As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited Anaya Gaikwad for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is a Coach, Trainer, Entrepreneur, Speaker, NLP Practitioner, Graphologist and Advocate. Let’s read more about Anaya’s inspiring journey and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Anaya:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a trainer, please;
I was into 9 to 5 job with steady pay-checks but it did not bring the best version of me. It made me follow the routine with senior dominancy, no innovation or creativity was promoted. This made me finally realize that a job is not my cup of tea and this scenario should change.
The training industry had its door wide open for me but I lack support which will help me grow. The book that I read helped me in my bad times it made me think only about what I have with me and what I can make of it. My confidence and self-belief helped to make my parents believe in my vision of getting out of the rat race. I did take many courses and finally stood as a trainer.”
It was going good till a speed breaker arrived with a new opportunity of conducting training on a topic that was totally out of stock. I did not want to lose the opportunity so I decided to take it and make it. I had no idea what to say how to say but as it is said when there is a will there is a way, I had that will and found a way. I studied that topic deep and wide from one of my friends and made it through. Losing any opportunity which comes in my way at the starting phase was not at all acceptable for me.
There was a time when I had to do training for free or at very minimal pay but the hope strived me to do it as it was building up my profile and adding to my experience. I had worked with many NGO’s and I would love to contribute more to them in my further journey.”
I am a lawyer, a graphologist, an NLP practitioner, and a certified trainer. I conduct training on various skills and have trained many people. Skills like resume building, interview, parenting, and topics related to law are my core areas as I have a lot of experience in these. I focus on being a specialist hence I prefer to call myself as a personal productive coach as my mission is to help 1 lakh students to get good and expected results during placements.
What do you think about getting out of bed in the morning? What is your source of motivation?
To be very frank even I don’t believe in getting up early but I get up early due to the habit that I got since childhood. In fact, one of my fantasies is to get up late. I believe in and focus on giving quality and not just quantity. One can get up early and do nothing whereas one can get up late and still have a very productive day. The habit is on us to develop, we do get up early when it’s time for a picnic we don’t need any motivation here.
I would say what keeps me going is not the motivating factor but the inspiration factor. If I am in need of any motivation it means my goals aren’t mine and hence, they are useless even if I achieve them. The field which I have chosen is my passion and here I need inspiration rather than motivation.”
Who has been your inspiration?
Few names in my inspiration list have inspired me a lot and just because of them I am what I am today. The first one on my list is Shifu(master) Aniket Bhosale, he was my martial arts coach. Apart from martial arts training his lessons on life and the practical approach towards life gave me a broader vision.
He not only taught us to fight with kicks and punches but also taught me to fight the mental barriers. The professionalism that he carries is worth learning and hence he is the 1st on my list.
Then my colleagues Mr Akshay Aggarwal and Mr Shobit Singhal who helped me grow, are always there to guide me in every situation and just a call away. They helped me a lot when I was down and could not produce good results. They stood by my side till I came up with new ideas and implement them.”
Most importantly all are down to earth which makes me have myself rooted but still aim for the sky. I remember once Mr Shobit told me that a well-grown tree is always humble and down to earth, that also left an impact on me.
How did you find your passion and started working with it?
I had stage fright and to overcome that, I started practising, taking part in different competitions. I did not have friends in schools so I was mostly with my teachers, it helped me to reduce my fear and boost my confidence.
My involvement in competitions increased which made me be on stage leading to gaining in best compliments from everyone and since then the love for the stage was never left behind. In no time the love turned into a passion and I was called for as an anchor by many organizations slowly the anchor turned into a trainer.
Working on my fear became my strength and passion. The journey was not easy though but love and compliments from others encouraged me and I just started, followed my heart.
How do you manage yourself and keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The challenges which I face were not getting enough clients, working for free, not getting paid on time, lack of support from the surroundings, last-minute travel, improper accommodation.
The most important was having quarrels at home for not giving time to family, as a trainer when at home am mostly busy with updating my social media accounts, writing content and this work takes a lot of time. Working on social media is always a waste of time for parents.
I remember a dialogue of Nana Patekar from the “Welcome” movie “Seh Lenge Thoda” and whenever I had any problem that used to strike me and make me face them. I was always told that life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself. So, I think in the process of creating myself my focus is always on the people who inspire me and that keeps me driving.
What has worked well for you so far?
As a trainer, I would say self-improvement, self-belief, and taking every opportunity have helped me build myself. Doing more than I was paid for has helped me get more calls.
Only positive thinking won’t help sometimes critical and logical thinking is also necessary. Taking risks and sacrifices helps when we have decisions to be taken.
In your opinion what is the key to success?
I think it is our mindset that matters the most. If we do not change our mindset our perspective or ideologies which are prefeed won’t change.
To change our mindset, one should have control over association with people. The way we think is also important and from whom we are taking advice means a lot. We cannot ask a person sitting in front of TV as how to be successful.
What service(s) or products(s) do you offer?
The services which we offer are training on soft-skills, behavioural skills, employment-related skills, finance management, and law-related topics like IPR, POSH, etc. We do have counselling services like career counselling, children and parents counselling, relationship counselling.
As it is said one should have 3 hobbies which will help them physically, mentally, and financially; likewise, I do have 3 hobbies.
I love reading books, travelling, and dance.
These hobbies help me grow as reading books help me in knowing others perception towards life, what they think about life how they work with.
Travelling helps me meet new people who are struggling in life, want to do something but cannot find a way out, or maybe just gave up on life.
Dancing helps me reduce my stress, increases the energy within me, and keep my organs functioning.
You’re always positive and motivated. What keeps you going?
To be honest, I am not always positive and motivated, sometimes I do feel to give up, negative thoughts keep coming but what matters the most is my choice to fight back and keep moving. When I feel tired or frustrated, I prefer to take a rest, I enjoy my meals by cooking them myself or having a short trip I even spend the whole day watching friends.
Feelings like not wanting to do anything are very natural because our body and mind need time to heal so it is fine, but for me, this is just a one-day thing and the next day am back to normal and ready to rock. I listen to a podcast, read books which keeps me going and the thoughts help me think creatively.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out.
Those who want to be a trainer or want to start anything on their own must take the initiative. I believe in doing things instead of just thinking of doing. Just believe in yourself and start whatever you want to. The initiative is the most important factor in leadership. It is on us to follow or to lead.
I would like to pass on the story of a farmer, he wanted to have good yields and earn a lot but it happens that in summer season he could not cultivate due to sun, in rainy seasons he stops due to rain and in winter season due to cold. Hence in the process of waiting for the climate to change, he gains nothing.
If you want to achieve anything just go for it. You will regret later for not doing it or maybe by doing it so it is better to do and regret. Just a step ahead try it, you will need self-belief which will get you the results you aim for.
People “will” ruin your plans, they “will” talk behind, they “will” hate you, they “will” not believe in your ideas but when you prove it, they are the ones to ask you for treats and parties. Last but not the least having the habit of reading books it helps a lot.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
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