WEBVTT
00:00:00.059 --> 00:00:01.004
Hey, what is up?
00:00:01.004 --> 00:00:04.347
Welcome to this episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.
00:00:04.347 --> 00:00:08.727
As always, I'm your host, brian Lofermento, and I'll tell you what for today's guest.
00:00:08.727 --> 00:00:26.632
We have been so excited to invite her onto the show as soon as we saw the name of her signature program, because this is something that, as all of us not only as entrepreneurs but, I would argue, as people we're constantly looking for this answer, because her signature program is called Find what Lights you Up.
00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:38.912
And today's entrepreneur does such deeply meaningful and impactful work with all different types of people, not just entrepreneurs, when it comes to our life's journey and finding meaning and purpose inside of it.
00:00:38.912 --> 00:00:41.648
So let me introduce you to today's guest and entrepreneur.
00:00:41.648 --> 00:00:42.810
Her name is Mahika Roy.
00:00:42.810 --> 00:00:57.262
Mahika is the founder of the Miracle Trail, which is a coaching and personal development company dedicated to helping individuals realign with their purpose and passions, with a background in psychology and global media such an interesting intersection.
00:00:57.262 --> 00:01:06.430
Mahika combines her expertise in human behavior with her love for storytelling to guide clients on meaningful journeys of self-discovery and growth.
00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:19.647
As a former co-curator for a leading life transformation retreat company and the driving force behind a successful holistic wellness program, mahika brings years of experience in designing impactful growth experiences.
00:01:19.966 --> 00:01:47.186
Her signature program, like I teased, find what Lights you Up, is a 12-week guided journey that helps individuals uncover their unique passions, overcome self-doubt and craft an empowered vision for their future, which is just the perfect segue, because those are all of the things that we all must do on our own entrepreneurial journeys, because so much of this is driven by our mindset and what we're willing to overcome and the purpose and passions that we want to pursue.
00:01:47.186 --> 00:01:49.007
So I'm excited about this one.
00:01:49.007 --> 00:01:50.566
I'm not going to say anything else.
00:01:50.566 --> 00:01:53.228
Let's dive straight into my interview with Mahika Roy.
00:01:53.228 --> 00:02:00.051
All right, mahika, I am so very excited that you're here with us today.
00:02:00.051 --> 00:02:01.024
First things first.
00:02:01.024 --> 00:02:01.906
Welcome to the show.
00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:11.883
Thank you so much for having me on the show, brian, and for that lovely introduction yes, well, honestly, mahika, there's a lot of good stuff that we're gonna get into.
00:02:11.903 --> 00:02:13.109
You and I talked off the air.
00:02:13.109 --> 00:02:15.780
You put so much good stuff into the world.
00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:21.381
I've seen some of the workshops that you run with your clients, and how impactful the work is that you do so.
00:02:21.381 --> 00:02:24.765
Before we get to your work, though, you've got to take us beyond the bio.
00:02:24.765 --> 00:02:25.567
Who's Mahika?
00:02:25.567 --> 00:02:27.530
How'd you start doing all these cool things?
00:02:29.413 --> 00:02:31.241
Yeah, I think that's a great place to start.
00:02:31.241 --> 00:02:35.413
I think my journey really started when I was about 19.
00:02:35.413 --> 00:02:44.247
I was an undergraduate studying English and psychology and, like many other undergraduates, I felt like I had more questions in life than answers.
00:02:44.247 --> 00:02:58.562
At that point, I started reading up a lot on different aspects on spirituality, and while reading I realized that what I was feeling and the questions I had was stemming from a lack of understanding of my inner self.
00:02:58.562 --> 00:03:07.045
That, of course, helped and I had more answers, but I ended up going into grad school for my Global Media and Communication degree.
00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:13.931
I then graduated and worked a couple of jobs and found myself in what seemed like a race.
00:03:13.931 --> 00:03:27.484
I started to notice that me and almost everyone else around me even the people who were seemingly very successful were just fundamentally unfulfilled, and that really bothered me.
00:03:27.484 --> 00:03:40.383
Soon after, there was a point where I quit from my job at an ad firm and went on to first work as part of a functional wellness center and eventually as part of a creative life transformation retreat.
