A little soul-searching with Liebster Award

I feel glad that this year, I came across some wonderful people through blogging, with whom I could connect so well. It's always a pleasure to meet like-minded people and Sunaina is one such person with whom I could feel that connect. Her writings have a lot of depth and she loves reading, like me. 

I can clearly recall our first conversation when she asked me what writing means to me. We also talked about books and writers and later, she surprised me in a wonderful way by reading my book "The Hidden Letters". When I visited her wonderful blog  When I Stopped to Smell a Rose , I absolutely loved the way she expresses her thoughts. Please do visit her blog and I am sure you'll love your writings.

So, when Sunaina notified me that she has nominated me for this bright, sparkling award known as the Liebster Award, I was really very happy. Thank you, Sunaina.

I am supposed to answer a few questions that Sunaina has asked me. So, here is my chance for a little soul-searching.

1. Which of your blog post is closest to your heart?

A. The posts that I have written about my Mom and Dad are very close to my heart because the words of these posts are drenched with my love and emotions. 
The two blog posts that I would like to mention here are Memories and Stories of my Mother and Daddy's little girl. 

2. Who is your biggest critic?

A. I am my biggest critic, for sure. That doesn't mean that I am very hard on myself. All I try to do is to be better than what I was yesterday. So, I compare my present work with my earlier works and see how much I have made progress. I also push myself to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself from time to time. And once in a while, I also reward myself.

3. What is happiness?

A. Happiness is when your thoughts, words and actions are in perfect harmony with each other. In short, long term happiness is equivalent to peace. It is also about living in the present moment, without worrying about past and being anxious about the future.

4. Which is the most inspiring thing you have read recently?

A.  I am currently reading the book "Big Magic~ Creative Living beyond fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert which is filled with inspiration. I am sharing a few lines from the book that I read yesterday, which is immensely inspiring: 
" A creative life is an amplified life. It's a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner, continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you is a fine art, in and of itself."

5. Who is your favorite author, poet, writer?

A. Rabindranath Tagore, Paulo Coelho and Elizabeth Gilbert.

6. When it comes to appreciation, would you prefer a vote for your blog post or a comment?

A. Undoubtedly, a comment that is discerning, authentic and genuine. 

7. Walk at the beach or trip to the mall or a luxury cruise...what is your favorite kind of holiday?

A. Walk at the beach, for sure. I love beaches, especially the quiet ones where I can just drown myself in the music of the waves and listen to Nature's wisdom. It is therapeutic! (And that reminds me that I should plan a small vacation in a beach before this year ends)

8. What are my thoughts about my blog or my style of writing?

A. Dear Sunaina, your blog is a solace for people like me, who loves to read soulful posts. The best thing about your writing is that you write from your heart and therefore, it has so much depth. I really like the way you reflect on simple, mundane incidents and churn out a great post out of it. Keep writing! 

9. Is it easy to forgive or forget?

A. You need to forgive, forget and then move on. It's a three step process to liberate yourself from that unwanted baggage. 
But, here forgetting doesn't imply that you give another chance to the person to betray you. It means that you are clearing your mind off negative things so that positive people and thoughts can enter. So, forgive, forget and move on. 
Life is too short to remember people who have treated you wrong and brood about them. 

10. Who is your best friend?

A. I will name three: My Dad, my school friend Priyam and books. All of them keep me grounded and enriched with happiness


The Rules

1. Thank the nominator
2. Display the award
3. Nominate 10 more bloggers with 10 new questions
4. Answer the questions provided by the nominator
5. Notify the nominees

I love to break rules and therefore, I am nominating 6 bloggers for this award: Gaurab, Deeshani, Maitreni, Arti, Roohi and Indrani

Here are the questions that I would like you people to answer:

1. Tell me 3 memorable moments, associated with your blogging journey. (Be honest!)

2. Can virtual friends be as true and authentic as real life friends? Your take on it.

3. What kind of blog posts do you love to read?

4. Name 3 celebrities whom you would like to meet in this lifetime. (They can be from any possible field)

5. Rank in order of your preference: Money, Job Satisfaction, Fame. State reasons for your answer. 

6. Where and when did you go for your last vacation? How was it?

7. How was your 2015, till now? 

8. If God grants you one super power, what will you ask for?

9. What are your thoughts about my blog and writing?

10. Who is your confidante?

Will be waiting for your answers, dear ones! :) 

Sunshine Award and Some facts about me

I have been nominated yesterday for the Sunshine Blogger Award by one of my dear blogger friends, Deeshani. First of all, thank you so much Deeshani for the nomination. I am truly honored.

