Work with people who inspire and uplift you

It is ok to say no.

The pandemic brought about many changes in my life. A major part of it was a change in my job status. Panicking at the loss of the familiar, I applied everywhere frantically. And yet, with every passing meeting, my heart began to sink. Company heads were bargain hunting. Talent was available in plenty, ready to work at a lower cost.

I often got asked by consultants why I was asking for a raise over my existing salary. It almost felt like a crime asking to be paid for the value I could bring to an Organization. There were days I was filled with self doubt.

Was I being fussy, unrealistic, stubborn, acting pricey or out of touch with reality by saying no to them?

Stay true to who you are and what matters to you

A serious soul searching later, I knew the answer was No to all of those allegations. I realized that I did not want to work with someone who did not value what I had to offer. If I was coming onboard to help the Company set up processes around sustainable growth, mutual respect and strong values, could I discount them for myself? Wouldn’t I hypocritical to myself by not practicing what I preached. It took a lot of time and breaking of years of conditioning before I learnt to say No. I wanted to work with people who respected my work and could inspire me to do more.

We all have the option of flying out of our mind's cage

I am fortunate to now be working with people who inspire me. I cannot deny, I had the privilege to say no to this toxic behavior. Not many can afford to. But there are still many of us who can walk away but don’t because our mind is conditioned towards a specific reality. We don’t even realize that we have the option to leave our mental conditioning cage and fly out in whatever direction we choose to. I’m glad I had the support to make that choice.