00:03:40.383 --> 00:03:50.186
And here I am now talking to you a little over five years from that day, having helped more than 100 women live fulfilled and inspired lives.
00:03:50.186 --> 00:03:58.289
And this, brian, largely happens as a result of me helping them draw out clarity out of complexity.
00:03:58.289 --> 00:04:04.204
So yeah, that's a good way for me to introduce myself beyond the bio, I think.
00:04:04.665 --> 00:04:06.711
Yeah, I really appreciate that overview, mihika.
00:04:06.711 --> 00:04:10.479
I'll be honest, what I really like about that story is you start all the way back when you're 19.
00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:16.894
That's when my entrepreneurial journey starts as well, because I feel like from those young ages we're set on this.
00:04:16.894 --> 00:04:22.711
You called it a race, but I feel like no one has quite shared with us what that finish line is.
00:04:22.711 --> 00:04:32.906
Absolutely yeah, it's you know, pick a major before you even know what it is that you're into and what you're not into, and and then go do the things and we never take that time to self-reflect.
00:04:32.906 --> 00:04:42.629
Talk to me about that race and that, that proverbial finish line that no one ever illustrated for us and with us, because it seems to me like that clarity that you talk about.
00:04:42.629 --> 00:04:45.139
That's something that should happen way sooner.
00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:46.863
So I'm grateful that you work on that with people.
00:04:46.863 --> 00:04:48.509
But what does that process look like?
00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:49.781
Clarity around what?
00:04:49.781 --> 00:04:53.172
How do we even begin to make sense of any journey that we're on?
00:04:54.456 --> 00:04:58.286
I think that's just such a good way of talking about it, brian um.
00:04:58.286 --> 00:05:17.206
So you know, one of the things that I do is with everyone I work with, um, everything is highly personalized and curated for their specific needs, depending on what they've identified as their starting point or finish line proverbial finish line which no one, like you said, seems to get to.
00:05:17.206 --> 00:05:31.004
But I think the number one process is something I call unburdening, and as part of unburdening, I help my clients identify what has been holding them back and weighing them down.
00:05:31.004 --> 00:05:35.831
So for many people, this would be their own fears and doubts, right?
00:05:35.831 --> 00:05:45.086
So imagine that there are these stones laid out that are supposed to help you cross a river and to get from point A to point B.
00:05:45.086 --> 00:05:55.184
Some of these stones are solid and keep you afloat, while others are these stones that will sink and pull you down with them as soon as you step on them.
00:05:55.184 --> 00:05:57.892
All of us have these sinking stones in our life.
00:05:57.892 --> 00:06:03.786
For example, someone I worked with last year came to me because she felt stuck in her job.
00:06:03.786 --> 00:06:12.007
She had aspirations of rising up the corporate ladder, but she felt like she couldn't, and she just didn't know why.
00:06:12.007 --> 00:06:21.509
Every time a senior position opened up, she filled in an application, updated her resume, but just couldn't hit submit.
00:06:21.509 --> 00:06:37.833
As I worked with her through this process, what she was able to recognize was that what was preventing her from hitting the submit button was an experience from a couple of years ago where she had applied for a position, was almost certain that she would get it, but didn't.
00:06:37.833 --> 00:06:51.112
That instance showed so much self-doubt to a point where, even though she felt stuck, she couldn't get herself to apply for another position because she believed that she couldn't get the job.
00:06:51.112 --> 00:07:17.182
That insight unlocked courage in her to take the next step, for which she started, you know, really mustering that courage over and over again, and that next step for her was really a big deal given where we had started right, and finally, in August, she actually got that new position that she wanted and is looking forward to the responsibilities it brings along with.
00:07:17.843 --> 00:07:22.519
The other aspect is really about helping people find what lights them up right like.
00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:27.521
This is the next aspect, where there are two parts to this.
00:07:27.521 --> 00:07:31.932
The first part is really the journey to help them identify their core values.
00:07:31.932 --> 00:07:40.723
I really believe that the key to living a fulfilled life is to ensure that the largest part of what we do is aligned with our core values.
