Womenlines welcomes Anji Hallewell as an Influencer of Positive Mindset on the Womenlines panel. Anji is a Natural Strengths Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hidden Lava. In her article for this month, Anji is sharing tips on how to keep your authentic self real in life-
How high is your bar? People set such high bars for themselves, that they can never reach them. Are you one of them?
In pausing and thinking about that for a moment, who is that bar for? Are you proving something to yourself or someone else? When you strive for something that can’t be reached, how does that make yourself feel?
The trick is to show compassion on yourself and allow yourself to drop the perfection. I mean, what is perfection anyway, other than a made up subjective mental construct? So, produce your version of things! Manifest your unique relationship, presentation style or way of being. No one is scoring you other than yourself, so you might as well get rid of the clipboard now!
When you are not being real, you feel like you are pretending to be something that you are not, and it doesn’t feel right. The more you continue to do it, the more you move away from your true self.
Here are 4 things you can start doing to keep it real. The more you listen and follow it the more in sync you will feel-
1. Turn Inwards
Switch off the external and internal noise through mindfulness, meditation or yoga. There is a good reason why these ancient practices are still in our lives today – they work!
Things will be much clearer afterwards as to what is reasonable and good enough.
2. Crank up the Good Vibes
Dancing, singing or making music are great ways to shake off any internal pressure. It’s an excellent way to instantly shedding any negative tension you may feel, especially when you do it like no one is watching!
There’s nothing like injecting a bit of lightness to let go of the seriousness of perfection.
3. Ground yourself
Get out into nature; there is something very humbling about it. Whether it is a hike, a walk in the park or climbing a mountain use it to clear your mind so you can centre yourself.
It’s easier to see what you need to let go of from that space, as the truth shines through.
4. Invest in yourself
You don’t need to spend huge amounts of money straight off the mark. There is a ton of free content available; just find what resonates with you.
Perfection is a disguise for insecurity, there is something deeper underneath it that you need to flush out, so it doesn’t control you and the best you can emerge.
Coach, Trainer & Founder
+65 8408 5042
Womenlines is delighted to welcome Anjalika, an IITTI (CANADA) certified professional Image Branding & Lifestyle Consultant, as an Influencer for Image Branding at Womenlines. Yes Womenfolk, gear up to learn the tips and tricks to carry yourself with excellence and make excellence your brand. In her sharing for this month, Anjalika is sharing incredible tips about ‘How to create the first impression?’-
‘The first impression lasts’ a three worded statement, simple yet so true. Do you know you only have a mere seven seconds to present a powerful professional or personal you when introduced to someone? Yes, a seven short seconds, that is all. I used to think how dare someone to deduce me within that short a time. Is that fair? We have so much to offer and seven seconds is a way too little for someone to size-us up and make an impression. However, if you ask me now, boy I am glad. Let me tell you more about impressing first.
First of all, just to back-track a little bit; my experience with first impressions started when I was 18 when I was interning for one of the major resort developments in Singapore and I have not looked back since.
Why is creating good impression such an integral part of life; most importantly, what is impression? When I looked up Cambridge dictionary, one of the first meanings for this word is said as ‘a mark made on the surface of something by pressing an object into it’. Similarly, whenever we meet someone, we actually make a mark of ourselves onto the other person. The initial seven seconds of meeting someone is when an impression of yourself is made on the other party’s mind. Please take note that making a good first impression has got nothing to do with insecurity or getting assurance from others. Creating a good impression has everything to do with securing a dream job, making good friends or even getting a lifelong partner. Having said that, the first impression is an initial contact point and what comes after is highly important too in securing and maintaining a relationship.
That said, summarising oneself in 7 seconds do require some skills; and these skills are what we are going to look at, going forward.
