Anjali Ahuja, a senior Human Resources professional, has handled a wide gamut of Strategy and Core HR Process roles at organisations like IBM, Bank of America, Coca Cola India and TNS in the past. Her insights into thriving at the workplace are drawn from both, her 25 years of experience with MNCs and start-ups alike, as well as from being a mindset coach who has worked with over 500 people!
Anjali is also a visiting faculty-member and a part of the Corporate Advisory Board at a number of well-known Management Schools in the country. In conversation with Thrive Global India, she shares the secrets of staying energised and reveals that her advice to her younger self would be ‘not to take life too seriously’.
Thrive Global India: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Anjali Ahuja: Feel the silence around me. The sound of silence and stillness inspires me to express gratitude for waking up to one more beautiful day.
TGI: What gives you energy?
AA: My energy is ‘Inside Out’. I get self-energised.
TGI: Name a book that changed your life
AA: The Go Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. This awesome book has changed my perspective and introduced me to the beauty of contribution, abundance and inner joy.
TGI: Is there a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace?
AA: Ships are not meant to be in the harbour; A smooth sea does not make a good sailor.
TGI: How do you prioritise when you have an overwhelming amount of work to do?
AA: I start by ascertaining the consequences of not completing what needs to be done. I then attend to the ‘Big Rocks’ first, and then the not-so-big ones.
TGI: What advice would you give your younger self about reducing stress?
AA: “Do not take life sooooooo seriously”
TGI: Do you have any role models for living a thriving life?
AA: I am my own role model. (Not trying to be pompous!) I draw a lot of inspiration from my own self, and strive to be a better version of myself every single time.
TGI: What’s your personal warning sign that you’re depleted?
AA: A drop in my concentration levels.
TGI: When you notice you’re getting too stressed, what do you do to course correct?
AA: If at all this happens, I give myself the luxury of a little break where I connect with my ‘Buzz’ moments which tend to re-energise me. My best ‘Buzz’ moment is when I bake a carrot cake.
TGI: How do you reframe negative thinking?
AA: I label my thoughts and mindfully substitute the negative with the positive. It works!
TGI: What brings you optimism?
AA: Optimism flows in relentlessly when I look at the trend of my life, and reminds me, “Everything is going to be well”.
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