Crucial Success Skills Forged Through My Journey
I transform challenges into triumphs. Once I decide something, I turn things around completely. I carry a never-say-die attitude that keeps me going. I don't give up or get discouraged, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if all resources are against me, people are pulling me, or the earth may shatter; I don’t break down. I don’t see the word "impossible" in my dictionary. I am a strong-headed person, and I don’t lose hope.
I describe myself as a courageous, ambitious, and limitless woman. This attitude of mine has delivered success to me on multiple occasions. Keep moving forward is my mantra. It doesn’t matter if you take baby steps, but move even if it's 1% forward, do it! Every inch forward counts. I'm not an author by birth, nor is writing my burning passion, but I wanted to spread my valuable insights that could empower others.
Therefore, I wrote a book titled "Work Win Wow: The G-Spot of Success," a motivational read. It’s not just a book, but a milestone that I never dreamed of. But what kept me going on this journey was my strongest “why” of sharing my knowledge with the world. I would be selfish if I kept it to myself. Sharing actionable strategies to be successful in your career, so that people don’t have to start from zero and reinvent the wheel. I did spend hours writing, rewriting, and refining, and finally made it happen. It was certainly not a cakewalk, in fact, as challenging as walking on water.
Crafting Creative Opportunities from Every Challenge
From Adversity to Impact: My Journey of Choosing Challenges:
People say, “why me”, I say “choose me”. I have always preferred to pick the most complex task that others fear to even think about. I made my hands dirty, and this gives me immense knowledge in return. This is my self-confidence that I know I will turn things around from zero to hero. My mom also said to me, "Deepika, you work for 8 hours, put this time into performing extraordinarily, where you can make an impact. Pick a task which is more meaningful, where you can create a difference and it’s worthwhile."
Adversities and rejections have made me stronger. If people wouldn’t have pulled me down, if I wouldn’t have been rejected 8 times in an interview round due to my communication, if I wouldn’t have been scorned by others, I may not have that spark to do something worthwhile and come out of my comfort zone. I thank all these rejections that came my way for turning them into opportunities for learning.
Let me share a quick story from my corporate days. I came up with an idea to contribute to process improvement and save 67k USD for the company. However, to deliver such projects, i.e., Six Sigma Green Belt projects, you are supposed to be on a senior designation because these projects are really complex in nature. However, as I was quite junior in the company, I was told I couldn’t do that project.
However, this hit me hard; that title cannot stop you from contributing to a great idea. I took it further to my process head and got exceptional approval, saying I commit to deliver this project. However, the battle started when my teammates got to know that I, being the junior-most in the team, was driving such a complex project. They immediately turned into my rivals. But to complete a project, everybody’s contribution as a team was important. However, they were jealous and weren’t ready to accept this fact.
I took an opportunity to talk to them one-on-one and made them understand how important this project was, what savings we would be driving for the company, and how their contribution could play a vital role. Also, I informed them that their names would also be listed under the project charter as team members, so their work is not neglected. I showed them they are equally important members of the project, and their expertise is needed to make this project a success. They felt valued and decided to help me. We worked as a team because together everyone achieves more.
Leading this project was one of the toughest things I have faced, however, I survived and delivered the project savings as promised. This was the case in my studies as well. I wanted to do something exceptional, something extraordinary that gave me a sense of fulfillment. Due to my financial circumstances, I couldn’t study at college, but I never wanted this to be a showstopper for me. Rather, I picked the toughest course and decided to do an honors degree instead of a simple pass course.
My Impact
Influencing and making a positive impact on the community starts from within oneself. My take would be first to focus on yourself, igniting that spark within you. Self-care is a powerful tool that we generally underestimate and overlook in this competitive world. Thereafter, add value to other people’s lives. Because if you are not in good health, be it physical or mental, it would be tough for you to influence and inspire a community and drive change.
I would like to present one such story where I untapped my inspiration and have since been influencing people across the globe. We all know 2020, a year of disruption. I was also stressed out by the bad news coming across the globe. I yearned for motivation to uplift myself and others. Fortunately, with physical movement restricted, the coaching industry shifted online, offering a wealth of opportunities for personal growth. I happened to attend some inspiring TED talks, seminars, and life-changing events. By now, I had enough zeal within me and thereafter I landed an amazing session on writing a book. This was a game-changer.
