3 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE TRUE FRIENDS

A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself. I know people who say "No thank you and sorry'' in friendship but are too formal to believe in the same. True friends love you the way you are. They know when you are faking it. So, the first question you ask yourself while judging your friendship is "Can I be real me?" if the answer is no , don't expect the relationship to last long. Be Yourself with everyone who comes across in your life,and for sure you will find the right people, the right friends to hang out with, the ones who will gracefully accept you just the way you are.

The second question you should ask yourself is "I am a side-kick to that person?" . Do you feel like a supporting character, a side kick, taken for granted?. Do you feel like the "giver" in the friendship?. If yes, then mind your steps. Friends are very important but no one has the right intrude your self-respect. You deserve to feel equal. Respect is a very important part of any relationship and people respect those who respect themselves.

Finally, the third most important element is Trust. If you have a friend who constantly gossips around and judges his/her own friends , you have definitely been his/her target. Don't expect a person who is always criticizing people behind their backs to be true to you. The one who is honest to others is a trustworthy friend.

At the end, if you feel you have true friends...LOVE them the way they are, RESPECT them and be HONEST to them because THEY ARE WORTH IT...... ;)

Lean In

It was 10th grade, the topper of our school was asked to say a few words about her achievement. She started with thanking her parents, her friends , her teachers and her lucky stars . There I was sitting in the audience wanting to scream "For God's sake, tell them how hard YOU worked for your exams !!!" but had no courage or confidence to raise my hand.

Thankfully, my parents always allowed me to be myself. I was never pressurized to "behave like a girl". As I entered all women's college, I started adapting some "girly" behavior to fit into the society. Time went by and I realized that Indian girls were not allowed to even dream big. Most of them were preparing themselves for their future life partners and future mother in-laws. The little ambitious ones restricted their dreams till marriage, as they knew that they will have to sacrifice their career life for their family. By the last year of college I was sure that I am not going to end up living like that. I believed in living in present, for myself and for the people I love , not for the imaginary people who have not yet entered my life.

That's when, My dad gifted me this book after watching (also making me watch) Sheryl Sandberg's ted talk ( http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders ). I felt like I got magic beans which will lead the way to my ambitions. Life became simpler, when while making any decision all I had to do was ask myself  "What would I do if I weren't afraid?". I am working on "Raise Your Hand"and "Sit at the Table". When I read "Don't leave before you leave", the first thing I did was pat myself on the back because I already believed in the same thing. This book made me write this blog as I am not known to be efficient in writing skills. So I took it as a challenge !!

Being a leader was never on my mind. I was very sure that I didn't possess leadership qualities. Now that I think bout it, I WILL HAVE to lead and I will have to LEAN IN in order to encourage other girls. Still not knowing the how's and where's , I am starting it with the people around me.

Few days ago, I completed my graduation and was updating my Facebook status..."feeling blessed" when my father interrupted and said "After reading Sheryl Sandberg's book, you still feel blessings are the cause of your achievements?? ". I immediately changed the status to "feeling proud" ... So Girls be proud of yourself and LEAN IN !!!