00:07:40.723 --> 00:07:42.187
Usually, we are, you know, subliminally aware of our core values.
00:07:42.187 --> 00:07:45.656
Usually, we are, you know, subliminally aware of our core values.
00:07:45.656 --> 00:07:57.028
What I help with is to get my clients to a point where they are able to understand what truly matters to them and why, and this really helps with the race that we spoke about earlier.
00:07:57.028 --> 00:08:05.399
One way to do this is by making them identify what aspects of their day or week makes them feel the most fulfilled.
00:08:06.023 --> 00:08:11.524
For you, brian, with the kind of work you do, one of your core values would probably be community building.
00:08:11.524 --> 00:08:18.903
This is why you feel a sense of fulfillment in connecting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs through this podcast and the other work you do.
00:08:18.903 --> 00:08:28.788
And then, once the client has identified their set of core values, the goal becomes to find ways to do more things in life that align with them.
00:08:28.788 --> 00:08:38.567
Sometimes this means very big changes, but most times it's little things that one can make time for or do more of in life.
00:08:38.567 --> 00:08:47.244
I find that as my clients begin aligning more of their everyday life to their core values, their levels of fulfillment increase too.
00:08:47.244 --> 00:08:58.616
For example, a client I worked with who is a successful media professional through our process identified spreading joy as one of her core values.
00:08:58.616 --> 00:09:12.863
While parts of her work were already allowing her to spread joy to people, I helped her identify that another way to help her do this would be through something else she truly loves, which was art.
00:09:12.863 --> 00:09:21.245
This further led to her carving time out over the weekend and use it to teach art to young children within her neighbourhood.
00:09:21.245 --> 00:09:31.951
It allowed her to do so much more of what lights her up even further, resulting in her feeling an even deeper sense of alignment and fulfillment.
00:09:32.741 --> 00:09:36.966
And then the third aspect is helping people step into their own power.
00:09:37.743 --> 00:09:51.328
Now that the client has understood what was holding them back and understood their core values, they've also come up with potential ways they could start to align more of their lives with their core values.
00:09:52.211 --> 00:09:56.024
The next piece is to help them create an actionable plan right.
00:09:56.024 --> 00:10:08.081
The action plan then needs to help them create like a larger vision they have for their life, and it often involves leaning heavily into their own gifts and strengths.
00:10:08.081 --> 00:10:27.364
Further, I work with them to identify these as initial steps, um, which are like easy to do and from within, low hanging fruits around them, and then they can start with that, the habits they need to establish to make consistent progress and the things they would need to do in case they run into hurdles.
00:10:27.364 --> 00:10:55.666
So, depending on the clients, individual contexts and circumstances, their journey of stepping into their own power sometimes takes a little time, sometimes takes a lot of time, but what is key is at the end of the program, with me, they're equipped with a plan, a plan that helps them wake up, feeling inspired again and, you know, find out that it's not really about the finish line as much as it's also about the journey, right.
00:10:55.666 --> 00:10:58.251
So that's what I kind of help with.
00:10:58.712 --> 00:11:03.751
Yes, I love the way that you talk about that and I will say you are absolutely correct in that.
00:11:03.751 --> 00:11:14.490
For me, a lot of people, so typically my recording days are on Tuesdays and I do eight podcast interviews on Tuesdays, back to back to back, all day long, and people always ask me aren't you exhausted by the end of it?
00:11:14.490 --> 00:11:22.591
And the truth is, I feel more energized by the end of those days because I know that I'm doing what I'm passionate about and I'm driven by that.
00:11:22.591 --> 00:11:34.960
It fuels me, quite literally, and so I think it's so important and that's why I love the steps that you've laid out, because it unshackles us from all of the things that hold us back and put us into that alignment that you talk about.
00:11:40.465 --> 00:11:43.375
What I'm really fascinated by about your work, mahika, is to me it almost seems like you work with the known and the unknown.
00:11:43.375 --> 00:11:55.394
When I listen to you talk about removing the self-doubt, I would imagine that so many of the people that you help a lot of times they're aware of the self-doubt and they say no, I don't think that I can accomplish this because I don't have enough time, I don't have enough money, I don't know the right people.
