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Ashwini Dodani MBA cum poet: Blogging journey and entrepreneurship

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 4

I prefer featuring mompreneurs and female entrepreneurs. But today’s guest is neither a female nor a mom.

He is a soon to be married young poet and MBA who also loves blogging.

He is a #MyFriendAlexa friend. and he has authored a book.A beautiful book of poetry .Read the interview . Follow the clues .Get a chance to win one of the 5 copies of the e-book .He is giving them, away exclusively for my readers.

Yay!Isn’t that sweet of him.

The main reason I roped in Ashwini to give me an interview , was to get hacks from him .

How solopreneurs can publish their books without headache.

You may wonder why write a book?

You already have a blog right!

Now books are a sign of authority .That you know enough, about a topic to make it into a book.

Books are also part of the biz models of bloggers, including Seth Godin, Pat Flynn , Melissa Michael’s, Sarah Titus.

In fact Sarah Titus a mompreneur has written books forever, to monetize her blog.

Let’s learn from Ashwini the tips and tricks to getting your first book published.

What made u want to write a poetry book?
I had written poems since the age of 17. It is now almost close to 7 years that I have been into words and verses.

When I found some great feedback and praises, I felt like compiling them as a collection and get published in the form of a book.

What research did you do, before choosing your publisher?
There are traditional publishers and then there are publishers with a different business model of no inventory and print on demand. I discussed it with a few of my friends and came across my publisher with who I took this forward. They went through the script, we made multiple edits, layouts and covers and now you can see the final product. 🙂

Would you be recommending them for newbie authors?

Well, yes. Inkhorn Publishing is like a boon for debut authors, they give them a chance after going through their work and believe in everyone who has written for a long time and believe in themselves. You can contact them at ganesh@inkhornpublishingindia.com

Who is your audience?

People who love poetry.

Why would they love these poems?
My book is a collection of 40 poems. It has real expression, emotions and experiences. You will see yourself in those words and journey.

Art is special in its own. These set of words and verses have come directly from the heart and resonate across a mass audience. I am sure, avid readers can finish it one go and feel home.

What inspires you to write?
Life is my biggest inspiration. It’s all about my own experiences and experiment with writing poetry.

Your favorite quote
“The right time always comes with a lot of time spent being patient.” ― Ashwini Dodani

3 tips & your message for struggling solopreneurs

Do not ever compare to other successful people in your field, they have their own struggles
Always believe in your venture, you are doing great, baby steps are important
There’s no right or wrong way to anything. It’s just learning all the way
Life is too short to just think about what you should have done. Regrets are too bitter to taste. Be in your own element and be in the present. Never fear failure. It makes you stronger. Go ahead, win the world.

What’s your vision for this venture?
Vision is very clear. To keep writing. Maybe ten other books, 100 other blog posts or 500 other creative posts? I want to be in the zone to never stop expressing my emotions.

Short bio:
An MBA by qualification, Social Media and Branding guy by profession and an optimist with a liking for words. When I’m not creating awesome content for the internet, I am usually reading non-fiction books, learning guitar, exploring newer music artists or penning down my thoughts. For brand associations, sharing feedback or generally making connections, drop me an e-mail to ashwini.dodani@gmail.com or Tweet to me at @AshwiniDodani.”

Ashwini’s book

Savoir Faire (First Edition, 2015)

So what should you do now?
Comment below, to let me know whether you are signing up for the chance to win the poetry book.

Image credit Aswini Dodani

Gratitude list and Gandhi Jayanti

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 5

Live as if you are to die tomorrow. Learn as if you are going to live forever

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

2nd October is significant. It’s the birthday of the father of the nation Our beloved Bapuji ,Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Just like children can’t follow everything parents teach ,we still believe what Gandhiji taught us .If not in words but in spirit.

In this changing world we often treat people exactly like they treat us.

Who will blink first.Who will walk the extra mile?Who can give without expectation ?Who can be a selfless giver?I have issues about turning the other cheek.Maa Durga didn’t !

When the evils if this world overflow,balance is established by survival laws.

Debates for the drawing room.

Throughout September I have shared bits and pieces of the book summary for the ” GO GIVER” .

Why do our soldier’s join the army navy and airforce?

Birth and death are predestined.

But joining the armed forces is seeing death in the eye everyday.

The family prays ,the soldier misses his family but when duty towards the motherland beckons ,they can only see that.

In face of that sacrifice, what we do daily ,our personal struggles appear dwarfed.

But we are all fighting our own devils in the backyard.It’s easier to discuss Pakistan than that!

Thanks Tina Basu for inspiring me to do this post.

My gratitude list for September 2016

#1 Being born in a free country.

#2 Being healthy and having a wonderful family (these two are together my life force)

#3 Being Indian

#4 Being a woman

#5 Being a mother

#6 Being a doctor and having the ability to serve people.That’s a blessing.

#7 Having a roof over my head ,clothes on my back and no worries about my next meal.

#8 Finding Blogchatter and all my friends at MyFriendAlexa like Dixita ,Tina,Deepa,Menaka,Mayuri,Shalini,Mayura,Ramya,Masoom ,Saumya .