Everybody loves a good handshake; one that projects confidence and equality. Why are handshakes the important part of creating first impressions? Got to say one of my pet peeves is the dead fish; one that gives a very lacklustre reciprocation – the one with no energy and in turn, almost always takes away mine too – on impact. A handshake is an absolute tell-tale of a personality; too hard a handshake; domineering – one that turns down your hands and places his on top; superiority – a wet one; nervous – a dead fish; weakness. A good handshake is one that offers the whole hand and a non-crushing grip that lasts for about two to three seconds; all these while, keeping your left hands seen; not in the pocket – and unclenched.
The generous smile never fail to brighten my soul. Smile more; nothing is wasted from over-smiling except perhaps a jaw ache but in fact, you have lots more to gain. In the words of the Mother Theresa, “Peace begins with a smile” and I concur to that.
Words really have the ability to make or break us; in this instant, in a matter of seconds. Use positive words; avoid complains and negative nuances. Positive words are like music to the ears and flowers to the soul. You really want to be remembered as that person who nourishes one’s senses, not the opposite.
How important is eye contact in our day to day dealings? Highly important! The term eye contact was coined in the early 1960s from the West. For a start, it is an important sign of confidence and respect. It is also a form of non-verbal communication and has a large influence on social behaviour. Do you know that people who seek eye contact while speaking are regarded as believable and earnest? Good eye contact is one that gives focus on an imaginary triangle; across the eyebrows right down to the centre of the nose. Never ever stare at the mouth or worse, go southwards to the chest. That said and done, throw away those sunnies and start gazing!
If there is one thing I pay close attention to is posture; thank you, Mom and dance; they have has been my biggest influences and advocate since I was five! A good posture almost immediately makes you appear three notches more confident, not to mention few inches taller. Walk and sit erect, you will not regret and they will never forget.
Have you ever spoken to someone and notices his or her eyes wanders all over the room except on you? I call that downright rude and unfortunately, that kind of behaviour is quite rampant in the society we live in; where almost everyone is trying to multi-task and overdo at any given time and they forget this very basic rule. Pay attention to the person talking to you; refrain from cutting him off in the middle of the sentence. Listen to what is said and reply appropriately. Across every single culture and border, one thing remains true; people like to be heard. So why not project a listening ear and give them your fullest attention? One of my favourite quotes ever, ‘Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity’ – there you go, enough said!
Meeting new people is always exciting; faces, personalities, traits – not to mention the possibility of long term friendship, professional relationship even a romantic one. Before that can happen, projecting positive first impression is utmost importance for something more substantial to develop. So, what say, you bring your best foot and face forward.
After all, we will never get a second chance to make a great first impression.
–Zu Anjalika Kamis Gunnulfsen is the Editor (Singapore) for Marketing In Asia and certified Image Branding & Lifestyle Consultant. She was also crowned Mrs Singapore Globe 2017. Born in Singapore and blessed to have lived in a couple of other amazing cities in the world, Anjalika is currently expatriating in Kuala Lumpur. Follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram and blog
linkedin –https://www.linkedin.com/in/zuanjalika/
https://www.instagram.com/anjalika_mrssingaporeglobe2017/
Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Amelia Evans as a guest contributor at Womenlines. Amelia works as a content manager for various international brands. In her interesting sharing with Womenlines Amelia is sharing some career options which are quite new to womenfolk-
Careers are very important in the profession and industry, as they define what your skill in academics is, as well as other aspects. It is also possible for one to have more than one career at a go, either in their line of work or academic journey. Over the years, men have been known to have more careers than women, or alternatively undertaken more careers. As technology advanced and reshaped, more career opportunities were able to open up for women who were mainly confined to certain jobs such as clerks. Equal opportunity to work was hence brought up. In this article, we tackle 7 career options for women that didn’t exist a decade ago, which can be listed as follows:
1. Application developer
Although still dominated by men, most women in the modern generation have started undertaking this career option for jobs such as creating mobile and computer applications.
2. Airline engineer
Engineering jobs, especially in the aviation sector was always known to be a male job, however, this narrative gradually changed over the years. More and more women grew to undertake this as a career and there are even those who have been employed in the sector.
3. Social media manager
Social media has been able to grow over the years, since back then, when there was only Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Currently one can get a career option to work as a social media manager, whose role is to control and manage content within social media.
