Our intrinsic motivation to inspire our goals many times come from role models. My childhood memories are replete with Mother Teresa and her contribution to unconditional service. So much so that at a district level fancy dress competition I role played her. Dressed as mother Teresa, I hunched and recited the lines. The second prize was a validation of what our culture imbeds in our personality while growing up; value of service, helping the needy and putting other’s first.

“My answer to why am I here on this planet, ten years back, was to make a difference in this world. However, there comes a time in life when you discover a purpose for yourself. The definition of purpose for me keeps changing. I have moved from setting up business to taking care of my employees.” Says Siddhi.  She takes me back to my younger days when everything was to be done for selfless purpose.

Having met Siddhi after many years, especially after the lockdown months, I perceived evolution in her tone and choice of words. She described the time before the pandemic hit as emotionally unstable. Her work wasn’t giving her satisfaction, doing the same thing repetitively wasn’t inspiring. Her relationship was on the edge and physically she was going through low immunity and pain.

In nature, that’s referred to as a “Cycle”. Life is cyclical, what goes up, comes down to demand a different you. Some are stuck at the bottom because they glorify the past and expect it to repeat again. It’s literally staying back in time, when the world has already moved forward. How do you get to know that? When the body gives in, mind shows signs of exhaustion and emotions tie you down. A gap is created between the energy body and the physical body.

“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them” Rumi

In the extreme low phase where nothing was looking good brought Siddhi to a realisation that these are signs to move things. However, she did not know what to do. Her awareness helped her to find the missing step in the ladder to go up was courage.  Realisation wasn’t enough, she had to take action. The only glimmer of hope, at that point was her travel to various institutes as a guest faculty. “An opportunity to travel to teach at various institutes and meeting new people gave me a better perspective, took my mind off the issues. And this became a spring board for me to leap. If you are in the painting, the larger picture cannot be seen being in there. You have to step out” added Siddhi.

She broke the pattern of being in the quicksand of self-depreciating thought process. When one decides, the universe follows. Some tough calls were made in the early 2020, she let go of some control over day-to- day business activities and moved back to her hometown. Little did she know that the lockdown will turn out to be a blessing for her.

She decided to take a pause. It took courage specially in the industry which has a short-term memory. After many years dressing up models and people, finally she took time out to focus on herself, giving priority to self-care. Lifestyle changes need discipline. She recognised the importance of mental wellbeing. She broke up with the idea of fitting in any system, group or idea shaped by the stereo typed work. Being in the fashion industry, it was the toughest call to make.

The courage paid off, in a couple of months her body healed. Disruption happened and how, she created a first-of-its-kind online fashion academy called SEFT. Putting herself first made her go back to her passion for teaching., which she realised being prepared for just before the lockdown. Nurturing herself she felt ready for the next big thing in life. Mentoring girls from age 10years to 60years fulfilled her and gave an opportunity to take her talent to a different ascension.  According to her “When you heal one aspect of your life, the other areas bloom automatically.”

Her eyes light up as she narrates, “Magic happens when you pause and let nature decide for you.” She went with her body, waking up early, following a routine of yoga and pranayama. By letting go of the old ways she created space for new energies. Flashing her childlike smile Siddhi continues “Sometimes you just have to be and not try too hard to control. Just savour the present moment”  

What makes go past the low phases? Following the teaching of her master Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who teaches the minute one goes through a low phase, it is a myopic view of your life. When you have a larger perspective, the low moment feels trivial.

Siddhi’s honesty with herself and not perturbed to be vulnerable and being unguarded about her most difficult moment in life motivated me to dig deeper into her journey. The world may see the most sought-after designer, creative talent and successful business woman but personally at one point in time she was at an absolute ground zero. To rise from there, like a phoenix, one requires extra dose of courage and clear inteion. However, courage is just the means to find the next big leap. This you may want to call purpose. Finding grounding in every little success may be encouraging for an approaching big moment.

Another hack which Siddhi shared is worth adapting; ‘Go with the nature.’ If you think logically, our bodies are aligned to nature and they go back to the source after we pass on. We are part of the consciousness of earth. Anything against it creates disharmony. This could be worth adapting- waking up early, exercising, doing deep abdominal breathing, having well-nourished meals on time, and so on can help the body and mind being clear and agile.  

Whether you have found a purpose or not, being aware of the hunger for it will get you where you want to be. The quest for finding meaning can only come if we take time to pause and connect to our body and soul. As we become more aware of our needs, we automatically mark self-care important. How can we serve others if our happiness is suppressed? Pause is also important to reflect on the signs around us sent by life. More often than not, when things are tough, we are going against the tide. That’s when you stop and press the reset button. That’s the light, grace & mercy of life.

Hope this honest piece inspired, motivated or moved something within. Do share your comments, suggestions, stories with me and share this article with others. Thank you for stopping by!