Monika Suri

Motivation is something we all need time to time to keep ourselves energized to finish  a task , facing the difficult situations of life or just to be Happy . It’s a push that initiates & guides  you and makes you achieve what you want in life . I thought of blogging down my favorite motivational thoughts or quotes – which can keep me inspired all the time. And if you as a reader  also gets motivated in some way , that would be a crowning stroke for my writing effort .  Just for your update , my posts under #MiniMotivationMantra would not at all be long reads . Today’s motivational mantra  is about taking ACTION. “Focus on taking action ,not being in motion”  I was reading the book ‘Atomic Habits’ in which the author refers to being in motion and taking action as two different terms. When you are in motion , you are planning and making strategies. No doubt that is important but unless you take action , no output can be expected. If you read a lot of articles on a b...

Lockdown changed our life upside down From the last 4 months our life pattern has entirely changed . We are all locked down in our homes, not able to meet our loved ones , not able to reach out to friends and just jump on them for a hug . It’s difficult to even imagine that in near future . During Lockdown 1.0 the country together rang  bells in the balconies , lighted diyas to be a ray of light and hope for the warriors . In those initial days It felt to me as if I was on a holiday from my hectic work schedule. Though the news did send vibes full of worriness but I was creatively happy trying new dishes in my kitchen . The month long blogging challenge I took in April kept me positively busy during lockdown 2.0 and I was working hard to publish my eBook .By the end of Lockdown 3.0 , my book ‘The Silver Lined mommy’ was published and I wanted to be back to the normal routine but there came the next phase of Lockdown. The place where I live still being in red zone , it was  becoming st...

Motivation is something we need almost on daily basis . I was also feeling a bit low and wanted to read something which could fill me with hope and smile . Under the motivation category , the book “You are blooming’ by  Swarnali Nath catched my attention by its ecstatic bookcover . The author Swarnali Nath  is an engineer, blogger and writer. She is the founder of the Mindfulness and Motivational blog ‘The Vaidik Journal’. She writes about her personal reflections on her personal blog ‘The Saffron Journal.’ The moment I picked this  yellow flowers book to read and started reading the acknowledgments , i felt as if hugged with many positive vibes . The author started the book by dedicating her book to Maa Mahamaya . The book is divided into different sections- Hope , Beauty and Grace . The author beautifully addresses the reader with different names like storyteller , dreamer , hopeful , fearless or a sea of light . Every chapter revives a feeling of more courage , self-belie...

Stress Management Today ,Stress is quite common with everyone of us . You feel a strange tightness in your heart and mind . Stress management has should become an essential part of curriculum , isn’t it ? What do you think ? Stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job,  finances , relationships with others, and all the challenges you face on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body’s ability to  deal with  the  stress-inducing external factors. Stress can be positive or negative . Positive stress is somewhat good to you – it improves your performance . Just before sitting for an exam or stepping on the stage to speak publicly , the stress you have felt was positive stress . Challenging yourself with daily writing  for whole one month is positive stress . The sense of  accomplishment at the end of the challenge gives you happiness and  motivates you even for more challenges ...

The # Covid19 outbreak forced the nation to go into lockdown . Schools , offices , markets are closed for the last many days  . Children are at home and other family members too , apart from those involved in essential services . Being primary care takers of family and home managers , women’s job has turned to be much more than the basic essential service during the quarantine period .  If you are a SAHM your responsibilities have been  doubled up because of more kitchen work and more family care . If you have been a working woman and now-a-days you have to work from home , your responsibilities have been  tripled up . Lockdown 2.0 has started and it’s time to go for Life management 2.0 for women . Woman and Quarantine Quarantine period brings more responsibilities for women More kitchen work Women , being the primary care taker of family , have to spend much more time in the kitchen , fulfilling demands of all family members . Maids’ help is a distant dream but demand...

I got to attend  a small get-together of few women at a friend’s house . In front of the sofa , she had kept a small white board on a table and it was written on the board – ‘Open your hearts’ I was the new to the group except one who was already my friend . Everyone started sharing their  lives . Happy , sad , troubles – everybody was saying whatever one wanted to . There were more of troubles as happiness is something we keep sharing everywhere – even to strangers on online social platforms . At last it was my turn and I also shared what my heart wanted to . (my friend had already told me that you can share without any fear , nobody reveals your words to anyone out of the group) There was nothing special  about ‘Open your hearts’ –No tambola , no gossip , no snacks but still a lot was there . Some times , there are some aspects of life which trouble us , scare us but we don’t want to talk of it . We pretend as if the trouble ...

The alphabet M instantly clicks in my mind ‘Mera Lifestyle’ . What’s Mera Lifestyle ? Well it’s the positive lifestyle I want for each one of us . Every reader should be able to gain something from my blog and be able to exclamate – Yes ! That’s Mera Lifestyle ! * Mera is a hindi word which means – My Positive lifestyle means a life blessed with fitness , happiness , motivation  and growth . Laws of Mera Positive Lifestyle Be Motivated The basic law to live a positive lifestyle is to remain motivated . Read good books , blogs , connect with like minded people to keep your spirits high always . Actually the motivation is there within you only but you  just need to give it a shake  time to time so that it remains fresh . Be motivated by positive attitude  Prerna  Can you be Pollyanna ? ‘Pollyanna’ word means a very cheerful person . I recently finished a book ‘Pollyanna’ in which a teenage girl named Pollyanna always play...

