Be Your Own Boss : The Reward Of Risk

Follow This To Be More Confident & Successful

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white dress & veil

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There is something about this quote, that someone once said to me a couple of years ago, that resonates with me to this day (Enough for it to be in my Instagram bio ). Not that I have not been a confident person, but stepping outside my comfort zone, or doing things I wasn’t sure I would succeed in, was something I wouldn’t do. But that’s human nature, right? We always gravitate towards things we know we can do, walk the safer path and that is what leads to success most of the times too. We are trained to be like that in school. If you are good at something, you are usually encouraged to do that, because statistically, that would lead to success.

For the longest time, I was that girl. But hints of rebellion were always there (it’s a common Aquarius trait if you believe in that sorta thing) It’s true when people say that your real life begins only after you start working. So don’t pressurize yourself if you don’t know what you want to do in life. I have flip flopped so much. From always being a topper to going against everybody by not taking science in college, to leaving my CA course just as it started, to randomly switching colleges and deciding to study marketing to realize what they taught is NEVER going to be useful in real life, to go on and top Mumbai University and not pursuing a scholarship abroad……so many decisions that didn’t make any sense logically…..but I was following my heart and I knew and I always say – being happy is more important that anything else. 

If you are happy, you will figure out a way. But it took me a while to get there and there was certainly a phase where I was depressed because even though I was getting job offers, I knew in my heart, I was not built for a desk job – or at least a typical one – a set looped routine was never it for me. (I am left handed, that’s a hint right there haha) I always knew it was fashion I needed to work in. And after a few months of doing nothing, I actually got myself an internship at VOGUE!  I still remember acing that interview, but I never took that offer because they told me I would be strictly retained in the events & marketing department, never be allowed to assist in features or styling, all thanks to a marketing degree. I also remember saying my interviewer calling again & again asking me to join, but something didn’t feel right…..

And loooooong story short, I stumbled my way in and made it happen for myself on my own. I was successful, really good at what I was doing, and was leading the team – styling celebrities, designing, doing fashion weeks, running a garment factory(yep), all without a fashion degree. But this article is not about that. For a while, I was fine…..

Then last year, exactly a year ago, I left my job. There were multiple incidents leading up to that action (rather reaction), but on my birthday – 29th January, 2018, exactly a year ago, I decided to really change my life. To be independent in the truest sense of the word. And that literally meant to not be dependent on ANYONE ELSE for my livelihood. To be my own boss. It was more ballsy than anything I had ever done & that needed a lot of confidence and belief in myself.

Whether it is blogging, a career change, entrepreneurship, or starting anything new or scary….If you read and follow the pointers below, I’m sure you can overcome anything you want & achieve all your goals! Bookmark this for whenever you feel like you need the motivation & push!

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

START

If you’re trying to do something of your own, whatever it might be, the biggest hurdle you would come across is YOU. Your mind will always make excuses for you, to stop you from doing anything you may fail in. There might be a lot of procrastination. That happened with me a lot – I kept thinking I don’t know anything about taking photos, social media(I wasn’t on any) or websites. I made mine after thinking over it for a year. But better late than never, they say. There are two sides of a coin – the probability of success is the same as that of failure. So don’t let anyone stop you, not even yourself. Once you start, it would be the biggest motivation for you to keep going and being consistent.

FIERCE Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

DON’T COMPARE

This one is easier said than done, right? But what I’ve learnt is that everyone has their own journey. Some start on Instagram with 100k followers (lol) or like Kylie Jenner, a 1 million dollar loan to start a company. Others have to start from scratch and work harder than others. Never be afraid or grumpy about putting in the work. I didn’t care about comparisons till blogging became my only source of income and I used to always feel that I was more deserving than some for a project. But the thing is, the solution is, to change your thought process. Why worry about what you can’t control? Can you control someone else’s success or failure? Nope. But you can certainly control what you do or how you react. Focus on yourself instead of looking at others.

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

REACH OUT

It’s very simple – if you don’t ask, you will not get. Generosity is slowly disappearing from this world….but if you don’t reach out to get something you want, and create opportunities for yourself and instead wait for work to magically fall into your lap, then I’ve got bad news for you my friend. People are always asking me how to get collaborations – well, you gotta reach out, and at least a few DMs & emails would be answered.

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

KNOW YOUR WORTH

In the process of reaching out to potential clients, brands, investors, collaborators, etc., there may be times where people would try to take advantage of you because you were the one asking. In that point of time, you have to decide whether it is genuinely beneficial or you are being used. That requires self awareness and a fair judgement of your worth. So know your worth, do what is worth your time and if you get a good return ( and in some cases, ‘exposure’ can also be a good return if you are starting out)

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

MULTITASK

Whether it’s starting a business, a career, a blog….you need to know everything that goes on. You can’t just be good at one aspect. Learning should never stop. Today, I learnt that WordPress has a cool new format and I’m really enjoying exploring the different layout options to write this blog. I was really intimidated by its complexity but I really like it now. You have to learn to be a jack of all trades in order to one day delegate the work, right? That’s how empires are built. I learnt how to edit from scratch too, and now that is something I am known for. 🙂

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

SET REALISTIC GOALS , DREAM BIG

Rome was not built in a day. Nothing happens overnight and you all know that. Small efforts lead to big successes. So hustle, once the momentum gets going, you will see results. Start by setting small, time bound goals, the more you achieve, the more motivated you will be to keep going. Imagine aiming so high and then disappointing yourself over and over again. It’s not a good feeling. But that doesn’t mean you forget about the long term goals & dreams you may have. Build your dream world one step at a time.

