Chai pe Charcha

“How many of you make your bed?” I asked this question to a group of TILTians (Kaizens), Most of them raised their hands. Many of them mentioned a  video (which talked about the importance of making your bed first thing in the morning) which went viral some time back. This question was a perfect segue to get me into a state of flow with a group of like-minded – positively affirming set of people who came together weathering rain, traffic and work to catch up after a gap of 4 months to discuss and celebrate their achievements in Life. I noticed that there were people from real estate, construction, cloud ( hope you get it ), IT Sales and a student plus budding professional who kept the ambience lively by taking us through her tik-tok videos.

So we met in “Instatea” and yes I could make it on time (pat on the back). I did my initial check with people concerned whether my vehicle was in a tow free one. Finally, I got the confidence from a car driver who parked behind my car and his words were assuring as he said: “I am a local and your car is safe.” That was the endorsement I wanted to hear.  I wanted to enjoy the next two hours with the group. I was wholeheartedly present and was enjoying the mood, notwithstanding my occasional glances in that direction of the car. I enjoyed the aroma of the Jasmine pearls tea as it was poured into our little cups. 

One of my friends started with the roots of the tree. Any normal tree would have been crushed instantly, but not the Redwood trees. They’ve been standing tall and strong for thousands of years. So, what is the secret behind these trees?  It seems the Redwood trees have some special mystical power. The roots grow outwards instead of deep under the ground. And when these roots come in contact with roots of another Redwood tree, they wrap around each other multiple times and form a strong bond. Each tree shares a bond with another tree through its roots, and eventually, every single Redwood tree is connected to each other. The roots hold on to one another through the harshest of weather, and keep the family of trees standing tall and strong, together.  He also went into mindfulness and that made my mind full.

Another friend started with his viewpoint on how going through the daily regime of the gym could be boring as I told them that I am on a 66-day challenge. Everyone asked me the difference between 66 days and 21 days challenge. I told what works was fine for me. This friend made a comment that to achieve any goal we have to fight boredom. That was a very good perspective for the group. I firmly believe from my experience of running and blogging that one thing that has helped me go through that boredom is the real feeling when I visualize achieving that goal and thereby earning credibility with yourself.  I also mentioned about James Clear’s “Atomic habits” which I felt was the right system to put in place to get through your goals and I paraphrase his lines ” You don’t rise up to the level of your goals, you fall down to your level of systems”. 

Then came the leader of the group who shared her wisdom from what she had learned from one of our tall leaders, which created a wow moment for all us. She said, “Maturity comes with practice.”

She went on to share how she had left her corporate job and decided to become a solopreneur and how the last few days have been very exciting with rewards which she initially was not anticipating. It was also nice to hear her perspectives on learnings from each other in TILT and how people had made a difference in her lives.

It was time for one of our budding bloggers to spell his side of the story as google maps took him all around the city to get to our place while he was on the phone. That made me think about how people in a flow state forget their state and get immersed at that moment. This person who had toiled hard for 6 hrs every day for 26 days made it count as he came out with flying colors to get an industry certification which will pole vault his career to the next level.

It was time for the chirpy youngster to reveal her side of breakthroughs. It was very nice to see her becoming very effervescent when she talked about that first deal which she got in her job. She is having her exams today and it was commendable on her part for taking that much time to come and be part of that communion.

Finally, our last member of the crowd also made his presence. He was down with illness and is still on the recovery mode and jokingly he mentioned I am only on liquids. He had his tough time and we were happy that he navigated that phase well.

I wondered what made a various set of people to meet up and share over cups of jasmine pearl tea. Jasmine pearls tea had a tag line that is “to relish“. Tippy green leaves are carefully placed under layers of fragrant jasmine blossoms, where the aromas infused into the leaf. These pearls blossom during infusion into a light and aromatic tea which is an absolute treat for all your senses. The two hours of chit chat elevated our conscience levels and made us feel good about ourselves. Good vibes are important for the tribe and it can lift everyone. Finally, it was time for selfies and some parting messages so that we can put together a bonding exercises. It was nice to end a Friday evening in that kind of flow.

Our leader admitted that she could have done better as she was caught up with personal constraints. All the members admitted that we all have our life with constraints and what matters most is to accept and share authentically which she did and that was a moment to relish.  Leadership is about authenticity and transparency and both were on display here.

I relished every moment and each member felt the same. The metaphor of redwood and jasmine pearl to me exemplified the true character of the leader that evening. Like a redwood, she stood tall and strong and like the jasmine pearl tea, she blossomed hope and light. 

It was a “communion” of minds, thanks to our ‘chai pe charcha’ as discussions veered along different pathways and finally we bid goodnight. As I reached my car, I realized it had rained.  I was happy that an invisible chowkidar had taken care of my car. As the wheels started rolling over the colourful reflections on the road, my mind painted a kaleidoscope of all that is possible on the road ahead.