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A Conversation with Dr Uttara Pattanaik Dr Uttara, an ICF certified Coach enables organizations/teams/Individuals to be their best version. Let us find out how. Dr Amit-How does one identify one’s passion? Dr Uttara- Have you heard of “Ikigai”? Japanese say, Finding and igniting your “Ikigai” or a sense of purpose is the key to living a long happy life. According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. An ikigai is essentially your reason for BEING or the reason to wake up every morning. This is similar to passion but holds a strong "purposeful" connotation. Ikigai is also believed to be the union of 4 elements: What you love doing, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. According to Ikigai, passion is the outcome of “What you love doing” + “What you are good at (your strengths)” with an overarching purpose, that acts a guiding light throughout your life’s journey. There may be many things that you are good at and also enjo...

"From Fashion to Passion" is a mini-interview series with passionate entrepreneurs from India. The first interview in the series is with Mr Gautam Macker, Co-Founder, The Homemakers The Back Story The Homemakers had a humble beginning in 1998, with a 3000 sq ft showroom in Delhi. The company was amongst the first few in India to enter into the Modular Kitchen Segment. Started by Neeti and Gautam Macker, both highly qualified professionals, the company began with the import of Itallian Accessories. The Homemakers, gradually created its own manufacturing facility in Rajasthan with the latest technology from Italy. The company has created a niche for itself and prefers to do only quality work. From Kitchens, Wardrobes, Beds and other household furniture to doing up complete interiors of home and work place, the company constantly strives to blend quality with thoughtful design leading to products that are aesthetically appealing and extremely useful. Today, t...

Living with Deepest Passion 3 A Guest Post by Vijay Nallawala It was as recently as the 5 th of May, 2012 that I attended a Mind Mapping Workshop by India’s premier Trainer in that domain, Dharmendra Rai. The Map he had asked us to create as an assignment was to be on any topic uppermost in the Mind, to which a solution was elusive. It surprises me that I chose the Topic of ‘Money’. Dharmendra joked that I could hardly think of any other topic (being a Financial Planner). The reason I had instinctively picked on money was that I was at the crossroads of my career- although I was doing well, I had lost the passion for it in the past couple of years. I was sort of forcibly being dragged along! I already had a deep desire to write a book. My Blog which I’d recently started had got encouraging response and appreciation from many sources.  Nobody had to drag me to write, for sure! As I charted out my future career options in the Mind Map, I realized that I wa...

Living with Deepest Passion Series-3 Debbie Friend's story I believe that there are no accidents or coincidences in life. I also have faith that everything happens for a reason and when the time is right, it all makes perfect sense. When thinking about how I discovered my passion and how it changed my life, I had an “aha moment” and realized that all the ups and downs, twists and turns and beginnings and endings I've navigated through over the past several decades were— in actuality — meant to beautifully and meaningfully guide and direct my life’s trajectory to precisely where I am today and where I am meant to be. After earning my Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, I spent years working in cardiac rehab, corporate wellness and adult fitness settings. Being passionate about wellness and health, I worked very hard to make a difference in others’ lives.  However, for the most part, I was dismayed to discover that as much as I was ...

Living with Deepest Passion Series-2 Passionately Social J  Guest Blog by Khushbu Pandya Relationships have always been close to my heart since childhood. Whether it is ingrained in me by my family or my cultural background, the truth is I have always valued relationships over any other thing in the world. I have learnt from my ancestors that taking care of tiniest thing matters a lot in any kind of relation, be it personal or professional. And as time passed, even before I realised, this personal nature developed into my personal brand. I remember the times, in my very first job; customers praised me for my regular and consistent support. I used to receive recognition e-mails for my habit of doing the work meticulously.  Here, I simply want to portray my deep passion for relationships and everything that involves in building and maintaining strong relationships. This root of passion binds me to one thing – that is – Social Media. I see it as a single most pow...