“Always keep your eyes, ears, and heart open, as you will never know what or when the next opportunity is going to be knocking on your door!” ~ Michelle Mehta
I was sitting in the office at my family’s business, and an email came in from my mentor, Shalini Vadhera Potts. She invited me to be her guest at the California Women’s Conference 2014!
Immediately, I called her and asked her for more details. After hearing the speaker line up and her presentation, I decided to register right then and there. And, it was the best decision I have ever made in my life.
The event was in Long Beach, California. All dressed up in business formal, I attended all three days and took an immense amount of notes. I also had pictures taken and got autographs from various speakers, including Arianna Huffington and Jack Canfield, and many more.
During one of the lunch time segments, I sat next to the speaker—none other than Arianna Huffington. At the time of the conference, I had never heard of Arianna Huffington and did not know who she was. After hearing her story and listening to her presentation on the stage, I fell in love with Arianna Huffington and could not wait to get my hands on her next book Thrive.
Arianna Huffington shared her journey as the owner of Huffington Post and why she wrote the book, Thrive. I bought Thrive at the conference and had the opportunity to get it autographed by her at the end of the event. The book made such an impact in my life, even though I’m not an avid reader, I was able to complete her book in less than a week.
I immediately implemented the 4 elements of her book every day and even got my family to follow her guidance. She paved the way for how my life should be if I too wanted to THRIVE.
“You have to do what you dream of doing even while you’re afraid.” ~ Arianna Huffington
Ever since I heard Arianna Huffington’s story, I started to see her as my role model. I found we have many similarities because we were both paving a path that was outside of our family traditions. She is a Greek Woman, previously married to a US Senator who co-founded Huffington Post, is a mom, an entrepreneur, an author, and a public figure.
Growing up I always felt like an outcast and did not know where I belonged. My parents came to the United States from India in the 1980s, and I was the first in my family to be born outside of India. I felt like I was the experiment of an experiment. At an early age, I learned to pave my own path and luckily my parents have always been supportive in whatever I want to do.
After hearing Arianna Huffington’s story, I paved a new path in my career, and I took my first coaching class at Co-Active Training Institute, formerly known as Coaches Training Institute in 2015. The coaching class was the missing puzzle piece of my life.
I have always loved helping people and have been inspired by personal development and seeing the greater good in people. As I took more classes, I realized that the only way I was going to be successful was if I embody Arianna Huffington’s mindset and ask myself how she would handle the situation. I would close my eyes and visualized Arianna Huffington being in my shoes tackling my fears, my self-doubt, and my insecurities flawlessly. As the visualization ended, I got clarity on how I was going to tackle my challenges. She has been my role model and continues to be my role model whenever I feel stuck.
Arianna Huffington as my role model and the “Captain” of my life has been a beautiful blessing for me. Because of her role model, I can showcase myself as a Teen Confidence Expert, Celebrity Coach, and will be sharing my message on stages like the TEDx and the US Air Force Academy soon.
I would not be here writing for Thrive Global if it were not for my belief in who I am and can be. It has always been a dream to contribute to Arianna Huffington’s community and today, I am publishing my first article in a community I love and appreciate.
I would love to hear your thoughts about your role model and the reason you selected that role model. How has your role model helped you achieve your dreams and make them a reality?
Please feel free to comment and share my story. I would love to hear from you. Please email me at [email protected]