1 What is Kaizen 2 5 S of Kaizen 3 8 principles of Kaizen 4 You can achieve   De-Cluttered Life 5 Better  Time management 6 More Happiness What is Kaizen ? Kaizen is basically a Japanese term which consists of two words ‘Kai’ –means ‘change’ and ‘Zen’ –means ‘Good’ Kaizen  is a theory which focusses on continuous improvement and hence increase productivity . The other definitions of KAIZEN are : a Japanese set of ideas about business that encourages people to continue improve their personal and professional life — McMillan dictionary KAIZEN means improvement. Moreover, it means continuing improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life.– Kaizen.com   Japanese feel that many small continuous changes in the systems and policies bring effective results than few major changes.  How to KAIZEN  UP  your Life? We all want to make improvements in our life – kick away all negativity , be  always optimistic , happy , and there should be no bumpy track...

7 tips that can get you a happy life  How to make happiness a habit ? What do you want to do with your one precious life ? What is Happiness ? If you ask people – What do you want in life ? They would quickly answer -HAPPINESS . If you pose the next question – How to find it ? They would answer – Own house , good health , well settled children ,or something similar . If you pose the next question – What actions are you taking to achieve happiness ? They may (not quickly this time) answer – We are working hard , earning , saving , sending children to good schools , etc. If you pose the next question – Aren’t all these actions oriented in the hope of future happiness ?  There comes the paradox . What are you doing for your happiness in the present ? You are all the time worried about your future . You are not happy today but are all the time  working  to be happy tomorrow . And that tomorrow may not just come . Happiness Paradox can be understoo...

Women empowerment Women empowerment broadly means giving women equal opportunities and also accept them into decision making process . Since the old times , the postulate has been fixed in the minds  that women are caretakers and men are decision makers . Women by nature prioritize other’s needs more than their own . A woman takes care of the whole family , makes sure that her home is in order , cooks nutritious food for all family members , leaving her own choices behind . Empowerment is a multidimensional topic . It includes social , political , emotional and economic empowerment . Women’s economic empowerment  refers to the ability for women to enjoy their right to control and benefit from the resources, assets , income  and their own time. (This definition  is as per Wikipedia ) “When we liberate the economic potential of women , we elevate the economic performance of communities , nations and the world” – Hillary Clinton    Status of women econo...

Blogging is happiness  . It’s fun and learning . The words first dance in your mind and when they are put on to a paper or the cloud , it brings satisfaction . As a blogger I keep looking towards challenges that push my abilities and challenge my limits . #BlogchatterA2Z in April month In the month of April every year , Blogchatter runs a month long blogging campaign and I have loved to be a part of it for the last three consecutive years . This year 2020  I would be rolling my writing around the lifestyle of women . As I am a woman in my forties , I have seen myself searching for topics of self-care , motherhood responsibilities , fitness , health concerns after 40, healthy diet , recipes , motivational quotes etc . I want all women around me to be happy , healthy , calm and living a life full of positivity. EMBRACE I decide to bring to you a series on ‘Positive life choices for women after 40’ and I name it EMBRACE Yes ! In April 2020 , for #BlogchatterA2Z  , EMBRACE...

What kind of person I am ? Before I start writing about my habits , let me write about the kind of a person I am . I am a simple woman –not too much after fashion , brands or  make-up . I am most of the times a smiling person . It’s not that  I do not get angry , but I have observed that my anger lasts only for few minutes . I yell it away and then suddenly my smile is back. I also have the ‘Let-go’ tendency . That keeps me stress free in many situations . Now analyzing all these things , what should I call myself ? Will the word   ‘Easy-going’ be suitable ? ‘Easy-going’ is the person who keeps himself at ease while moving through Life In everybody’s life there are ups and downs , smiles and stress. Not all days are good . But on the same time not all days are bad . And you will agree that some days go very good . When I spent the good days excitedly with smiles , then I should be having enough strength to  move across the bad days without frowns . ‘Easy-going ‘ doesn’t mean that I am ...

Listening to songs is just wonderful . The beats fill me with enthusiasm , the lyrics  calm my mind , the aesthetic experience  brings me the real happiness My Motivation Song Matlabi ho ja zara matlabi , Duniya ki sunta hai kyun , khud ki bhi sun le kabhi ……. Well it’s a bollywood song which I like , rather it gives me motivation  . Matlabi ho ja zara matlabi, duniya ki sunta hai kyun , khud ki bhi sun le kabhi . Really in our everyday life, we are most of the  times listening to others , feeling concerned  for others and working for others  . Sometimes I am listening to my  Boss, sometimes I am satisfying my hubby’s ego ,  sometimes I am cooking according to the family’s wishes. What’s this yaar ? Am I here to live according to Duniya ?? There comes this song to relieve me , motivate me and make me happy . If not possible everyday , let me be Matlabi once in a while. Let me do what just My heart wishes, something that I really like , which brings...

Updated on June 28, 2020 Weight-loss is something that can be heard being discussed in almost every group of women. Someone has gained kilos , someone inches . Someone’s thighs have become heavy and someone’s tummy is bulging front outward. Well ! I want to share my weight-loss story today which helped me  reduce from XXL to XL After my pregnancy I  gained too much of weight . My daughter in my tummy had  rewarded me an additional weight of 22 kg ( Ugh that’s too much but you know I was on complete bedrest for all those months ) Actually I was never a slim-n-sleek kind of girl . Even before pregnancy I weighed 67 kg which increased to 89 kg by 9th month of pregnancy.  Within 2-3 years of my daughter’s birth , my body  shed away 10 kg  without much effort, just by the  routine job exertion . And then my weight stood still around 79 kg  and the needle of the weighing  machine  just didn’t seem to be in a mood to displace much .  Most of the dresses had to be ...