4. Large Data Analyst
This is a job that involves mining and analysis of data especially in companies which store large volumes of data. Most organizations nowadays have a lot of data and information online and hence the need for an analyst position. This started as a male career but is now also being undertaken by women likewise.
5. Cloud Computing Specialist
With the growing technology where plenty of data and information is stored in the cloud, the position of a cloud computing expert had to emerge. Cloud computing is also a revolution that has rapidly grown over the years and women have also embraced this as a career. Most big companies also look for such positions.
6. Sustainability manager
With the growing interest and concerns with green professions as well as sustainability, most companies seek for people who can help them use their resources better. Women, besides men, have also rapidly taken up on this career.
7. Consultants
Individuals or organizations likewise seek advice on certain matters regarding business, means of work, among other factors. Most ladies have also taken this up as a career even if it started as a male-dominated career.
Despite most women still earning less than men, it is still evident that women have gradually taken up careers that were mostly dominated by men. Nowadays more women seem to get more education and empowerment as compared to men. Women will also tend to work harder in school and even get higher grades. According to studies, women are also more consistent in giving.
Amelia Evans is a freelance writer and works as a content manager for various international brands. When Amelia is not researching and writing she loves nothing more than heading out into the country for some downtime.Womenlines is delighted to welcome Anjalika, an IITTI (CANADA) certified professional Image Branding & Lifestyle Consultant, as an Influencer for Image Branding at Womenlines. Yes Womenfolk, gear up to learn the tips and tricks to carry yourself with excellence and make excellence your brand. Every month Anjalika will be coming up with exclusive sharing with Womenlines readers which can help them to groom themselves for success. Do watch out every month!!
PROFESSIONAL
Anjalika is the Editor (Singapore) for Marketing In Asia, an online marketing magazine.
She is also an IITTI (CANADA) certified professional Image Branding & Lifestyle Consultant. She works with various companies and individuals in realizing their personal style by incorporating tip-top image, excellent communication skills and correct etiquette in their daily lives.
As a Lifestyle Consultant, Anjalika specializes in areas of wellness and hospitality.
Someone passionate with words, Anjalika writes on matters of image, branding, etiquette and lifestyle in various magazines.
A trained yoga teacher, Anjalika has always been fascinated about this ancient Indian art and currently owns a column in Malaysian Association of Yoga Instructor’s quarterly periodical, YogaMail.
BEAUTY QUEEN
Anjalika was crowned Mrs Singapore Globe in 2017. She then represented Singapore in a glam-studded international pageant in China that same year and was presented with Children’s Advocate award for the work she has done and will continue to pursue.
PERSONAL
Born in Singapore, Anjalika majored in Management also in Marketing and Public Relations. Later, she attained post-graduate qualifications in Journalism.
She had lived in various exciting places; Australia, South Korea, Norway and now, Malaysia.
Anjalika loves spending time with her family, travel and read. She is a long-time dancer and a sometime golfer.
CONNECT TO ANJALIKA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
LinkedIn – Zu Anjalika Kamis Gunnulfsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/zuanjalika/
Instagram – anjalika_mrssingaporeglobe2017
https://www.instagram.com/anjalika_mrssingaporeglobe2017/
Womenlines welcomes Dr Tazeen Siddiqui as a guest contributor at Womenlines. She is the Managing Director at Mansha Educational Society, India. In her article Dr Tazeen how to use emotions powerfully in our daily life-
To attain the real truth, love or god one doesn’t have to go on mountains or get excluded from the world, to attain the real spiritual strength one just need to read his or her own heart and hear it with calmness and we find everything that we would want to attain in life.
We start to feel the emotions of care, love, hatred, worry and happiness, few bring it across expressing through words, actions, paper and decisions while some close them in a book of heart and never read them again with the fear what if …
What if I show my appreciation towards someone what will he or she think or feel …
What if I show I am sad the people will think I m weak and what if I speak my heart …
People may get uncomfortable, some may be angry some may condemn it and some may break the relationship but one thing is sure that speaking heart might end up in multiple emotions in People’s mind but speaking it out will give you calmness of life and heart.