Great blogs awesome people.

#MyFriendAlexa improving my alexa rank over 1 month

#9 I am travelling in October to a sea side resort in Puri.A much awaited break.

#10 Maa Durga is coming home

#11 Pat Flynn’s generosity and gift of the SPI Pro theme and the genesis framework free.1

#12 For Amy’s Knowtbook which is always helping me learn.

#13 For my beautiful balcony garden.

#14 For all the writers who write beautiful books.

#15 For my blog. It has helped me manage all the cacophany of ideas in my head more constructively

#16 For my new flat whose construction is coming along nicely.

(I am exploring nature friendly, eco solutions for home interiors .I really want to use unleaded paint for the rooms.Plus want a vertical hydroponic garden in my drawing room and the family room.So I am window shopping ideas everywhere.I hope to take you along in that journey )

#17 For learning about the word financial freedom early in life and my ability to persist and persevere.

How was your September? Let me know below.

Joining the Gratitude Circle Hosted byvidyasury.com

This October, I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge.31 Days of blogging with Daily Chatter.Wonder what will happen to my Alexa!

I will also be doing series posts about two important issues.

It’s holiday season so party and indulge .But don’t let your sacrifice over the last year be undone by few days of overindulgenice

2 series and a few regulars@

#childhood obesity

The first one :

If baby is a picky eater blame yourself:Healthy eating habits in children (part 1)

The other one I am still brainstorming! Any ideas?Comment below to let me know what series post will make you happy

Follow me on Twitter& Instagram to stay updated with

#mompreneur #mompreneurfaves

I am taking part in the #ubc #blogboost Ultimate blogging challenge with Blogchatter #DailyChatter

UBC day 2

Protected: Super Blogger Academy1.0:Week 2 homework

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 1

If baby is a picky eater blame yourself:Healthy eating habits in children (part 1)

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 23, 2018 37

You can’t make your child eat healthy!Your child likes only junk food.

You are worried about childhood obesity.What your child eats will not only help in developing their physical and mental health ,but also influence their health as adults.This is a problem which is more complex than just tempting him/ her with new recipes.

Healthy eating habits in children :How mothers can help

Did you know it’s not just what your child eats now, that’s to blame.It’s also your diet, during pregnancy,breastfeeding

and afterwards.

In this case, moms have all the power, to change the baby’s food choices.

When I was pregnant I wouldn’t eat chicken for the entire 9 months. I had nausea throughout my pregnancy and hated cooking.The smell of jeera ,garam masala made me want to puke.

But I still enjoyed fish ,eggs and mutton .As long as I didn’t cook them.

Veggies and fruits were always a large part of my diet .So was milk.

When I ate to keep healthy, I always remembered that these nutrients were building my baby one cell at a time.

Most of the child’s health and Immunity depends on food.But there was one more important reason to eat healthy.

What exactly does the mother’s diet do?

It does 3 important things

#Builds the flesh and blood baby

#Builds the immunity of the baby

#Builds the baby’s food choices.

Most attention is paid to the first two.Because they are unquestionably important .

What’s not discussed is the 3rd one.

Mommy’s complain of baby’s being picky eaters.But you have to recap ,what you loved having ,when you were pregnant.That’s how you can handle the picky eater baby now!

Sounds weird right?

How can a mother build a baby’s healthy taste in food ?

You have 2 full-proof tools, in your mommy tool box.Both are free .

#1 Choose healthy eating options during pregnancy

Your child develops her palate or food preferences in the womb.

Food odours are due to certain chemical components.

These compounds specially those with strong distinctive smell and taste ,are detected in the amniotic fluid.Garlic, cumin,other spices have distinctive chemicals which brand the amniotic fluids.

The developing baby swallows amniotic fluids in the womb.

Sense of taste and smell is functional during fetal life

Helps develop the food preferences after birth.

The mother’s diet is an interesting way of, building up food tastes in the unborn baby.

It’s one of the most important way to prepare the infant’s solid food choices later in life.

#2 Your breast milk and your food choices

After birth of baby ,what you eat as a mommy ,flavours the breast milk.

If you want your baby to have healthy eating habits,you must eat healthy .Include a variety of nutritious food in your diet.It is the best way to make your baby learn healthy eating ,even when breastfeeding

Prenatal and early postnatal flavor exposure helps baby develop his/her food preferences.

The child enjoys the different flavors in solid food more enthusiastically ,when complementary feed is started.

So mommy eat well.Before during and after pregnancy.

What did you eat most often when you were pregnant?

Did you eat junk food ?

Feeding your preschooler:Ultimate guide

Mother and child

Biz focus :Mayuri ,sirimiri,blogger and tarot card reader

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 23, 2018 3

Mayuri a professional Tarot card reader, freelance writer, and a blogger.

She is a Punjabi married to a Telugu.Chats a lot reads a lot and writes even more.Blogging since 2004(her first post is dated May 2004).A time when I hadn’t even heard of the word blogging (I lived under my own mountain of books)!Mayuri was a blogger.Her parents refused to feature her as a baby in a Pears campaign.

