My Journey to Self Discovery.

- August 22, 2020

Hi, I am Shobita Raghu, an aspiring Life Coach living in Bengaluru for the past 14 years. I spent my childhood in a small city called Bellary which is 300 kilometers from Bengaluru. In 2006, I came to Bengaluru to pursue my Engineering Degree.

This blog is about my life’s journey. From childhood to the present, where I have chosen to be a life coach.

There are so many stories to share. However, I want to start by narrating an incident from my school days in Bellary.

In my 7th grade, I was asked by my computer Sir to explain a flow chart to a class of 70 students. Though I knew every bit of the chart well, I hesitated. A voice from inside prevented me from stepping out of my bench. Because of my apprehension the chance went to another student and she explained the chart boldly. The same voice teased me later, saying you could have also done it Shobita.

A lot of tasks in our lives seem easy when someone else does it. Isn’t it?

Back then, I didn’t know that we always have two voices in our head that speak to us during challenging times. One voice is our resistance which says "No you can't" and the other feeble voice which says "Yes you can do it". The former is usually powerful than the latter. But the choice is ours, whether we choose to stay idle by letting the resistance win or we take a courageous step by taking action to overcome our resistance.

That's me during a Sports day at my school.

Often the environment and the people we have been around from a young age influence most of the choices we make in our life. We tend to absorb and pick up fears from the people we are attached to from our childhood. But life always gives us a chance each day to overcome our fears.

Don't you think so?

I have been a shy, timid girl, living life within my comfort zone. While, it’s the easiest way to be. It is, undoubtedly, not the happiest way to live.

As a student, I was always very obedient, disciplined and good at academics. I dreamt of building my own identity as an independent woman. I bagged a decent score in my 12th grade and then chose to pursue Engineering in Computer Science. After graduating, I was placed at a prestigious MNC. I was so involved in taking one step after the another that I never made it a point to sit down and ask myself if this was what I wanted to do in life? Like most of us, I also followed the usual trend. I applauded myself for having the opportunity to work at an MNC and felt WOW in the beginning. I was living the life my family wanted and so many others who would have loved working for an MNC.

My work life

I remember an incident in my workplace when my teammates and I, attended a training for a week on a new technology. We came back to implement the knowledge we learnt, but with considerable doubts in our minds about it. Few days later, when a teammate was addressing a question of another, I felt intrigued and expressed my desire to know about it. To my shock, his immediate reply was "Ye tumhari samajh ke bahar hai.”As you can well imagine this shattered my confidence.

Back then I was not aware that Intelligence is subject-specific. Despite, the harsh words, however, I kept giving 100% to my job to find satisfaction in a career which I had dreamt of as a teenager.

But with a lot of work pressure, I developed a habit of tagging myself to one worry after the other. I had subconsciously trained myself to dwell in a state of anxiety by feeding my mind with some problem or the other. I remember when my husband and I would go on holidays, I would take the 1st day just to settle down and bring my mind to the present, free from all anxieties. My work, instead of being a passion and joy became a compulsive routine.

In 2015, I finally took the plunge and quit my job. I was fortunate that my husband supported my decisions. I knew it was the right move and at that time I didn’t have significant financial commitments.

After leaving my job, I spent the first 2 years exploring my interests for which I never had time.

• I joined Tally classes, since I wanted to learn accounts and business. My husband and I started a company "ÓnaPedal", where we showcased Bengaluru to people who love to explore the city on a bicycle. We sought help from Jack Leenars, the founder of DelhiByCycles and a pioneer in this industry. He worked as a consultant helping us design the trail to make this experience exciting and beautiful for our customers.

In 2014, we explored Delhi on a cycle (Delhi by Cycle).

In 2016 we started OnaPedal a similar experience, exploring Bengaluru early morning on a cycle....My husband Raghu as guide in Orange

• I also learned driving, which was a thrilling experience for me. After the initial fears and making scores of mistakes it made me feel free, like I was flying.

I remember driving a Toyota Innova to Chikmagalur, for one of our holidays accompanied by another couple who were kind enough to let me drive their car on a highway. This experience is imprinted in my heart as I took great pride in driving a big car for 100 kilometers crossing the 100kmph speed. It may seem like a small thing for a lot of you, but for me, it is a moment I will cherish forever.

I feel a sense of deep satisfaction when I fight my fears.

• I also joined Yoga classes and realized the importance of physical and mental fitness which has became a part of my routine.

Thats me, 3rd from left....closing eyes improves our focus....it was fun practicing

My husband has been a integral part of this journey. He is highly supportive of not only my career goals but guides me to achieve my personal growth as well. As a couple, our aim is to lead a happy, simple life without the stress of EMI’s.

How many of us realize that we spend maximum time in a day at work which is meant to keep us lively and happy? But throughout my professional career I have felt a thirst to explore and find my passion for something I love doing.

In 2017, I was blessed with a daughter. An absolute Angel. From then, Motherhood became my priority. I believe that toddlers need their mother’s the most until they are 3 years of age. My desire was to give my baby the most precious gift and that was my time. Motherhood is the toughest phase in a woman’s life, but is also the most beautiful and rewarding.

While, I choose to live it entirely, giving it my all and my best, I’ve had to make other compromises in life. Though life seemed busy and I enjoyed being a mother, I spent my days thinking about the purpose of my life. Not being financially independent took away a lot of my financial freedoms. With motherhood, I had to give up on many other liberties too. I entered a period of low esteem where I kept complaining about many things and felt ungrateful in life.

But, in the course of this journey, I realized that until you decide to be happy, nothing around can make you happy.

One day, my husband advised me to read one page a day from the book "Heal your Life" by Louise Hay. I kept procrastinating with my favorite excuse, “I don't have time.”

However, in December 2019 I began reading the book, and from then on, my life has changed completely. It’s as if I am writing and living a new chapter in my life altogether. Now that my baby is growing older and can do a lot of activities on her own, I am exploring my passion for something that will forever change the course of MY life ..

It is my innate nature to help people who seek my advice. My clear communication skills and deeper involvement draw people towards me to share their stories.

I have a deep desire to help people heal and live a blissful life. I believe that this is my calling in life.

I am slowly awakening to the immense POWER I possess within ME that I am gradually tapping into to manifest it to the world. This is my super power. The keys to the Magic Kingdom!

Recently in may this year, I started looking for the "Heal Your Life ", Workshop leader and Life Coach Training. Unfortunately, it was a week-long training and was conducted only in-person in different cities at different times. It seemed impossible for someone who hasn't left her daughter even for a single day in the past three years. I convinced myself that I would do this after two years.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened.

I found Puja Puneet's post on Instagram, where she talked about launching online courses for the first time because of the pandemic. From that day, there has been no looking back. I completed her Level 1 Course, which was about turning your Passion to Profit. She then launched her Level 2 course for all aspiring Coaches.

My journey with Puja, my mentor, has been tremendous. I have learnt and lived my life to my true potential in the past four months.

When you genuinely want to do something with your heart and soul, the Universe responds to you.

Live session with my Mentor Puja.

In closing, I want to leave this message to each one of you reading my post. There is no joy greater than discovering your authentic self, to do what comes naturally to you, that excites you enough to work towards upgrading it to the next level. To embark on a journey of self-discovery, you will have to spend a lot of time with yourself, to awaken to your inner strengths and seek guidance.

I have completed my Coaching Mastery Training, and I am starting my journey as a Life Coach. My deepest desire is to help maximum people unleash their highest potential towards a happy, fulfilling life.