00:11:55.394 --> 00:11:58.926
Whatever it may be versus sometimes, I would argue.
00:11:58.926 --> 00:12:04.951
Especially in my own entrepreneurial journey, I've realized that sometimes I'm not even aware of those limiting beliefs.
00:12:04.951 --> 00:12:08.745
Sometimes I'm not even aware of the self-doubt that's holding me back.
00:12:08.745 --> 00:12:10.207
It's this invisible force.
00:12:10.207 --> 00:12:11.870
Can you talk to us about that?
00:12:11.870 --> 00:12:19.441
Known versus unknown and how we go about uncovering those things that might be blocking us without us even realizing it?
00:12:20.904 --> 00:12:30.139
Yeah, I think that's a really really good question, brian, and which is why all the work that I do is fundamentally rooted in self-awareness and self-discovery.
00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:33.152
Right, the known stuff is easy.
00:12:33.152 --> 00:12:39.373
The known stuff is stuff that we've been dealing with for a really really long time and we have it at the top of our head.
00:12:39.373 --> 00:12:43.769
It's the unknown stuff which is really the devil, right, and then the devil is in the details.
00:12:43.769 --> 00:13:11.948
So part of my process is to get you to see what your blind spots are, and so you might be thinking that it's your time, which is limited, and that's what the obstacle is, but very often it's stuff that you're spending your time on which doesn't feel like it's energizing you, and because it's draining you, you will end up feeling like it's stretching you out and you're spread too thin, etc.
00:13:11.948 --> 00:13:20.052
So realigning those little little things over the course of our interactions is something that I do a lot of.
00:13:20.052 --> 00:13:21.855
I would say take stock.
00:13:21.855 --> 00:13:29.028
There's something called an energy map, right, especially while you're trying to figure out your blind spots, figure out things that drain you.
00:13:29.028 --> 00:13:32.096
Do a little bit of that energy mapping for yourself.
00:13:32.096 --> 00:13:39.383
Figure out what are the activities that you really like doing, things that are lighting you up things that are making you feel lighter, right.
00:13:39.383 --> 00:13:44.996
The other thing is also, sometimes it's emotional and energetic blocks that are keeping you stuck.
00:13:44.996 --> 00:13:55.649
And take stock of what has been weighing you down beyond the obvious and it could be a conversation you had with your spouse that didn't go well.
00:13:55.649 --> 00:14:06.154
It could be a financial pressure which you're facing and you don't even know is causing you to be in such a state of, you know, doubting your own abilities.
00:14:06.154 --> 00:14:15.999
So take stock of your energy map, take stock of your emotions and what caused you to kind of feel really low about something.
00:14:15.999 --> 00:14:21.515
And when you're able to do enough self-reflection, mindfulness helps with this.
00:14:21.515 --> 00:14:22.846
Meditation helps with this.
00:14:23.609 --> 00:14:24.552
A lot of journaling.
00:14:24.552 --> 00:14:38.815
I think journaling is a very powerful tool when it comes to figuring out what's holding you back, and Julia Cameron, for example, talks about the morning pages, which is just stream of consciousness writing in the morning.
00:14:38.815 --> 00:14:39.739
That helps a lot.
00:14:39.739 --> 00:14:59.294
But if you feel like you're not a morning person, you can do like a bedtime brain dump where you're just sitting with yourself talking about what happened through the day, and that could be a really helpful activity too If you feel like you want to just gather your energy and center yourself in the middle of the day to arrive at certain specific answers.
00:14:59.294 --> 00:15:13.440
You can do that with a short centering, grounding meditation as well, and, believe me, it might seem like these are really simple things to do, but these are what add up eventually and create the bigger miracle that we're seeking.
00:15:14.404 --> 00:15:17.110
Yes, I love the way that you articulate that, mahika.
00:15:17.110 --> 00:15:28.773
I want to move right on down that process that you've already laid out and start talking about those values and two big words that I feel like we throw around so much in the world of entrepreneurship purpose and passion.