A Gemini and loves all things word.Her blog, sirimiri is as gentle as she is.I met her during Blogchatter’s #MyfriendAlexa campaign.
She doesn’t like giving directions. She likes following them even less.
That’s why while doing a Google analytics set up for her blog, she was the one with whom I spent the most time.

But I forgot to tell her not to change her theme(totally my mistake).
Guess what?The code was nowhere to be found next day. Mayuri was panicking.I was surprised.

I opened her blog to check. Voila, it had changed.
GA code in theme header disappears with a change in the parent theme.Forgot to tell her!This problem could be handled with a child theme or a plugin.
Now Mayuri is revamping her blog.
I haven’t stopped bugging her about Google analytics though.I think she is waiting for me to lose patience.
It’s going to be tough.She has written for 12 years.Her patience and persistence is award-winning.
Can I make her do it?Time will tell.Now the woman behind the blog.

Tell us Mayuri what made you start blogging?

I used to jot down my thoughts in varied forms, like quotes, verses, poetry and small notes. And as I did so I realized that I loved writing.In 2004 I discovered a digital diary called a Blog and signed up to get one of my own. I have been writing ever since, though not everything I write is shared online.
Besides Sirimiri, I also have a food blog and a Travel Blog, which I’ve sadly neglected.

Who is your audience ?

Anyone who loves to read!

What makes your day?

Feedback from my readers makes my day! And when someone tells me that reading a certain post make some difference I am truly elated!

What inspires you?

The will to write, the love for it and the ability to evolve with it over time. And yes, I consider Stephen King my Guru. He is the best. Period.

Give us your favorite quote

” I am enough. I have enough. I do enough.”

Give us a few tips for struggling Bloggers

(I’m a struggling blogger myself!:)
But I’m learning new things every day and here are some to share.

1)In the blogging world, I follow only 1 rule: Do unto others as you would have others to do unto you.

2)Make a blogging schedule.Maybe something like posting 2 posts a week. Then stick to it.

3)Please check your post for typos and other errors, before you post it.

4)Explore different forms of writing.

5)Join a Blogging community that could encourage you.

6)Visit other blogs, read them and always leave a comment on a post you enjoyed reading. P:S: Nice post, is not a comment.

7)Read a lot. The more you read, the better you write.

What’s your vision for this venture?

I just want to write. And to be read. I used to be a regular columnist for various magazines, writing a Humor Column for one and Monthly Tarot Predictions for the others. I would like to get back to writing columns and features, professionally. And like most others, writing a book is part of the plan.

Mayuri bio:
I am a professional Tarot Card Reader for the last 12 years and conduct Tarot Readings. Both personal, and Online.
A writer by design. Since I am already aware of what the future holds, I enjoy unwrapping the present.
My blog: http://sirimiri.in/
Fb page:
https://www.facebook.com/mayuri.sharrmanidigallu
Do visit Mayuri’s blog.

ThankfulThursdays :Almost missed it

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 23, 2018 0

In the mad rush of living, we forget to smell the flowers.But that’s so sad, right?

That’s why I take time to say thank you.Tomorrow is my daughters 6th birthday and we are all very excited.Friends are coming, party games are ready.Lists ticked.ake baked at home and ordered for party .gifts wrapped and rooms decorated while the little one is visiting dreamland.

While I love celebrating crowds are not my favorite scene.

I turn 6 years as a mommy too.Thats more than how long it took me to get my MBBS!Life is interesting.

The most challenging jobs have no training at all

Our #Super blogging Challenge is flying with some teething troubles.

The Top 5 are 6 people this week.Interesting right?

More news coming up.

But before that, I need to tell you about something I learned.A podcast I listen to regularly is by Amy Porterfield.She was talking about how important it is to have a supportive spouse.We spend more than half our adult lives with our partners .so if they don’t help things can get depressing right?

That’s why it’s important to marry with care.Use your good sense, intuition and pray hard.Women more than men are affected by surroundings.

We need to choose well, think hard.Love ,peace, and happiness hold hands.Until you know this you will always be searching for one or the other.

One year back when I started writing #ThankfulThursdays I promised myself that good habits must live.They may not be popular (few difficult things are), but they are much needed.

The 5 Things which make me thankful this week are

I finished reading the Big Magic cover to cover.Underlined and made notes.Hope my daughter reads it one day.

My daughter is planning her own birthday party and sending out invites even before we planned it.Children are fun people.Feeling blessed that I have a daughter who shares my passion for creative life.

I am still struggling with housekeeping but God’s grace surviving.Thank God for people who help us!

The reading niche and home office need to be planned and we need to declutter more, but my rocking chair gave me a lot of peace this week, reading and watching the sparrows visiting my garden is fun indeed.

I doodled with my daughter and that was so much fun.We are trying controlled watercolor painting too!Did you have an Art attack this week?Comment below to let me know.

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Ashwini Dodani MBA cum poet: Blogging journey and entrepreneurship

3 tips & your message for struggling solopreneurs