Expressing oneself is extremely important to lead a stress-free and calm life as all the complex emotions that one deal in mind once gets channelised into words must not be closed in books of heart but to be expressed in a great way.
You might like someone’s Thoughts, dress, looks, eyes, books etc but you never express because of the Thoughts that what others would think of you which is an # Image crisis #.
To live life with heart and soul start speaking your heart right now and deal with every emotion by expressing it out in the right way.
Whether it’s a child or an adult everyone gets conscious of speaking about their emotions that end up in anxiety, stress and irritation in children and adults.
A great leader is one who expresses the appreciation, love, care for everyone. A great leader is one who appreciates in public but conveys weaknesses in the ear of that person where no one can hear anything wrong about that person and that builds up strong trust ,great relationship and great leaders are not conscious about other people thought process but are confident of their own words of heart that it would guide to the right destination of building strong relationships.
The question what will you be remembered for? is a question to be answered in this life and be remembered for the love, care, honour and knowledge you shared with everyone.
#one’s heart is the purest form of Thought#
Dr Tazeen Siddiqui,
Managing Director
Mansha Educational society
http://www.jaimansha.org/team.php
Welcome to ‘Success with Payal’ series at Womenlines!
Womenlines takes pleasure to introduce Payal Nanjiani, a US-based globally acclaimed inspirational speaker, leadership and success coach, as an Influencer for ‘Corporate Success Tips’ on Womenlines panel. Payal will be sharing exclusive content with Womenlines which can help women working in the corporate sector to develop leadership skills and success mindset. Payal will look forward to replying to queries from Womenlines readers too! Feel free to drop your questions in the comment section. This month read and listen from her about various strategies which can help women to achieve prominent roles in companies-
Q 1: What are some strategies that can help women achieve a more prominent role in companies?
I feel women are revolutionizing the business world today. A lot is happening in the industry globally concerning women entering the workplace, pay equity, as well as taking on leadership roles. So I think we’ve all come a long way and have a lot to achieve in the future too.
So speaking of the future, I would like to share here that having travelled globally and worked with men and women equally; I think what is most needed is women taking power in their hands. No doubt that on the outside a lot is being done to get women into prominent roles in companies. However, its imperative that first, we take ownership of our growth.
Below are three key strategies women should apply to help you progress into leadership roles.
- Break free from stereotypes: From years we are subject to certain stereotypes like women ‘take care’ and men ‘take charge.’ That women must be able to handle home, office and social life perfectly. We get conditioned on how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves. Any type of stereotype that either the society or you hold on to damages your progress. Start to let go of these stereotypes one by one. Don’t aim for being perfect in everything, don’t work to make someone else proud of you, stop begging people to trust in you and your talents. Start taking charge, start trusting your decisions, be bold and communicate assertively. Changing people’s deep-rooted beliefs about you is hard unless you start to first change them within you.
- Challenge yourself daily: Someone said, “if something that you’re doing doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you.” Accomplishing things that feel impossible is a great way to start boosting your confidence. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. There are many ways I have encouraged women to work on themselves daily. It has proven to help them tremendously in their career.
- Increase your value: Most women I meet during my talks at corporates and business houses tell me that they feel they aren’t getting a raise like their male counterparts. So my question to them is, ‘ do you deserve the raise?’ Many women aren’t setting themselves for a disciplined career life. Are you continuously upgrading your skillsets, do you invest in developing yourself, do you read books daily for an hour, do you enrol in seminars and training regularly? Salary raises and promotions require you to go beyond office hours. My upcoming podcast episode is on increasing your value.
- Self -promote: No one is coming from anywhere to put you up on the map- you have to do it. Self Self-promotion critical here. Bring your value on the table, focus and talk about what you can do for the company, and promote yourself. When I work with clients on this aspect, the very first thing I see is their elevator pitch.
