Shine as your Authentic Self.

The World Needs You as You Are:

While in a session, a client raised a question that many of us ponder from time to time: "Why am I living if I am not able to make or do anything? I don't have a purpose. I want to bring about change and make a difference, and I am not doing anything 'happening' about it." (If I had a nickel for every time I've heard this).

Dr. Shambhavi Pandey
4 min readOct 20, 2023

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We've all been deeply conditioned to think in certain ways, especially about the meaning of life, which can be limiting. I believe it's time for a perspective shift that the entire world needs.

Power of Perspective:

I recall watching a movie that triggered a profound change in my perspective. The story revolved around a girl with a mission to change the world through justice. She embarked on a journey to attend a prestigious college and become one of the world's best lawyers.

However, as time passed, she found herself overwhelmed by the workload and pressure. To relieve that stress, she took up an unlikely hobby - baking. It brought her an immense sense of peace, and she ended up becoming a baker. The movie concluded there, and I contemplated this revelation for a long time.

The lesson is clear - there isn't just one path to saving or changing the world. You can change it by simply living the way you light up. And if baking is something that lights you up, then you can certainly say that I am a baker and I am making a difference in this world.

Imagine all the children you will be making happy by baking cookies, all the people who celebrate with a cake that you get to be a part of.

Let go of the idea of sacrificing yourself to light up the world, as it will never happen. If you’re burning, the world is burning too. Focus on how you light up, and the world will light up automatically because the world is nothing but a reflection of you.

Rethinking the Meaning of Making a Difference:

To everyone out there, consider how people in your life is changing the world through their daily actions. Changing the world or making a difference isn’t limited to social work or the pursuit of justice. Imagine a world where everyone believed that their particular role was the sole way to bring about change. (If they were all lawyers or social workers, who would they be fighting for?)

Some individuals are meant for roles like being a chef, a quiet reader in a corner, a listener, a dedicated student, or an engaged audience, or a Moon lover (like me). The reader is as important as the writer because a writer won’t fulfill their purpose if the reader isn’t reading, and a chef won’t meet their purpose if no one is interested in eating. And you surely cannot celebrate without a chocolate cake. (I mean, you can, but seriously, a party without a chocolate cake?)

A listener needs a conversationalist. Personally, I can’t imagine my life without listening because I’m not much of a conversationalist, not until I’ve listened enough. (And when I start talking, there’s no stopping me – blessings to those who tolerate me.) So, I surround myself with people who initiates conversation, or else I’d be in the midst of an existential crisis. What am I without them?

What are teachers without students, stars without an audience, the moon without lovers, and God without believers? Water without the thirst? (Next time someone asks what you're doing to make a difference, tell them, "I'm drinking enough water. Please do, dehydration isn't good for your health.") What makes one person superior to another, and why should there be only one way to be?

(A persistent thought that often troubles me: What if the sun, moon, sky, birds, or animals experience sadness, believing they aren’t doing enough? Ouch!)

This universe is interdependent (if you believe in parallel universes, high five, hoping to have astral meets). None of us is superior nor inferior to anyone. Even if you perceive yourself to be in a position to help someone, it doesn’t make you superior; the only reason you could do it is because they accepted or allowed it.

The Hidden Strength of Simply Being You:

(Most of my close friends often ask what they did to deserve all this love at times, and I respond with, "You EXIST...!!")

EXISTING is all you need to do to fulfill your purpose. People often punish themselves, thinking they aren’t doing "enough" when, in reality, they’re doing far more than enough.

You EXIST. And that's more than ENOUGH. Everything else is a cherry on top. (Not a cherry lover though..!!) It's a positive addition that makes the world more intriguing and beautiful.

Ending this, with one of my favorite poems, by Emily Dickinson -

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
(And adding an extra line to it - If I am reading a poem/article until the end, I shall not live in vain, thank you for sticking around :))

Love and light..✨🍀💜

#SelfAcceptance #FindingPurpose
#MakingADifference #PerspectiveShift #ExistenceMatters
#PositiveMindset #EmbraceYourUniqueness #LifePhilosophy #PersonalGrowth #Inspiration

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Dr. Shambhavi Pandey
Dr. Shambhavi Pandey

Written by Dr. Shambhavi Pandey

Dreamer and Believer. Mirror Neurons. Life Coach. CBT Practitioner.

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