00:15:28.773 --> 00:15:31.025
You know, everybody always tells us to follow our passion.
00:15:31.025 --> 00:15:52.566
Mahika, I've been so excited to hear your insights in this regard, because when I look back at my life and you and I both start our journeys from very young ages when I look back at childhood and even something like picking a major I feel like we suffer from a little bit of bias in the fact that it's easy to think that we are passionate about something just because we're good at it.
00:15:52.605 --> 00:15:56.690
So for me, for example, soccer was one of my earliest passions in life.
00:15:56.690 --> 00:16:00.793
So does that mean that I have to do something regarding soccer in my professional life?
00:16:00.793 --> 00:16:02.736
No, of course it doesn't mean that I have to.
00:16:02.736 --> 00:16:08.001
It's one of many passions that I have, whereas entrepreneurship is obviously another passion of mine.
00:16:08.001 --> 00:16:13.788
But I feel like we do suffer from those biases, whether it's recency bias or selection bias, whatever it may be.
00:16:13.788 --> 00:16:15.926
I studied statistics a lot.
00:16:15.926 --> 00:16:20.986
You obviously studied psychology, so we understand the natural biases that our brains go towards?
00:16:20.986 --> 00:16:38.572
How do we start uncovering those things that we, our inner light, is truly passionate about, versus just the things that we've been pushed into, whether it's from childhood, whether it's from natural segues and turns and twists in our career paths, versus those things that we just say no.
00:16:38.572 --> 00:16:41.707
This is something inside of me and I'm no longer going to ignore it.
00:16:41.707 --> 00:16:46.268
Mahika, it's a loaded question, but how do we get into those real purposes and passions?
00:16:47.711 --> 00:16:52.788
You know, brian, I've spent the last decade of my life figuring that out, and I'm only 30, right.
00:16:52.788 --> 00:16:55.679
So I think that's a very, very, very important part of my life figuring that out and I'm only 30, right?
00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:58.869
So I think that's a very, very, very important part of my journey personally as well.
00:16:58.869 --> 00:17:05.911
I think for many of us, we already know what we want to do in our life, right, it feels like a calling.
00:17:05.911 --> 00:17:14.557
It feels like a combination of what we're good at, what we're passionate about, what we also have the aptitude for, what we are gifted with.
00:17:14.557 --> 00:17:16.626
So it all comes together quite naturally.
00:17:16.626 --> 00:17:28.796
For many of us, we actually have to go through a certain degree of diverse experiences over a period of time to be able to get to certain um answers for ourselves, um.
00:17:28.796 --> 00:17:38.459
So, yes, we should continue doing what our passion kind of leads us into, and that is stuff that lights us up.
00:17:38.459 --> 00:17:51.905
It does not necessarily have to become our profession, but over a period of time, we begin to get a sense of purpose, and with purpose, there are two key words that I believe are really helpful.
00:17:51.905 --> 00:17:56.477
One is a sense of service and the other is a sense of impact.
00:17:56.477 --> 00:18:01.997
So your passion sometimes, or very often, is more for yourself.
00:18:01.997 --> 00:18:22.634
It's something that brings you joy personally, whereas your purpose will almost always be something which creates impact, which comes from a sense of service, right, and so where your impact and your service and your skills kind of come together is what you would look at more as your purpose.
00:18:22.634 --> 00:18:35.355
In Indian spirituality there's a term it's called swadharma, which is your innate duty to who you truly are within Right, and I think what you've spoken about is is great.
00:18:35.465 --> 00:18:53.019
But another thing that we don't want to overlook in this whole way finding process is how much conditioning there is and how much pressure there is culturally to, you know, do jobs that would help us get more money, get more fame, etc.
00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:53.501
Etc.
00:18:53.501 --> 00:18:55.445
And all of that is really important.
00:18:55.445 --> 00:18:56.489
Please don't get me wrong.
00:18:56.489 --> 00:18:59.836
I feel like money is a really important part of our life.
00:18:59.836 --> 00:19:05.457
It gets us going, it gets things going, it makes the world go round in a lot of ways.
