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 endeavour, we invited Priya Singh for an exclusive interview with us. She is a Leader, Entrepreneur, Trainer, Mindset Coach, Motivational Speaker, Influencer and Founder of Moum Candles and The Everyday 5 Minutes Journal. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background, and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Priya:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I come from a very small town and have travelled across the country and world while finishing my education. I am an IT engineer and MBA. And I also hold a diploma from Harvard University. But more than all of this I have been a student of life. I have worked for 7 years in the corporate world. And what I knew but did not recognise was the fact that all my life I was working towards uplifting and encouraging women around me.
I started working with an NGO when I was 12 years old and was working with them every summer holiday for the next 12 years. Professionally, the first brand I ever worked with was National Geographic Magazine and was truly the best start I could have asked for. I then briefly worked with Citibank and then RPG group’s Open magazine for about 5 years.
All this time I was nurturing my side hustles and finally, in 2021 I decided to work on my business full time. I currently have 3 successful businesses, Moum candles, every day 5 minutes journal and the “Confusion to Clarity with Confidence” coaching program.
How did you discover your passion in ‘Coaching’?
If truth be told, I was very averse to the word “coaching” for a long time. Because I always felt like I wanted to help people and be their friend in their transformation process and not “COACH” them.
But I soon realize there is a sense of discipline needed in any transformation. And that is what kept me motivated. Whenever I learnt anything new I was very keen to teach a friend and feel overjoyed when it impacted them in a positive way. So it was more like an innate calling for me.
You know when they say “Work that doesn’t feel like work, but is a natural extension of yourself; it is that for me” It’s truly my IKIGAI.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The Big life Vision. That’s it. I know where I want to be and I am very grateful for where I am. I know I have to be able to impact many more lives in order to get to my big life vision.
So any time any challenge arrives I evaluate it on the scale of how it impacts the bigger life picture and address it.
Most things in life are manageable if we choose to act on them and not react. So always try and keep that in mind and take one step at a time. One day at a time.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My biggest motivation really has been my daughter. I know children learn from what they see, not what they are told. And I want her to believe that dreams come true. That Women CAN HAVE IT ALL.
I want her to see a woman who manages things harmoniously with all the imperfections and quirks and it’s really all right. And having a family is in fact an enabler for a good wholesome life. It is genuinely my truest motivation.
As a girl, it’s so crucial for me that she grows up to learn that it’s not selfish for her to pursue her dreams and passion and it’s possible for her to design life exactly as she would like it to be.
I am well aware that this all feels very rose-coloured for a realist reading this article. But the world is actually a mirror of who you are. So to each it’s own 🙂
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> Have a growth mindset. This is also a life mantra for me
> Work towards finding alignment between work and your happiness
> Always keep learning/reading/taking new courses
> Travel as much as often, as you can. It really humbles you down and tells you that there is so much more to know.
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
I do not motivate my clients. I help them gain clarity on what they truly want in their life. And once they know that and they understand the compelling reason why they actually want it; the process is very automatic.
They love it so much that even a single day they want to be involved in the work that brings their dreams closer.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
ACT – LEARN – EVOLVE – REPEAT
The ideas are useless if not executed. So do not wait to be perfect just act; however small.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
NO. It’s misleading to say that. I am mostly optimistic. But there are also days when I am spiralling down and feeling very defeated. But as I mentioned before, the Big life vision keeps me going. And I really believe in feeling the emotions completely at the moment because that makes me stronger and bounce back with more vigour.
And knowing that I have processed the situation I come out of it very content and more connected to my feelings.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
First, Success means different things for different people. So when you say success professionally, the first key I would say is:
(1) GRIT. You have to have the stamina to keep going for it even when you do not see the results right away.
(2) CONSISTENCY – For business, for self, for family. I mean consistency is the holy grail. You have to make sure that every single day you are working towards your goal.
(3) CLARITY – It’s often not regarded as crucial in the process but it’s very very important that you have absolute clarity about what you want from the process otherwise you will find yourself at crossroads, exhausted and burnt out.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
(a) Do not get fixated on the defined career profiles. We are in a great era when the world is very open and accepting. There are new avenues coming up everywhere so please explore before you zero in on something.
(b) The Internet is the way of the future. In order to be relevant over the next 5 years, you cannot ignore this medium for work and opportunities
(c) Try as many jobs as you like. And quit as many jobs as you like. Stability is overrated when you are young and have less responsibility. Your only responsibility is to find work that serves your soul and helps you find your true passion.
(d) Get clear as soon as you can. Once you have tried, experimented and explored you will learn about your strengths and weaknesses. So just stick to your strengths and play on those.
(e) Do not ever settle for “ You can not do this”
What about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
– WHEN I SEE PEOPLE TRANSFORMING.
– WORK THAT DOESN’T EVEN FEEL LIKE WORK
– FEELING IN MY HEART THAT THIS IS WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO DO IS EXTREMELY GRATIFYING
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.
