When I heard the conversation between singer-entrepreneur Ananya Birla and digital influencer MissMalini at the recently held Thrive Global India Leadership Summit, it was as if two really positive and empowering women coming together.
They spoke and laughed and lifted each other, and others in the process. They grabbed the essence of Heart (their session theme at the summit), and their connection was palpable.
As a part of a wholistic lifestyle, MissMalini talked about the importance of having a therapist. “In fact, everyone should have a therapist,” she said.
They pondered over the importance of self-love, self-care, gratitude, empathy and kindness.
Speaking about mindfulness, Birla said: “I imagine a river and see my thoughts and emotions flow with the river. I never jump into it.”
For Malini, “Mindfulness is the awareness of something and meditation is the awareness of nothing.”
The quest for happiness is ephemeral, so she gave us her happy things to do in a day. She revealed how she likes to visit websites that have happy things to share. She also recommended paying attention to the little things and feel grateful for them.
Birla spoke about her nightly rituals and how she likes to listen to calming music before going to bed, “I imagine my body being sucked into the earth and I just concentrate on my surroundings and the sounds.” She called being present in the moment “magical”.
Both of them, in their own ways, are trying to change the world with their kindness and empathy and making new connections as they go along the journey called life.