Please send your questions to:
You can contact Payal Nanjiani at success@payalnanjiani.com
If you say someone that you can save money while shopping, people might laugh at you. But, this is actually possible.
When we go out shopping, we are unable to make a difference between things what we need and things what we want. There is a very thin line between wanting and needing and then there are things that you just pick up while window shopping in the mall. Before you know it, you have spent a good amount of money on things you didn’t even think to buy.
Therefore, to save you from such situations, we have gathered few tips and tricks that will help you keep your hard-earned money saved and still have fun-
-
Leave your credit cards at home – The basic purpose of credit cards is to provide that financial safety net while you are out of your home. However, when we enter a supermarket or a mall, we end up shopping for things we don’t even need. So, in order to save yourself from overspending, just take cash with you because then you won’t be tempted to buy things that you didn’t plan.
-
Compare before you buy – Impulsive shopping is the biggest culprit of credit card debt in the world. People don’t realize that retail shops that you may find the same stuff at a different store at a lower price. It just needs some researching. So, next time you are out shopping, don’t pick-up anything immediately. Try and find online deals. Same stores sometimes sell their same stuff at half a price on their online stores.
-
Find fun things to do when bored – a lot of people find fun in shopping when they are bored. This is not actually a bad idea, but only if you have a separate stash for shopping. Reckless shopping is considered silly and most of the purchases happen when you didn’t even plan for it. So, to kill your boredom, find more fun things to do other than shopping. The Internet is full of information for free fun stuff.
-
Don’t get tempted by the word “Sale” – many shopaholics wait anxiously to shop during the sale season. No doubt, you may find things that are ultra cheap during the sale season. But ask yourself, do you really need it? Most of the time, you won’t find a satisfactory answer for it. So, wait out, go back home and think again. If you still feel you need that stuff, go back the second day.
-
Go for rented stuff or even used stuff – A lot of people put up their expensive items on rent or sale on social media websites. Buying used stuff does not make you a miser. Instead, in today’s era, people are more interested in such deals because they are half the price and mostly worn single time.
No wonder shopping is fun; but, not at the cost of your savings. So, next time when you think of shopping, just consider these tips and see if you are able to make some savings. Who knows, you might become the queen or king of savings in your group.
-Shipra Aggarwal
A personal finance writer and Sub-Editor in Mudranomy, a social media community, with 3 years of experience in BSFI. Also, have worked with prominent News Daily in Chandigarh. Loves to read and write.
https://www.facebook.com/mudranomy/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shipra-aggarwal-900901171/
Womenlines takes pleasure to introduce Payal Nanjiani, a US-based globally acclaimed inspirational speaker, leadership and success coach, as an Influencer for ‘Corporate Success Tips’ on Womenlines panel. Payal will be sharing exclusive content with Womenlines which can help women working in the corporate sector to develop leadership skills and success mindset. Payal will look forward to replying to queries from Womenlines readers too! Feel free to drop your questions in the comment section!
Payal is a visionary whose mission is to help people in jobs and business achieve lasting, impactful and positive change in their behaviours, actions and results. She has helped thousands of leaders and entrepreneurs to achieve their desired outcomes. She is the founder of ‘Success Is Within’ Leadership. 
Her work can be seen in Fortune 500 companies as well as in small medium business houses. Her coaching and speaking have also positively impacted solopreneurs, small medium entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. She is a firm believer that people in business and jobs can achieve their highest level of success with speed and serenity and has proved this through her talks and coaching. She is the author of an upcoming book on leadership.
Her experiential workshops and coaching have helped numerous companies and business houses to achieve beyond their financial targets. Payal also works with organizations and CEO ’s to develop world-class leaders and create a culture that improves both productivity and profits.
Alongside Payal has significantly enhanced the economic achievements of thousands of women globally, encouraging them to climb the corporate ladder, succeed in business and realize their true potential. Her upcoming podcast channel is dedicated to women success.