Do check out her blog for some beautiful poems and thoughtful articles that will surely impress you to the core. So, now Deeshani has asked me a couple of interesting questions that I would be answering in this post.

1. Tell me about your proudest achievement.

Ans. Well, my proudest achievement till date is being the author of two books, namely Walking in the streets of love and destiny and The Hidden Letters. Although I know that I have a long way to go and I am not going to rest unless I write at least a 30 books in this lifetime, seeing my books lift up my spirit always. No matter how down or depressed I am, one look at my books and I get all charged up. They are my creation, my babies, my identity. I know that even if I die suddenly, I will live within the pages of my books.

2. How much time do you spend blogging?

Ans. I try to write at least 2-3 posts per week. And I also read the posts of my fellow bloggers whenever I can afford the time to write a new post. So, on an average, I spend 7-8 hours a week in blogging and going through other's blogs.

3. Do you believe in destiny? Why/Why not?

Ans. Oh yes! I totally believe in destiny. Some time, you have to just leave things on destiny. Destiny can surprise you in ways you could have never imagined even in your dream.
       Well, if I consider my life, then destiny has played a major role in shaping things up. I was studying Microbiology Honors in my graduation and thought that I would perhaps be a professor or work in a laboratory. Writing a book was just in my bucket list, the same way snorkeling or paragliding was. I never knew that I would become a writer and that without writing at least a 3K words every day, I can't sleep. 
     After completing my graduation, miracles literally started unfolding in my life. I came across a person, who made me realize my inner calling, that I was born to write. That driving force made me take writing seriously and here I am now, the author of 2 books, working on my next manuscript and also working as a content developer. So yes, I totally believe in destiny. 

4. How do you evaluate success?

Ans. For me, success means being happy with what I am doing in my life and how many lives I can touch through my work. When readers who are absolute strangers send me an email saying that my book(s) made a difference to their lives or they could identify with the happiness/anguish of the protagonist, I consider myself successful. 

5. Have you been an inspiration to someone?

Ans. Yes, many people have told me that I have inspired them in some way or the other. Some aspiring authors have told me that I inspire them to chase their dreams whereas many of my friends have told me that my resilience inspires them. It's always an overwhelming feeling to know that you can inspire lives around you.

6. What is the most difficult part of the writing process, according to you?

Ans. I have a super fast mind which keeps weaving stories, characters and incidents. But, I don't get that much time to put all the stories conjured in my mind on paper. Like, I am working on my 3rd manuscript now, which is a psychological thriller, but my mind has already thought about the plot of the 4th book. So, I have to discipline my mind and tell it to concentrate on the 3rd manuscript.
     So, the most difficult part of writing is self-discipline. As you don't have a boss who will nag you to finish it on time, you have to do it yourself.

7. Tell me about one interesting and one frustrating thing about blogging.

Ans. The most interesting thing is that you can read works of so many people around the globe. It's always a pleasure to find like-minded people whose words resonate with your thoughts.
     The most frustrating thing is the yearning to be regular and yet you cannot always, as you have other work commitments. And not to mention, plagiarism is the most frightening thing in the world of blogging.

8. What's the best thing a blogger can give to his/her readers?

Ans. Great content that is short, crisp and yet thought provoking. Who doesn't like to have a good read after a dull, tiring day? I follow some blogs which I visit regularly just to have a good read for a few minutes.

I really enjoyed answering these questions. Hope you enjoyed reading them too. 

Rules

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Answer the questions from the person who has nominated you.
• Nominate some other bloggers for this award.
• Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you have nominated.
• Notify the bloggers you have nominated

As per rule, I would like to nominate a few bloggers for the Sunshine Blogging Award. 

1. Sachin  2.Simran  3. Sunaina 

Question to Nominees

1. When did you join the blogging world? Did any incident/person inspire you to do so?

2. What is the best lesson that Life has taught you, till now?

3. What is the role that blogging plays in your life?

4. If you had a time machine, would you prefer revisiting your past or visiting your future? Why?

5. Which is your all time favorite book that you can never get tired of reading?

6. Do you believe in letting go or holding on?

7. Share a hilarious incident of your life.

8. What are your thoughts about my blog?

P.S. Dear nominees, I would be waiting to read your answers, with bated breath. 

Just learnt that one of my favorite bloggers, Shweta has also nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. And now I am grinning from ear to ear. Thanks dear. Do visit her blog without failure and you will surely be enchanted by her words :)