00:19:05.637 --> 00:19:47.007
But if we chase that without the sense of fulfillment that really comes with doing something where that sense of service, where that sense of impact is, it's going to feel like you're working towards a lost cause, which is why you know, know, a lot of movies in recent times have shown that and, um, I think, uh, the song what am I made for, for example, which run, which you know won so many awards recently, was so close to my heart and I was like, oh my god, you know, she's really capturing the heart of so many struggles that people deal with on a day to day basis.
00:19:47.710 --> 00:19:57.454
And so I would really go back to the question and I call this, you know, one of the first principles questions what would bring me the maximum amount of fulfillment?
00:19:57.454 --> 00:20:27.483
And if I'm able to understand what brings me most fulfillment and do more stuff that helps me align with that sense of fulfillment, I will almost always make more meaningful choices, which will then lead me to getting a chance to do what I'm passionate about, but also something where I feel like I'm leaving a universal imprint by the service or by the sense of purpose that I'm able to fulfill in my lifetime service or by the sense of purpose that I'm able to fulfill in my lifetime.
00:20:30.884 --> 00:20:44.376
Wow, mahika, I'll tell you this In 36 years of life and over a thousand episodes of doing this show, I've never heard anyone talk about that distinction between passion and purpose the way that you have, and that's totally lit something off inside of my head, because it is such an interesting thing to explore, because we do.
00:20:44.457 --> 00:20:57.351
We are on this never-ending journey of fulfilling ourselves and, of course, being a valuable member of the communities, the planet, the place that we are, and I think it's so important to understand that harmony between both of those.
00:20:57.411 --> 00:21:05.353
And speaking of that harmony, mahika, I think that what really stands out to me about the way that you work is actually just saw it in the way that you answered that last question.
00:21:05.353 --> 00:21:12.173
You called out yeah, money is something that affects our lives, and inner passion that's something that affects our lives.
00:21:12.173 --> 00:21:23.575
It just seems to me like you understand the harmony and the balance between all of these things, and that's why I really want to talk to you about life and work, because you and I both live here in the United States.
00:21:23.575 --> 00:21:30.914
We are a very work-centric society, for better and for worse, and I think that a lot of people intertwine those things so deeply.
00:21:30.914 --> 00:21:48.224
Talk to us about that balance, because it just seems to me like such a core part of your work is ensuring that both sides of that, both individually but also collectively, that life and work play together so beautifully also collectively, that life and work play together so beautifully.
00:21:51.285 --> 00:21:54.319
You know there's something called the law of least effort, okay, and then there is utilizing our gifts.
00:21:54.319 --> 00:22:08.787
So I think somewhere between these two is where we really have to kind of do the inner work, do the self-awareness, do the personal growth work, um, find a coach, go to a therapist, etc.
00:22:08.787 --> 00:22:24.734
Just find out what is the stuff that you do which you feel you're gifted with, because that in itself becomes work that you will use the least amount of effort.
00:22:24.734 --> 00:22:30.804
Self becomes work that you will use the least amount of effort with and be good at fundamentally.
00:22:30.804 --> 00:22:35.626
So lean into your strengths.
00:22:35.646 --> 00:22:39.616
I mean, I feel like I keep telling myself and sometimes I sound like a broken record when I'm talking to people and addressing them about this.
00:22:39.616 --> 00:22:41.989
I'm like what are the strengths you have?
00:22:41.989 --> 00:22:44.634
What are things that people compliment you on?
00:22:44.634 --> 00:22:46.747
Do more of that, refine it.
00:22:46.747 --> 00:22:50.615
You know, sometimes it starts off with you know doing a little.
00:22:50.615 --> 00:22:57.001
You're doing your main job and you're going to your nine to five fantastic, that's really important.
00:22:57.001 --> 00:23:04.959
Maybe sometimes, in the process of finding your passion or your purpose, that becomes really important, because that's what's paying the bills.
00:23:05.886 --> 00:23:08.771
But you cannot let your life be limited at that.
00:23:08.771 --> 00:23:15.471
You have to push and push and push and say to yourself that this is not how my story is going to end.
00:23:15.471 --> 00:23:18.266
I am going to find out what truly lights me up.