She has been featured on CW television (USA) Women’s business cover page (USA) and more. She is a regular guest speaker on America’s WKNC 88.1FM. Payal lives with her motto- ‘Success Is Within’
and believes that success can be achieved with speed and serenity in any economy. You can know more about her work at www.payalnanjiani.com
As the ‘Entrepreneur of the Month‘ Womenlines takes pleasure to share about MS. Suchi. MS.Suchi is the Laughter Coach by profession in Singapore. She is also the ‘Linkedin Top Voice Inspiration 2018’ and Chairperson Global Goodwill Ambassador -Singapore. MS. Suchi is very passionate to help people to learn what Stress is. According to Suchi, learning to handle stress allows them to be creative & productive which leads companies and families to lead a successful life. Read her interview and listen to her video shared above, about her journey in her own words-
1. Please share with our reader’s little bit about yourself.
I am a certified Laughter Coach.
Women of this present generation have come to realize, the importance of working and developing a career for themselves. Gone are the days when women were seen to be a full housewife – taking care of the home, the husband and the children, these could be done alongside working or developing a career.
Research also shows that there are about approximately 70% to 80% of women who abandoned their career due to reasons like marriage, childbirth, family, societal norms, finding it difficult to juggle childcare with a career, company culture, work-life balance, not being considered for promotion or senior promotion, lack of advancement in the company and others and they literally want to restart or rebuild their career maybe because they are widowed, children all grown up or having the urge to make an impact in the society.
With this, a question pops out, can a woman restart her career? What do you think the answer will be? Of course, it is a YES. According to Ruby McGregor – Smith, the chair of the Women’s Business Council (2013) said, “Women should not just be trying to fit into the economy but Be Shaping It”. Everyone struggled at first and the best advice for exhausted parents tempted to give up work is to try going part-time if you can and keep your options open. Alexa Kerr said, ‘’women who leave their career to have children should not expect to get back into the workforce at a similar level’’. Everyone should accept that things will not remain the same.
Restarting your career and getting back to work is easy, but not without some challenges, I termed it ‘Return to Work Syndrome’ which is faced with fear, worry, anxiety, shame, confidence loss when returning to work after a prolonged absence. This syndrome is not limited to childbirth and motherhood absence only, it also applies to absence from a job loss, chronic illness or family medical leave, extended bereavement and a change of personal or professional direction and others. Below are some of the CHALLENGES and how we can overcome them.
This transition from a career break and back to the workforce could be intense, but first find out if your skills and interests have changed, the break is an opportunity to reflect if you were on the right career path. Lack of confidence is also a challenge, this can be worked on in various ways, which will be discussed in this article. Your skills may be outdated; work on your skills and update them, especially if you were in a technical team or medical field. Employees may not employ you when they find out in your resume that you had a gap of 2 years or more, you may be asked during the interview, the reason for the break and you could tell them you actually took a career break but you are excited in going back to work, tell them what you can do or how you can help them.
Submitting your CVs or going for interviews may not get you the required job or career, this is where networking comes in, use your network on social media or from your contacts or through words of mouth and find a person that can vouch for you at a target company. Start seeing potential connections everywhere.
The trick for getting back to work is self-confidence and selling yourself, for these were the key tricks, but women who had been at home for a long period of time are likely to have lost these qualities. The steps in boosting your self-esteem and confidence and opportunities available will be discussed in detail in the next edition of the e-magazine.
-Cleopatra Onyemaobichukwu N.
About the Author: A Guidance Counselor with a private practice in Educational and Organizational sector. A freelance writer. Her writing interests include Health, Education and Relationship.
This article is sponsored by Edumilestones: Auctus Infometrics Pvt. Ltd. (Edumilestones website) is an India, (Bangalore) based company. They provide a premium career assessment platform and premium career counselling certification courses named Certified Career Analyst (CCA) and International Career Analyst (ICA) to over 1400+ professionals across 80 locations in India and abroad for over 10 years. They are official members of APCDA and IAAP international organizations. Their team consists of qualified and experienced top experts from psychology, education, design and IT, investing in extensive research and development.