into the rat race. I am also active in a lot of chatting forums, including the amazing @blogchatter where we discuss various aspects of blogging and learn a lot in the process. We often talk about the right frequency of blogging and how we all struggle with our every day routine to find the time, inspiration and the inclination to write and post regularly. I always think we make a big deal of it. Unless you blog for professional reasons or for your clients where you need to ensure a certain frequency, worrying about putting a post a week is futile. I agree with Purba Ray when she said, during BNLF,  that it's best to write when inspiration hits you. Otherwise, I feel, it's all forced labour. And if you truly love writing, you will be drawn to it sooner or later.

So, yeah - the love for writing still remains the primary reason why I blog. And I will write only when I have something worthwhile to add here. Let me know what are your reasons to blog. I'd love to hear about them.

#NaBloPoMo Day 2: #BNLF: My Review Of The Most Disruptive Blogging Event Of The Year

Blog Now Live Forever, the blogging event by Indiblogger was a 2 day mega fest with an impressive line up of Indian and international speakers. Learning, knowledge, networking, food, catching up - it was a great place to be a part of the blogger community this weekend. This was my second Indiblogger meet and third blogger meet in all.

The venue was close to where I live and there's nothing like a cool Mumbai morning to look forward to an event like this. 15 minutes and I was there. There were serpentine queues to register but the efficient Indiblogger crew took charge of the situation and the lines vanished in minutes.

Ready for Day 1 of BNLF, Mumbai

As I got in and registered, I instantly recognised Purba Ray chatting up with people. It was my fan girl moment! And I was surprised that she remembered me and many others from Twitter. Now that's called being down to earth! And it goes without saying that a selfie is mandatory!

Selfie with ace blogger, Purba Ray

After all this excitement, it was a damp squib to find out that not only was there no breakfast but we had to wait for 2 keynote speeches to be over before we even got coffee! It seemed like a repeat of Karva Chauth for many women who fasted the day before and had an early start even the next day. Pushing our hunger pangs away, my friend Ankita and I found seats for ourselves and started milling about. The rocking start to the day was with a live rock concert - just the kind of energy we wanted!

And then started the key note speeches by the impressive line up of speakers for the day. The first session by Purba Ray who spoke about the hilarious responses one gets on telling people that we are bloggers. And Purba brought in all her trademark humour and we were in splits by the end of it. Arnab Ray was next, talking about how blogging changed his life. He traced back his journey of blogging from a time when it was a lesser known concept. Anshul Tewari's speech, though uninspiring was relevant in driving home the power of blogging and the difference it can make to the society. On the other hand, Kanan Gill seemed to have forgotten that he was supposed to talk about content in videos. We all kept waiting but he never got to it. Jeff Bullas and Christoph Trappe were at their professional best with useful insights on social media and story telling, respectively. (Although Jeff's session seemed to drag along and people got a little tired since it was post lunch too). Preeti Shenoy's session seemed like her standard marketing presentation which dutifully ended with - ps: please buy my books (!) and did not add anything new to my knowledge of blogging. Or publishing after blogging. I think the highlight of the day was Bruce Dickinson, the former lead singer of the rock band Iron Maiden but then also a successful business man and commercial pilot. The sheer volume of things this guy has managed to pack into his life is beyond inspiring!

Selfie with Ankita (@LifestyleProBlog)

In between the sessions, we had our much awaited and looked forward to lunch. We caught up with people we knew on Twitter but now got to meet them in person. My friend, Ankita introduced me to bloggers she knew and was in touch with. I met a lot of new people and it was inspiring to know the their stories of blogging. We also stayed back for a quick peek into the back stage party. The speakers were all so down to earth that we caught up again with Purba, Arnab and Jeff. Day 2, likewise, had masterclasses from the best! Christoph had great points on how one could use story telling to make an impact on others and get a buy in. His session was particularly interesting since drove home most of his points through stories. So it was like actually looking at how stories work. It kept us all riveted to the session. It was also inspiring to hear him share personal stories of how he makes time to do all that he does and still ensures he has time with his kids. (I missed Jeff's session since I had to leave early)

Day 1: Backstage party - with Ankita, Sahana, Puneet and Arnab

The event was definitely a winner for networking and learning, which I will get to in a bit, from the brilliant minds of blogging and social media. However, I found glaring gaps that dented the impact of the great event this could have been. To begin with, there wasn't anything disruptive about it. There weren't any path breaking ideas that would disrupt our way of thinking about blogging. No talk about bending rules of blogging or a revolutionary, thought provoking insight of how blogging can be newly approached post the event. It was a series of experts offering insights into how blogging should be done, which is informative at best, definitely not 'disruptive'.

The event sorely missed an energetic MC/host/compere that could have kept the event together and the crown energised. The energy was flat right from the start. Not that we weren't excited but there's only so much energy we can muster during an 8 hour event without some boost from the hosts. We had a semblance of a compere who introduced a few speakers and then we were told that she hadn't prepared the introduction of the next speaker! That came across as so casual and unprepared on the part of Indiblogger. Technically too, the clicker kept getting stuck and the guests had to check for the slides to come on to continue speaking. The audience was seated such that people in the front had more chances of getting noticed and asking questions.

I may be overly critical but that's because an event that includes esteemed speakers from other countries is expected to be glitch free. It's the reputation of the organisers at stake. With the kind of speakers Indiblogger managed to get, this could have been the best and the biggest of the blogging events.

Not robbing Indiblogger of the credit for organising an event like this, I think all of us had something to learn and take home. And when you have the best brains on stage, I guess there are some personal meaningful lessons which speak only to you. Since I have been blogging and active on social media, it wasn't the basics that interested me. The valuable lessons for me were:

1. Jeff Bullas' "Done is better than perfect". And this applies to so many other aspects of my life. And also, as bloggers, we wait for that elusive bout of inspiration and creativity to hit us so that we can come up with that perfect post which we secretly wish will go viral. When that does not happen, we come out with half hearted posts we aren't happy about. So, getting things done as a goal is a valuable lesson for me. If we just went ahead and did things, we'd probably have much better results too.

2. Christoph's session was about story telling but I learnt valuable lessons on time management from him. During the masterclass, he shared his routine which involves waking up at 4.30 am so that he can hit the gym in then morning to be able to spend time with his girls in the evening after office. His story of how he has blogged typing with one hand while his other hand held his one year old while she slept on his shoulder left an indelible imprint on my mind. So, it's all about really making time for things you really want to do. And I was quick to apply this lesson too. I ran into a blog chat as I looked at Twitter first thing this morning. I found myself browsing through it along with making my bed and brushing my teeth. At other times, I would have just ignored that chat as being too early in the day!

3. Bruce Dickinson's prolific career as a musician, commercial pilot and businessman takes the cake in inspiration. While Christoph inspired me to use every minute and every opportunity to do what I love, Bruce showed how much we can pack in one life! We are never too short of time to pursue things we really want to do.

To sum it up, #BNLF was a power packed event with something for freshers and experienced bloggers alike. It did add to strengthening community bonds through meeting and learning from each other. More power to you guys and more support from the blogging community.