At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavor, we invited Tapaswini Das Mukherjee for an exclusive interview with us. Tapaswini is a Trainer, Coach, Leader, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Influencer and Change Enabler. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Tapaswini Das Mukherjee:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I grew up in Odisha with my 2 sisters and parents. Coming from middle-class family and my father’s place that belonged to a small town in Andhra Pradesh, we grew up with relatives who had traditional beliefs like daughters getting married at an early age and starting her family and limited education to most of the children.
Thanks to my parents who always had a broader mindset with regards to education. We could pursue what we wanted to and also got an opportunity to travel out of our home town for work.
In fact, even professionally, I have been very fortunate to have opportunities to work in various roles and responsibilities that gave my career a broader value in a span of 9 years of working in one of the most reputed bank.”
I got such roles that people do not get even after having the highest professional degrees. All thanks to my Managers and Mentors who believed in my potential and gave me that one chance to prove my- self.
Furthermore, I am blessed with a loving and supportive husband and daughter (a toddler but understanding) who gave feathers to my wings by helping me chose my passion to work during my sabbatical.
How did you discover your passion as Trainer?
When I was working for the Bank, my innate quality of being able to communicate in a way that the other person could understand well, always built an expectation to impart process and product training to my colleagues.
Additionally, as a part of the HR team initiative, all employees had to attend 2 days of classroom training every year. This training was based on Soft Skills improvement. I used to enjoy these 2 days the most and always had a wish to be on the other side as a Trainer whenever I get an opportunity.
So, during my sabbatical, when I was planning to get back to work, nothing but Soft skills Training clicked to my mind and then I started researching the Institutes that would help me fulfil my wish.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Challenges are a part of life and they are catalysts to help a person acknowledge one’s hidden potential.
We get to meet a “Different Us” during the process of overcoming a Challenge. They are inevitable for a person to learn something new.”
There are many such challenges that Trainers too face. However, what keeps us on our feet is the thought of being able to help another person in the journey of their transformation and growth. The positive feedback or the output that we get at the end of the sessions is what keeps us driving.
Who do you believe is the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
Looking up to those colleagues who have been successful in creating their personal brand in our domain really keeps me going. Their success makes me believe that it’s possible and I get the inspiration to do better.
In addition, when I hear back from my learners of their success in their field really makes me overwhelmingly motivated. Lastly, my supportive family who encourage and appreciate my work, play the biggest role in keeping my spirit high all the time.
Above all, my positive attitude towards life and belief in myself plays a major role in keeping me motivated
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
In my opinion, Growth is a lifelong process. One needs to always keep updated with the current trends, skills and affairs to keep growing.
Some of the strategies that I follow are:
– Self-belief – Instead of looking for validation from others, it’s crucial to first trust ourselves and believe in our own potential.
– Being Assertive – While it is important to respect and consider others point of views, we need to be firm on protecting our own rights.
– Learning and upskilling – Learning is a lifelong process. Upskilling is very important to keep in sync with the latest trends and personal growth.
– Staying connected with friends and associates – One cannot achieve everything alone. Staying connected with your colleagues, having good relationships with friends, mentors and associates is one of the important factors in developing strong interpersonal relationships thereby helping in one’s growth.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
> Having a positive mindset
> Setting short-term realistic Goals and working on it to achieve in a set timeline. Taking responsibility for my action and being affirmative on the results.
> Staying determined in working for one’s passion.
> Constantly working towards self- improvement and upskilling.
> Be gratified for what you have and what you are able to give back to the society.
> Trust and believe in your ability and appreciate yourself.
> Working on building strong interpersonal relationships with
What advice would you give to our readers?
(1) Before urging others to validate you and take an interest in you, start believing and trusting yourself. Self-acceptance and self-love are the key
(2) If you want to be heard, first take an interest in other’s views and listen to them with compassionate empathy.
(3) If you want to achieve something, imagine like you are already there. Bring the same in your attitude and behaviour, work for it and stay determined till you reach your destination.
(4) Work on self-improvement.
(5) Be humble and kind to others
What about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
(i) Training was my dream work and passion. Living my passion, give me immense satisfaction.
(ii) The personal improvement that I have achieved in the process of my journey, gifting myself a better version every day is truly gratifying.
(iii) Additionally, the fact that I am able to influence and transform another person positively is surely something to be proud of.
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.