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white dress & veil

BE SELF-AWARE & SELF-SUFFICIENT

You are your best friend and your biggest supporter. There would be times when you would need someone’s assistance, but that help might not always be available at your beck & call. It is very difficult & time consuming to find good resources (including human resources) so what do you do when you have deadlines? Find a way & be prepared to do everything yourself. This could be a one time thing, or like many youtubers, a full time thing. Figure out a way that works best for you, and find reliable support. However, you should be self aware, know your strengths, and choose the right people to help you – who can compensate for what you lack (for instance, I don’t have a camera & work with photographers) But I am also very well versed with self portraits and a lot of my photos you see on Instagram are clicked by me, & you can’t even tell.

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

SAY NO

Saying no does not make you selfish. Saying no does not make you rude. Saying no definitely does not make you unprofessional. Don’t let others take you for a ride. You know what’s best for you. If you don’t know yet, you will know eventually. It’s okay to make mistakes along the way. Go with your gut feeling – it always lead you to the right direction. I have always used my voice and said no to authority when I knew it was not a good decision or the outcome was going to be bad. But when you are on your own, with probably no guaranteed income, you might say yes to projects and end up spending your own money instead of making any. And sometimes that is fine, too. You need to be seen, you need the experience, or yo want to build good relations. But there is no harm in saying no. I find myself saying no a lot these days, to projects & brands that I don’t believe in. and I am so grateful to be working with the brands I do.

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

CHILL. BUT NEVER STOP.

Yeah….I mean,just Netflix & chill bro. Give yourself time to just be. Don’t always have to stressed. This didn’t happen, that didn’t happen. Well, if you did everything in your power to make it happen and it still didn’t happen, then it will happen eventually. Or something better would. TRUST ME. Take time off to dream, to recuperate, to relaxxxx. No rush. The number game is depressing – age, followers, money….your journey is your own and you WILL get there eventually. As long as you keep working smart & hard and on yourself. You are not flawless, no one is. Prioritize, execute, then chill and wait for your hard work to pay off. But there would be some days that you won’t have any time to chill, that’s okay too haha!

Outdoor editorial fashion shoot with girl in white flowy dress

GET UNCOMFORTABLE

Lastly, go outside your comfort zone. No, I don’t mean jump off a plane. Do something you wouldn’t usually do. Okay…so I am socially awkward and introverted. I used to dread going to events because I didn’t know how to go & talk to someone. Today, I am so very proud of myself because one day I just fought my own nervous thoughts and it changed the way I look at events totally. What started out as self torture, ended up becoming something I really look forward to now because I get to meet so many of my friends and meet new, talented people. And this applies to many things in my life. Everyone thinks they have limitations, but do you really? I recently read somewhere that you are born with only 2 fears – the fear of falling & loud noises. Everything else is developed over time. Let that sink in….

There is nothing you can’t do. Don’t let your fears limit your capabilities. The magic ALWAYS happens outside the comfort zone. 🙂

I want you all to share this post on Instagram/Facebook/Whatsapp or whatever it is you use. Someone might really need this dose of motivation today! There are no ads on my page so there is no money I would make but I just want as many people as possible to read this! 🙂

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16 thoughts on “HOW TO BE YOUR OWN BOSS”

  1. Wow.
    Loved this post. The content is so inspirational . I appreciate your journey. Best of luck.

  2. Wow. Loved this one.
    Your content is so inspirational. I appreciate your journey. Best of luck.

  3. Motivated..this what i need in these days.for a new beginning you need someone who show u right path or who inspored u.nd here that personis u who helps me too start a fresh,give me motivations..nd your are right sis,alwayz two side of coins..lots of love

  4. How I can relate to so many pointers here. The way you have penned it down is amazing and most of all, motivating. I remember meeting you at Valentine store launch and I feel so happy to see you reach here and be so inspiring. Kudos to your spirit and yes, hard work always pays off, eventually!
    Much love,
    Nistha

    1. Thank you so much for your lovely words, Nistha! ❤️❤️❤️ And it was great meeting you too! Lots of love and luck! ????

  5. Thank you so much neha for motivating me, there are so many things i wanted to do and i get scared cause of rejection. im a graphic designer and i left my job i wanted to do something which i love which make me more happy. you wrote such a nice points and im defiantly gonna follow them ill keep this in mind, love you :*

    1. So glad this helped you! Even I used to be scared of rejection, but it’s all in your head! More power to you! ❤️❤️❤️

  6. I take this as my inspiration , I told you what you mean to me and that will always mean to me always and forever ???? you are truly an inspiration . Loved the motivation and so your pictures???????? All the very best???????? LOVE LOVE ???? ????

    1. Khushee, you are just so kind! Lots of love! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #mademyday

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