As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited Khushboo Madhusudan Gaur for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is a Certified Life and Wellness Coach, Personality Development Trainer. Let’s read more about her inspiring journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Khushboo:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I did my schooling from Bharti Vidya Bhawan’s Vidyashram, Jaipur and further pursued a management degree from Birla Institute of Technology from Mesra (Jaipur extension centre).
I was always passionate about listening to people, dealing with their issues counselling and training them, probably this was the reason I opted for psychology and scored the highest marks on boards, but somehow couldn’t pursue it then, because of lack of knowledge and awareness, and went on to finish my MBA degree in HR and marketing.
However, life took a U-turn when after working in a corporation I realized this is not my cup of tea, I need more, I need masses and my mission is something else, till then, I was dead unsure of what it could be. The research was another area of interest, so I took a PhD as well into my bucket list. This enlightened me and made me realize who I am, and what I need.
I went to other corporations with training proposals but nothing materialized, and when I went to colleges, management and students cherished my idea, that gave birth to my training career.
My motto is “Love affair with life”, whatever you are, learn to love yourself, only then will you be able to accept that you need certain changes to be it internally in your behaviour, attitude and perception or externally in your attire and personality. I am a personality development trainer; my core areas are habit building and image transformation.
I love talking and inspiring people to stretch and become better versions of themselves. I love what I do, and this gives me immense power and a sense of fulfilment.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
When we use SWOT analysis as a tool for self-discovery, we try doing it 360 degrees with our clients and students. We ask parents, friends, colleagues or faculty and teachers about the SWOT and then combine all the answers. Now when I go back and reflect and hear the sounds of my people, all they say is “You belong to where you are”.
Also, healing people’s deep-rooted fears like fear of public speaking or issues with confidence and issues like mobile addiction or goal setting, time management, shift from negative to positive self-talk is my passion. When I see my clients and students happy and confident faces, when I see them running on the ladder of success, that’s what gives me peace and true happiness. With my work, I experience similar kinds of results as I have gained after more than 10 years into vipassana meditation.
My passion for continuous learning and growth is also deeply fulfilled with this passion for coaching and training. Everything that we need already exists within us, all we need is someone to hold our hand, believe in us, and tell us, you’ve got this.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
First, my upbringing has always been such, everyone around me always pushed me towards doing things quickly and on time, I believe the seed for time management and fighting with challenges was already sown.
I was being prepared subconsciously for the career that I have today, so huge credit goes to them, also, in terms of challenges they either come from home or from outside home, I am grateful enough that my parents always supported me, and I am equally grateful to my husband and in-laws, they blindly trust and support me with whatever that I do.
My husband not only supports me but also pushes me hard towards my passion be it whatever.
Considering external issues and challenges, yes, some people said “training and coaching are the worst careers to be in, you will never be successful”, I received comments like, “do you even hold any gold certification, the competition is huge, you are too young to train somebody”, but I always believed in myself and my hard work, I was determined, and because I never gave up, my consistent efforts paid off, I received compliments from people, students, clients, and I never looked back again.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
If you ask one source, I won’t be able to answer this question, but if there are many, definitely I’ll be answering this. Starting with my father, always inspiring and motivating me to never stop, when he turned 70 he started an NGO, and walked on roads for traffic regulation.
I think that’s commendable and a source of learning in itself. My mother who’s been in bed for many years, yet smiling, laughing, and living each day of her life to the fullest, my sister who’s a continuous everyday motivational source for me, calls me every day just to remind me “hey, keep going…” My in-laws are always excited to know what I am doing, which new video is coming up, who I am collaborating with, maa (MIL) is the biggest source of motivation, and my husband, who supports me endlessly.
Motivates me, pushes me harder every time I feel low and drained. My students, and the happiness on their faces, I believe people around me are the source of motivation for me, and I want to do a lot for them, which builds strong internal motivation.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are many, but I always keep these 3 strategies with me
While growing I think everyone must be a good human first, and that comes with taking responsibility for actions in every situation, so someday when I feel too tired to do a thing, I don’t blame or complain about it, I know this is on my shoulders and I need to take the complete responsibility of whatever results I receive.
(a) Always respect the other person’s point of view, in my opinion, just because someone has a different perception does not mean they are wrong.
(b) Always keep your glass of knowledge half empty, so you always crave for more and more knowledge, skills, and new learnings, always remain ready to learn from the people you meet irrespective of age, gender or experience.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
To remain motivated is sometimes difficult, so this statement is half true. But definitely, I do a lot of things to stay motivated at least most of the time, and to keep stress and anxiety away.
– My husband is my biggest strength, I talk to him about every single thing that I face the entire day, he always understands what I am going through and what I need. I believe each one of us must keep talking to our well-wishers and family especially in the era when I hear a lot of young people facing depression and anxiety issues.
– My interest in reading and watching good content also keeps inspiring me, and help me stay positive.
– Vipassana Meditation, Daaji relaxation techniques, and daily walk helps my mind stay focused and in line with what I intend to achieve.
– Scheduling everyday tasks, and creating a daily to-do list helps me set priorities and stay disciplined.
– Other things include, waking up early, keeping a gratitude journal, spending time with myself, and in nature. Spending some time alone each day is the most important thing to introspect.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
The 1st key is to understand that we all are born with unique abilities, never compare yourself with others, believe in your own skills and passion, love what you do and do what you love.
2nd is to believe in yourself, write positive affirmations, your self-conversation determines how you feel about yourself and that determines what you do. What you do, determines what you get. Make sure the conversation is always uplifting.
3rd is to never wait for the right time and perfection. This time is the best time to start and you’re perfect with what you have today.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
(i) Never give up on yourself.
(ii) Always keep striving for more.
(iii) Always stay connected to your grounds, wherever you may lead.
(iv) Failure is a part of success, learn from it, learn from every situation.
(v) Always keep yourself updated with the current happenings in your industry, what skills do you need at every point in time, keep upskilling yourself.
(vi) Your personality is a sum of 5 people around you. Choose the right ones. Make sure everyone around you is passionate about their careers, no matter if their career matches yours or not, being surrounded by people who are motivated, passionate and successful is important to keep our energy uplifted.
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.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