00:23:18.266 --> 00:23:20.809
I am going to find where my values are.
00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:27.326
I am going to find, um, what I'm good at and lean into my strengths and do more of that within my life.
00:23:27.326 --> 00:24:03.407
Right, and so, um, that law, because of the fact that you're gifted, the amount of effort that you will need to do that thing will be less anyway, and that will cause you to shine, because it's something that you have an unfair advantage about or in the context of, in general, like, for example, um, I remember very early, um, one of my professors, um, said to me oh, mika, your voice is, you know, it's too low, it's, it's, it's not, it doesn't have the right pitch for, like, public speaking or whatever.
00:24:04.211 --> 00:24:17.287
And I was like you know, thankfully, I didn't take it to heart or I didn't let it limit me, but eventually, you know, one of the things that it helped me do was guide in, guide people into really deep states of meditation, you know.
00:24:17.326 --> 00:24:27.909
So, even within that thing, which someone else saw as a flaw, I was like, okay, how can I see this as something that I can use to my advantage?
00:24:27.909 --> 00:24:33.890
Maybe I wasn't even thinking about it consciously back then, but it was something that I felt like I was gifted with.
00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:38.888
You know, maybe my pitch will lead people into an inner journey, for example.
00:24:38.888 --> 00:24:54.228
So, really, like that's the balance that I'm talking about, you know, and and also, don't take what people say to you at face value, like just constantly question what's going on, like does this feel true, does it feel right?
00:24:54.228 --> 00:24:59.578
Because you know it's really important to overcome that self doubt.
00:24:59.578 --> 00:25:10.355
So, when someone else, externally especially, is trying to to implant it, do the work of figuring out what's going on inside of you and do you feel like that's actually something you want to believe?
00:25:10.355 --> 00:25:20.114
Because, like I gave an example of a little earlier, it can really be detrimental to who you are and how you express yourself in the world.
00:25:20.865 --> 00:25:23.185
Yes, so well said, Mahika.
00:25:23.185 --> 00:25:24.971
You talk about questioning everything.
00:25:24.971 --> 00:25:35.012
I think that that's part of what makes us entrepreneurs deep within ourselves is that we love questioning things, in fact, even the career choice of being an entrepreneur.
00:25:35.012 --> 00:25:36.586
I've heard it for most of my life, mahika.
00:25:36.586 --> 00:25:41.387
When I was graduating college, a lot of people would say to me oh, are you going to get a real job?
00:25:41.387 --> 00:25:42.470
And I was like what do you mean?
00:25:42.470 --> 00:25:44.093
Entrepreneurship is a real job.
00:25:44.093 --> 00:25:48.532
I'm gonna impact a lot of people through my work and I so appreciate the way that you articulate that.
00:25:49.066 --> 00:25:58.090
One word stands out to me about what you just shared with us and you said that oftentimes you need to remind yourself and what I love about that you sharing.
00:25:58.090 --> 00:26:02.188
That is really that open recognition of this isn't work that we can do once.
00:26:02.188 --> 00:26:06.233
It's not a question that we aim to answer and boom, problem solved.
00:26:06.233 --> 00:26:07.174
It is a practice.
00:26:07.174 --> 00:26:10.740
It is something that we always have to reflect on, remind ourselves on.
00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:15.777
We have to constantly be asking questions to evolve and grow over time.
00:26:15.777 --> 00:26:17.191
It's not a fixed position.
00:26:17.191 --> 00:26:21.053
So with that in mind, mahika, you talk about all these very important things.
00:26:21.053 --> 00:26:23.431
How do we put it into practice in our lives?
00:26:23.431 --> 00:26:30.047
Is it a weekly practice, a daily practice?
00:26:30.047 --> 00:26:32.153
Is there something we can do monthly or quarterly to reflect on things?
00:26:32.153 --> 00:26:34.500
I'd love to hear about that ongoing practice and how you integrate that.
00:26:34.520 --> 00:26:44.273
I think you have to develop a deeply meaningful relationship with yourself and almost treat yourself like sacred.
