Self-love is the state where you don’t let anyone or anything outside decide your worth and how you feel. There are many ways through which you can practice it. Spending alone time with yourself everyday, getting to know yourself, doing thing that makes you feel happy, meditations, embracing the uniqueness of your body and your personality, setting personal boundaries, taking care of your body, mind, and soul.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
Growing up as a kid, I couldn’t see anyone sad. Whenever I saw someone upset or crying, a part of me was also sad. That’s why I’ve always loved helping people in any way possible to bring a smile on their faces. I was in my first year of college when everything changed. Since the start of my college life, I’ve had acne which is why I faced lot of confidence issues. I was nervous to talk to new people. Sometimes I didn’t even like looking at myself in the mirror.
I also started to observe the people and situations around me. I could see my friends talking bad things about each other, religions hating each other, lot of toxicity and self-doubt in my own mind, climate change, poverty, depression, rapes, murders, suicides, etc.
That’s when I started to ask all the “big questions” of life. Where is this world going? How was this universe formed? What is our purpose? Where did we come from? And as they say, the Bhagvad Gita has answers to all problems of life. So I searched for Gita classes near me and the very first class changed my perspective to a whole new level. I went very deep into meditation and started reading all kinds of spiritual books.
I am slowly started reducing all the negativity, ego, and self-doubt in me. My mind is much more calm, more positive, and at peace. The teachings have really transformed me. I’ve made a promise to myself that I am going to work super hard, learn these teachings, and spread them so that everyone can benefit from them.
The greatest need of humanity right now is to love and be loved. And that’s the reason I’ve started with my Instagram page to be the source of love, wisdom, and positivity. If I can make people feel good about themselves, show them the way towards, a peaceful life, and inspire them then I’ve lived a meaningful life.
2. Is it financially sustainable to be a digital creator these days?
Being a digital creator is just like starting a new business. Instead of a heavy investment in terms of money, there’s a heavy investment in terms of communication skills, storytelling, time, knowledge, etc. Your product/service is your content. Your marketing and selling strategy is the way you bring out your content. Your customers are your followers and people who see your content.
Just like how a new business takes time to earn, break even and then start with profits, being a digital creator is also similar to like this. It takes time for you to create an image of yourself, build trust, create relevant content everyday and ultimately get a huge number of following. Everyone has their own concept of financial sustainability, but I feel as of now when you’re a small or a medium-scale creator it’s not really possible to be financially sustainable.
Hence I feel you should create content side by side along with your job or business if you want to earn a high income. But with the world going more and more online, with more and more brands using social media and realising the power of influencer marketing, I feel in the coming years being a digital creator will be a huge progression with a very high income.
3. How can we avoid arguments and turn nasty debates into healthy discussions when we know that the other person is wrong?
So one thing I’ve learned is that “communication is one thing but your tone while communicating is everything.” If you know that the other person is wrong then to have a healthy discussion don’t actively blame the person. First, let the other person fully explain their side of the story. Don’t stop them or try to correct them. Give them the space to express their emotions and thoughts. Then explain your point of view.
Start sentences with “I feel so and so”. Don’t start sentences with “You did this..”. This way the person will try to understand your point of view and will undergo a self-introspection. After you both have explained your point of view, shift to the solution side. Ask each other questions like “what can we do to make this situation better”, “what can I do to make you feel better”, “how can I change my behaviour,” etc. But to have a healthy discussion you need to have a calm and positive tone. For this you need to keep your anger and frustration under control.
4. What is spirituality? How does it help us and how to practice it?
The best definition of spirituality I’ve come across is that “Spirituality is a journey from being completely dependent on the world to becoming self-sufficient in every way.” It’s all about realising that you are enough and that you don’t need anything or anyone to complete you.
Spirituality helps us in every area of life. From handling the ups and downs of our career, organising our thoughts, having a peaceful mental state, manifesting and attracting things that we want to handling relationships in the right way, loving people in the most loving full way, tackling anxiety, stress, anger, loneliness and what not.
Simple ways to practice is to listen or attended regular spiritual talks by whichever spiritual gurus you believe in. Read books and watch videos related to spirituality that can help you elevate your mindset and behaviour. And meditate everyday for 10-15 mins at least in the morning and before sleeping. If you do these 3 things consistently, your life will improve 10 times and you’ll feel much better, calmer, and happier.
5. What impact did all these learnings make in your life? Any experience that you would like to share?
There’s a huge impact of spirituality in my life. Once you know who you really are and why are you in this world, your way of dealing with people and situations completely changes. You don’t really get bothered by the daily ups and downs because you know in the long run these things aren’t really going to matter.
Through spirituality, you understand human behavior, why we do things the way we do, and what’s the root cause behind it. This helps you to manage your behaviour better. I’ve been also able to organise my thoughts, increase my tolerance and patience level, find meaning and purpose in everything I do and mainly love and help people in the best possible way.
6. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content while making reels on Instagram?
My content is a reflection of what I keep learning everyday in my life through my spiritual gurus, books, and mentors. And mainly through everyday situations that I see in people’s lives and what kind of problems they go through as well as my own personal experiences and lessons I’ve learnt.
7. How do you handle the negative opinions and trash talks of others?
It’s by a simple mindset that I decide what kind of a life I want to live and I decide how I want to feel. People will say good things. People will say bad things. The only opinion that matters is how you think about yourself. And negative opinions and trash talk says a lot about the other person than about you. In fact, I feel sympathy for people who say all of these things because a person who’s genuinely happy with their life never brings down others. So I try to understand their situation rather than getting angry on them.
8. What is Self-love as per you and how to practice it?
Self-love is the state where you don’t let anyone or anything outside decide your worth and how you feel. There are many ways through which you can practice it. Spending alone time with yourself everyday, getting to know yourself, doing thing that makes you feel happy, meditations, embracing the uniqueness of your body and your personality, setting personal boundaries, taking care of your body, mind, and soul.
9. Any advice that you would like to give to school and college students for self-improvement?
Best things to do when you’re a student is to read as many books as possible, network with as many people as possible, attend courses and take part in or organise events. All these things improve your knowledge, confidence, public speaking, discipline and so much more.
10. How to change one’s negative attitude and not be jealous or egoistic?
To change your negative attitude, in every situation don’t ask “why is this happening to me?” Instead, ask yourself “what is this trying to teach me?” This way you’ll always have a positive and progressive mindset.
To not be jealous, understand that everyone has their own timeline. You just need to patient for your time and till then keep putting in the work. One day it’ll all pay off. And remember that you decide what your version of success and happiness looks like and not what others tell you.
To not be egoistic, understand that everyone plays a big role in everyone’s life. You’ve made it till here because of all those people and situations that had an influence on your behaviour and thoughts. You're wearing clothes because someone made them for you. You’re eating food because someone harvested for you. You’re living in a house because someone built it for you. We’re all working for each other and keeping each other happy. Have a gratitude type mindset.
Bio-
My name’s Pranav Shah. I’m a 22 year old guy just trying to spread love, positivity, and wisdom through engaging, knowledgeable, and, insightful content.
Interviewed By - Shashank Sehgal
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