One thing that struck me was “knowledge not shared is knowledge wasted”. We all have knowledge, and it’s selfish if we don’t share it with the world. To write a book, you don’t need a fancy degree, a wealthy bloodline, or a PhD. Anybody can add value to anyone’s life. This thought compelled me to write a book titled “Work, Win Work: The G-Spot of Success”, a motivational book that focuses on untapping your hidden potential and leading the way to Success.
Further, to inspire and touch more people's lives, I have grown a community of people over LinkedIn. I inspire people with my words and connect with them, helping them unleash their hidden potential and transform them into better individuals, which makes me happy. My goal is even if I inspire one soul out of a million, I will consider my job well done, and my birth on this planet a success.
Scaling New Heights in Personal and Professional Triumphs
My Guiding Principle: Humanity drives me. Every act I undertake to uplift individuals and enrich the world around me is my measure of success. Each opportunity to help, both big and small, contributes to a life well-lived.
Inspiration is My Mission: I aspire to leave my mark by sparking positive change in others. If even one soul, out of countless millions, finds inspiration through my actions, my life will be a success story.
The Power of Knowledge: To effectively assist others, I commit to relentless self-improvement. I prioritize reading, drawing upon the wisdom of past generations as fuel for my own growth. Each book becomes a decade downloaded, expanding my understanding and capacity to help.
Ripple Effect: Small interventions like posting success stories and motivating words are influencing people to take action. They come and tell me that for this content, people charge thousands of bucks, and I’m giving it for free. I can’t express the feeling I get when I hear such words. I also run small challenges like an 11-day challenge on habit formation, talking about how habits are the foundation of what we do, and if we fix them, we can do a lot more. Giving people actionable strategies and becoming their accountability partner, I ensure end-to-end transformation.
Pride and Purpose: Witnessing my parents' pride in my endeavors brings me profound fulfillment. It underscores the value of my contributions and inspires me to continue striving for betterment, both personal and global.
The Synergy Between My Path and Recognition Values
My life has been all about standing against all odds. They said being the second daughter was a burden, not a blessing. Whispers followed me like shadows. But I was born to prove them wrong. Growing up, life wasn't easy. Living in a one-room house, with barely enough to make ends meet. Looking at the finances, I started working at the age of 18, even before my board results were declared.
I started selling movie tickets at the cinema, worked at call centers, and BPOs. Despite being a bright student and passionate about studying, I couldn’t pursue higher studies at college and my dreams were shattered. However, I never let this harsh reality overpower me. In fact, I chose to study an honors course instead of a pass course through correspondence to have a sense of fulfillment by studying a tough course.
Fast forward to today, I am a corporate leader, mentoring and guiding people. I have spent 15 long years on this journey. I find my passion in nurturing them and transforming their lives completely. I work selflessly, and giving back to society is my utmost priority. I have grown exponentially in each sector, knowledge, spiritually, and financially. My grandmother said to my mom – “Deepika is a son in the family, she has proved everyone wrong, she has left everyone behind”. This brings tears to my eyes while writing this narrative.
I have made my parents proud, and I’m on a journey to inspire people to believe in themselves, trust the process, and if you are determined to make a difference, nothing can stop you. A special mention about the support and trust that my parents have shown me was magical. They are my biggest cheerleaders, who always believed in me, no matter what. They always stood by me in my decisions.
Whenever I needed them, I found them by my side. With my story, I want to pass a message to parents to build that trust and relationship with your kids so that if anything goes wrong, they come to you first. Now, the "Against All Odds" nomination is like a spotlight on my journey. It's more than an award; it's a chance to inspire others facing similar challenges. WAHStory, the platform sharing these powerful stories, is amazing.
They get it: it's not just about achievements, it's about the power to uplift others. By sharing my story, I can be part of something bigger, reminding everyone that hard work and helping others never go unnoticed. This nomination isn't just for me; it's a flame passed forward. We can show the world that even when the odds are stacked against us, our dreams can soar. Remember, you don't need fancy things to succeed, just a big heart and a determined spirit. Let's keep inspiring each other!