“It was August 2011 when my mailbox was flooded with appreciation from the top management of my unit at Infosys. I would certainly get excellent ratings in my next appraisal cycle! Yet, I did not feel like jumping around. I felt a void and a weird kind of emotional exhaustion. I was also unwell, so as I rested, I kept thinking and finally found my answers. I broke the news to my husband that I wanted to resign! He was extremely supportive but the decision was not easy. Resigning from a plush and stable corporate job to pursue an alternate career from scratch was a decision that was met with mixed reactions. I took my time to figure out what I wanted and slowly, my resolve just got stronger because of the thought, “If not now, then when?”.
I set out to fulfil not just my dreams but also that of my mother who is the biggest influence in my life. I am a trained dancer and began my journey as a Dance Instructor while also simultaneously working on the rehabilitation of human trafficking survivors as a volunteer with an NGO. I launched “Tingle Your Taste Buds” to take my mother closer to her dreams and share her cookery recipes and tips with food lovers across the globe. I was taking baby steps and then it was time to have my own baby, so I took a pause. My daughter sashayed into our lives in January 2015 and became the epicentre of our world. Everyone told me then to forget about my dreams for at least ten years. Motherhood posed many challenges – breastfeeding struggles, sleep deprivation, physical health issues as well as fatigue. But, the smile of my little one was enough to keep me sailing through, of course, coupled with strong support from family.

In February 2016, I got into professional blogging upon the insistence of my husband who saw potential in me after reading some of my poems and random musings. I was not sure of anything at that point because I felt I should completely be focusing on my child. On many occasions, I have felt the motherhood guilt. In our country, mothers are glorified and put on a pedestal due to which, at times, we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Ironically, it was my daughter who made me realise that she does not need a supermom. I looked at everything from her perspective and did not want to set an example of a “superwoman” for her. My daughter knows that her mother falters and that just makes our bond stronger. As I pursued by career, she became my strength and one of my biggest cheerleaders proving that motherhood is never a glass ceiling, but is actually a fuel for our flights to take off. Today, due to the unflinching support from my husband and parents, and my own hard work and dedication, I am an award-winning writer, social influencer, serial entrepreneur with three ventures, creative writing mentor and choreographer. None of this, I believe, has taken away from my motherhood. As they say, there is no one way of being a perfect mother but there are a million ways of being a good mother. Motherhood is about creating beautiful memories and growing along with kids. I wish more and more mothers would shed away the mommy guilt and embrace themselves, their dreams and their aspirations. But for that to happen, the society will also have to change its mindset and attitude, and create an ecosystem that supports mothers.”

#Entreprenuer #Empowerment #WomenEntrepreurs #Strength #Inspiration #Life #Startup #Blogging #Writer #Womenpower #Motivation #Support #Mother #Dream #Motherhood #Parents #Inspire #People #entrepreneurlife #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad Anupama Dalmia Beyond the Box Tingle your taste buds