Be the most unique version of yourself

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I know I’m not the first but to anyone who can challenge the norms, unlearn what hinders them and try something new (like wearing a sari with pants) knows that being the most unique version of yourself is above everything!

I’ve learned that getting out of your comfort zone and finding ways to improve yourself is key. Here are some ways to do that everyday:

Practice Gratitude Everyday
Digital Detox 2 hrs Before Bed (if you can’t do it every day, start with Mondays)
Personally Greet Everyone You Meet (by name, appropriate pronouns and with respect)
Talk Positively to Yourself
Do Something for Someone Else Once a Day (without expecting anything in return)
Execute on your Ideas

Happy Monday!

Learning about India’s independence

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

On Aug 15 1947, India claimed independence from the United Kingdom. It actually happened during WW1, where Mahatma Ghandi advocated (and possibly unintentionally) led for peaceful end to British rule (love the juxtaposition in that!)

We as a family took it upon ourselves to learn a little more about the Indian flag. Given all of the social education happening in our world – I found it fitting to learn and teach our girls about their background and heritage.

Sharing a few of the quick facts about the Indian Flag that I found intriguing!

The flag is tricolor and each colour means something different. Saffron/Orange represents courage and strength, White indicates peace and truth, Green is for auspiciousness and growth.
The Chakra depicts the wheel of duty/law and that there is life in movement. There are 24 spokes in the chakra represents a few different things: Indians working tirelessly for 24 hours, 24 different paths for humans and lead any country on the path to progress. Also! The original spinning wheel was replaced by the chakra :O

We kept it light by creating these cute renditions of the flag, perfect for little hands and grown up creatives alike.

Summer cottage getaway

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

With lockdown measures still in place, no vacation destinations requiring air travel are being planned – the next best thing is vacationing in your own backyard. The best way to do that in Ontario? Camping or for the camping-averse Cottaging!

A cottage is a great way to embrace the great outdoors, picturesque sunsets, time on the water and a change of scenery but still with the conveniences of home (sleeping on a bed, private bathrooms and better weather protection).

Camping is the same flavour but a lot more planning is required – in a good way because it offers an even more outdoor, nature filled experience.

That said, I am not yet ready for camping, maybe in a few years when the girls are little older and more able to help so for now we’ll take the cottage. We don’t have a cottage in our family, so we usually rent one or find a house near a lake.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up overt the last few years of cottaging!

Preparing for your cottage:
– plan your days as much as you can including travelling to and from, meals/groceries, packing and activities
– if travelling with other families, divide up grocery shopping and cooking
– pack for the elements (even if you have a house to escape not ideal weather from, you may still want to enjoy the cooler evenings and rainy mornings)

When you are there:
– spend as much time as you can on the water & drag your kids out as much as possible
– let the kids run free (safely)
– eat every meal OUTSIDE
– take lots of pictures & video of the grounds and all of the activities
– Find any reason to celebrate ;)

Before you leave:
– leave the cottage in the same condition you found it (especially the kitchen!)
– make sure to put away any boating equipment (these are more likely to get stolen which means you don’t want to get caught paying for replacements)

Current meditation & journal routine

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Over the last few months I’ve developed a morning routine. Simply put I’ve added meditating and journaling to the start my day.

My focus for these activities is to breath, visualize, have gratitude, be intentional, learn more about myself and connect to shared wisdom.

My longest stretch was ~200 days. At one point I missed a day but because I did it that long it formed a habit. So when I do a miss a day I feel complete outside of myself.

I recently heard someone say, the only thing you can control is your spiritual practice. And it’s so true. Meditation and journaling has been my practice for quite some time now and what I love is no one can take that away from me. I love it so much I share my practice and technique with people at work and my friends.

If you are looking for a sign to start meditating and journaling – let it be this.

Everything is on the other side of consistency, all you have to do is start.

Tropical Smoothie & Life Changing Habits

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I read this recently and had to share! Insanely easy habits that will change your life!

♥ Make your bed every morning

♥ Make to do lists based on your life goals (fail to plan or plan to fail!)

♥ Eat more spinach

♥ Get up & Move

♥ Read more

♥ Ask for forgiveness instead of permission

♥ Sit up straight

♥ Take the stairs more often

♥ Mute or unfollow (most) social media accounts

♥ Avoid decision fatique

♥ Sleep more

PS: you gotta try this EASY tropical smoothie bowl!

Add to a blender: Frozen Fruits (strawberries, mangos, pineapples, mangoes), banana, almond milk and a shot of lemon juice (very important as it adds to the tanginess) – soo good!

Once blended well, transfer to a bowl and top with your favs! Blueberries, almond slivers, granola, coconut flakes & chia seeds (other options include: walnuts, hemp hearts, kiwi, blackberries/raspberries or chocolate chips!)

My first #IamRemarkable session as a FACILITATOR

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Success and milestones come in different forms. But accomplishments are for everyone!

In the last year, I’ve attended 2 #IamRemarkable workshops as a participant. Before attending, I had only heard about the initiative, but didn’t know much about it or how powerful it could be.

After attending the first one, I knew immediately I wanted to be facilitate the workshops for working/career moms and members of the BIPOC community.

ICYDK: #IamRemarkable is a #Google initiative empowering women and other underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond.

It’s not bragging, if it’s based on facts!

Why am I so excited about being an #IamRemarkable Facilitator?

Over the last few years, I’ve learned that mentorship and coaching can really improve your circumstances and your surroundings (not only for the mentee, but also the mentor/coach). #IamRemarkable offers a mentor/mentee partnership where benefits are realized almost immediately.

And since hosting my first #IamRemarkable workshop as a facilitator, I saw how participants resonated with the experiences shared. As a facilitator, I got out of my comfort zone & shared my own accomplishments, but more importantly the participants were inspired by my stories and felt empowered by the workshops’ exercises. By the end of the session, everyone left feeling powerful, confident and more joyful.

If you’ve ever spoken about yourself, you may know that self promotion and self-advocacy can feel awkward and be challenging for most people. But mix in culture, societal or modesty norms and it’s usually women and under-represented groups that suffer the most.

Another reason why I knew I wanted to be an #IamRemarkable facilitator was because I’ve learned through my mentors that our careers aren’t just about working heads down all hours of the day. We need to find ways to enjoy the journey! It’s about making space for opportunities/stretch goals, building your personal brand, actively seeking out your board of directors and leaning into your growth mindset.

Don’t get me wrong: working hard is still important but there is more to your work life than that (ahem ~~hustle culture~~) so you need to find the harmony that works best for you, your home life and your mental well being.

And when your hard work pays off and you have accomplished something big – you have to know that accomplishments won’t speak for themselves. You have to actively share your achievements!

That is what #IamRemarkable is all about! Learning to talk about your accomplishments in a way that is true to you. It’s also about challenging the social perception around self promotion!

Even if you are confident in speaking about yourself, you’ll learn about how to build a safe space for others to speak about their accomplishments and the art of active listening as a leader or person of majority.

If you have the chance to attend a workshop, I would highly recommend it! Feel free to reach out in the comments below and share your thoughts on self promotion, being marginalized, unconscious biases and holding space for listening to other peoples accomplishments.