00:26:44.273 --> 00:26:55.445
You have to consider yourself to be really important and you have to listen to what your inner communication is trying to say to you, you know.
00:26:55.445 --> 00:27:13.848
So, in the form of a daily practice it would look like maybe spending time meditating, maybe doing a little bit of journaling, maybe going for a walk by yourself, so that carve out that me time for yourself as much as you can and that'll help you build that relationship with yourself.
00:27:13.848 --> 00:27:20.229
If you can't do it daily, find a way to check in with yourself on a weekly basis.
00:27:20.229 --> 00:27:21.813
You know many of my clients.
00:27:21.813 --> 00:27:33.291
They'll say, oh, I'm so busy through the week I can't even imagine, you know, taking out 15 minutes of my day for myself when, like while not being productive and not, you know, just spending time with myself.
00:27:33.291 --> 00:27:34.233
What are you talking about?
00:27:34.233 --> 00:27:49.631
And I would just be like, okay, if you can't start with a daily practice, maybe you know, do something over the weekend, maybe take yourself out for a date, maybe maybe go and sit with yourself, read a book, think of how the week went.
00:27:49.631 --> 00:27:57.277
But that constant process of reflection is the cornerstone of any kind of success we want to seek in our lives.
00:27:57.277 --> 00:28:03.053
I think that's really really important and I would encourage every single person to do that.
00:28:03.153 --> 00:28:09.152
And I think that's really where you know the rest of the self-discovery also begins to happen.
00:28:09.152 --> 00:28:11.738
You would not know what are your triggers.
00:28:11.738 --> 00:28:13.829
You would not know what are your sinking stones.
00:28:13.829 --> 00:28:16.557
You would not know what your life vision is.
00:28:16.557 --> 00:28:20.753
You would not know the kind of changes you need to make, unless you develop that.
00:28:20.753 --> 00:28:23.530
So start small, but start somewhere.
00:28:23.530 --> 00:28:24.637
You know, start with.
00:28:24.637 --> 00:28:28.069
You know something really powerful can be a gratitude list.
00:28:28.069 --> 00:28:40.472
Even the things you are being grateful for, for example, will reveal to you about the kind of person you are, you know, and the kind of dreams you have and the kind of aspirations you have for your life.
00:28:40.472 --> 00:28:47.432
So, you know, just start somewhere, but start with that self-reflection process and develop that relationship with yourself.
00:28:47.432 --> 00:28:49.780
Treat yourself as sacred if you can.
00:28:49.780 --> 00:28:57.479
That sometimes takes time because as human beings we look at ourselves as such a flawed set of complexities.
00:28:57.479 --> 00:29:01.516
But you know we have something within us which is more than all the flaws.
00:29:02.325 --> 00:29:03.950
Yes, so well said, mahika.
00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:10.125
Mahika, earlier in our conversation you used the term of we need to take stock, and in my head I always tell myself it's time to take inventory.
00:29:10.125 --> 00:29:29.867
And so for me, it's Sunday coffee dates with myself, or I just go to a coffee shop and exert and practice that level of intentionality and that's what I hear so much in our conversation today from the way you articulate these things is, if we're intentional about it, if we're willing to do the work and explore and ask questions, then we can start finding these answers.
00:29:29.867 --> 00:29:32.233
But it's not going to happen by mistake, listeners.
00:29:32.233 --> 00:29:36.056
So we're going to talk about Mahika's program of find what lights you up.
00:29:36.155 --> 00:29:44.496
In just a minute we're going to drop those links, but before we get there, mahika, I always love asking this question at the end of sessions, and that is what's your one best piece of advice?
00:29:44.496 --> 00:29:51.227
You not only do this work and you not only help other people, but you're one of us, you are a fellow entrepreneur.
00:29:51.227 --> 00:30:02.048
So, knowing that we're being listened to by entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs at all different stages of their own growth journeys, personally and professionally, what's that one piece of advice that you'd want to leave them with here today?
00:30:03.592 --> 00:30:19.949
So, brian, I call my company the Miracle Trail, like I told you right, and where it started from was that I realized very early on that miracles are not supernatural events that require divine intervention.
