Hope never dies. If you could hold by its threads, then you will come out of the worst nightmarish darkness of your lifetime. Accepted, life is a way woven with the strings of breaths into the cords of time unravelling like thoughts with each passing moment. The strangeness of the sensation is breathtaking if we look inwards and then try to extrapolate our consciousness into the outwardly experience.
On this stranger than fiction path, there comes a wrong turn, where the mind goes into an overdrive of thinking negatively. And as negativity begets negativity, flowing into this river of darker streams, the mind reaches the shores of a realm that is darkest, depressing, gloomy, full of despair, melancholy, dejected, and every pessimistic emotion one could ever think of. There, the sun of a new day does not rise to bring any light of novel hope or any fresh wind of optimism.
It is called the land of Acute Depression, where once dwelled Anandmai, diagnosed as such by her doctors. The time was 2013. Her doctor prescribed medicines and some counselling sessions for her.
She recalls, “I am a very cat-like curious person, even when I am not thinking actively, I am looking for answers. In one of my counselling sessions my Doctor told me that “Beta, you will never forget, what you will learn in depression”. It made me think about how can Depression or any illness teach anything. The journey of exploration started from there. I looked for answers in a few books, then started taking up classes and sessions for self-healing. Which resulted in finding answers and getting me certified in several alternative healing modalities internationally. I thought that if this can help and benefit me, it should be available to everyone in need.”
Every Night’s Illuminating Dawn
When asked for her inspiration behind venturing into the business arena, saying that she finds the question interesting, Anandmai quoted the great philosopher Plato, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” adding that the inspiration behind The Purple Lotus was the need to heal herself of the wounds inflicted by the earlier darkest phase of her past.
The Purple Lotus was established in 2018 by Anandmai with a vision to make mental and emotional well-being available to all. The Founder and Life Coach believes, “We humans are emotional beings and we all need help to heal from the traumatic events happening in our life. Keeping a balance between the Mind, body, and soul is the need of the hour.” There were resources available earlier also but it was not easily accessible and was limited to the upper level of society only. “We thought if we all have emotions we all should have access to the resources to keep us emotionally and mentally fit,” she feels.
Defeating the Fear of Failure
Being transparent about the initial challenges she had to surmount to ensure The Purple Lotus’ success rate reached greater heights, Anandmai shares that she, too, had faced a similar challenge as every entrepreneur–the fear of failure.
From the conception of an idea to its execution, one tends to go through myriad emotions – anxiety, doubt, fear, feeling of instability, bias, brain freeze, and sometimes even terror. No matter how confident you are about the path to take next, doubts, big or small, creep in. “I am sure you have heard even well-meaning close friends and family say, ‘Why do you want to take such a risk? Have you lost it? Are you crazy?” she says.
It is natural to feel defeated when your dreams and visions come crashing down in front of you, and you are filled with feelings of inadequacy and have doubts about whether you will even be successful or deserve all the hard-earned success. But being lonely on this journey is actually a blessing in disguise. The beauty of being alone on this entrepreneurship journey is that it enables you to be in the driving seat of your decisions and life! You can decide on how to respond.
Your Non-Judgemental Listener
Revealing her professional values and qualities greatly admired by the clients of The Purple Lotus, Anandmai says that they at The Purple Lotus believe that each person who comes to them is important and unique in their own way. “I have been complimented to be the ‘Most non-judgemental person,’ ‘A good listener’ or ‘most empathic person.’ When we are in pain or in any confusion, we need two non-judgemental ears that listen to us and feel what we are feeling. We try to do that at The Purple Lotus. I do not take my profession as only a business, I take it as a medium to help people who are in need. That is what people like about me,” she expresses.
Safest Space in an Unsafe World
According to her these also act like their USPs highlighting their uniqueness in the industry. They give a personal touch to each client, providing a holistic approach to cater to one’s needs. She adds, “It’s not business; it’s Passion for us.” When you live your purpose with passion you create an environment of love. The purple lotus is a safe space in an unsafe world. “Our studio is a unique setup where people open up naturally and effortlessly,” she says.
The Soothing Voice of the Sweetest Success
As an experienced professional, Anandmai’s advice to the budding aspirants willing to enter the business world is from the depth of her compassionate heart. She says that success will happen, maybe not in the present, but in the future. “Eventually, slowly but surely. Be consistent in what you are doing. Most importantly chose your battles wisely. Don’t rush into any profession or business just because mass is doing it. Don’t take it as a money-making machine, money will come for sure. Set your intentions right,” she appeals.
A Perfect Tech-Feel Connect
Anandmai’s greatest moment of present glory arrived when she received ‘The Real Superwoman Award’ from Forever Star India Awards under the LifeCoach category for the work she does for Mental and Emotional health.
In the future, on envisioning The Purple Lotus’ operations with the emerging technologies and automated tools that are revolutionizing the business world by enabling innovations, her take is that technology had played a vital role in revolutionizing the business.
Especially during unprecedented times like the COVID pandemic, technology came as a saviour. “It allowed me and my company to reach and help people across the globe, which wasn’t possible earlier. I feel some automation in the field of mental and emotional health would be helpful for both, those who are seeking help and those who can provide it. Technology will enable the help to reach in the remotest of the areas,” she concludes with great enthusiasm and optimism.
