This post was written by fleximoms
Meet
Sonali Brahma, enthusiastic, unbound and oodles of attitude we love. A creative
person by profession and nature, here’s someone who is always building her
learning curve. An individual of her own accord, she cherishes her roles as a
wife, mum and daughter.Strikes
just the right chord when she says that “For a fleximom, it is never 50% of
home and 50% of work; it is 100% of work and 100% of home.”
What I do – my work and
education: I am an independent Brand
Strategist, a Creative Consultant, a Writer, a Trainer but more importantly an
explorer who is 19 years old in this professional world. I have done my
B.Com and MBA-Marketing from SIBM – Pune University. Besides this I am a
student (there’s always so much to learn from life), a mother, a daughter, an
honest and committed person.
Writing is my passion. It is the
origin of my odyssey into the world of brands. I have had some amazing
experiences building brands. Right from building a baby brand seeing it blossom
and mature into a fully grown, much envied beauty (Mont Vert Real Estate) to
working on a Child Care brand from scratch and watch it take baby steps
(Innocent Times) and then proudly talk about a hospital I had helped launch
(Oyster and Pearl Hospital), it’s been a truly overwhelming journey.
A world that is at once exhilarating
and adrenalin pumping and at times nail biting, a roller coaster ride with its
ups and downs. Explore, love, fall, learn and conquer…it is this creative world
that drives me that I am so very passionate about.
I believe that the world and life
has so much to give that there really isn’t enough time to do it all. But I
try. And so, I write and lead – strategy, copy, content, scripts, short
stories, profiles, letters, features and articles.
To describe myself in three words – Never
say enough!
My family: Immediate family for me is small and sweet. A husband of 19
years, my class mate and very good friend, now a confidante. A son who is all
of 17, loving, sensitive and still quite naïve for his years. And my Mom my
biggest supporter.
My support system: For the larger part of my career I have always been a fleximoms
/ flexi-professional. However, even with the flexi privilege, a support system
is a must. I have a rock solid support system – my husband who never interferes
in my decisions and always supports them, my Mom who has always been there to
look after my son and in emergencies, my son who does not crib if he has to
make do with some instant meals at times due to my work load, and my dedicated
maids. Hats off to all of them!
My inspiration to do
what I do: A piece well written, a satisfied
client, a student who does well, a piece of chocolate, cuddling up to a sweet
kid, an inspiring story, a nice movie, a great conversation and a pat on
the back – the little pleasures of life make my day! On days I get into quit
mode, a heart-2-heart chat with my hubby and Mom gets me back on my feet.
A typical day in my
life: My typical day is not ‘the all hell
has broken loose’ day. I believe in prioritizing work, planning and letting go
– so I do manage to wake up at 6/7am and sleep at 10pm (am I making all of you
jealous?) In between I manage to get my daily dose of exercise, work, cooking,
studying with my son, watching TV, reading and even chatting with a
friend/neighbor. I make the most of my
‘no-office-walls’ life and enjoy every bit.
A fine balance: For a fleximom, it is never 50% of home and 50% of work; it
is 100% of work and 100% of home
– you end up doing a full time at both the places and it takes a hell lot out
of you. Balancing work and home is quite a task; if you end up overdoing the
home front, clients are likely to take you lightly easily jumping to the
conclusion that you are more of a home bird than a committee professional. If
you overdo the professional bit and are constantly glued to your cell phone and
laptop, your family and children are likely to resent it.
The key is not to go overboard with
anything and not to hanker after the Superwoman title.
My stress buster: Stress is of a different kind and not the typical office
pressures. Oh yes, there are times when there’s a whole lot to accomplish and I
am stressed out; especially happens when I am not well. So I first accept it,
try and find the cause of that stress and try to remove it or try to shrug it
off.
My major stress busters are a nice,
languorous massage, playing with our neighbor’s little girl, watching the
sitcom Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasma, staring out into nothingness from my
terrace, going for a walk or watching something inconsequential on telly. If
it’s something I cannot handle, I buzz my two sounding boards – hubby and Mom.
J
Favourite “alone time”
thing to do:With my son grown up and doing his
own thing, with hubby traveling out frequently, I do have a lot of me-time. I
sing to myself, I read something different may be even a comic, or chat with a
neighbor or simply reflect on nature, the world, my life without being
judgmental or too harsh on myself.
Would I do it
differently? The only regret I have is that I
did not get into the advertising field earlier; immediately after my MBA.
Besides that, frankly, I wouldn’t want to change anything, except maybe find a
way to grow money on trees. I would have liked to adopt a child maybe or spend
some time working abroad in advertising. Honestly though, I would have never
liked to go in for a full time job. I am too much of an independent soul.
What would I change? I take most things at face value and I am very sensitive. I
would like to develop a thick skin and be more politically correct and
diplomatic, and clone myself, if an angel /genie would appear and grant me
three wishes.
