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By:

Asha Tripathi

14 April 2025 at 1:35:28 pm

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along...

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along with growth has come another silent challenge — the tendency to constantly observe, compare, and sometimes even compete with the journeys of others. But a crucial question arises: Is it necessary to track the growth of others in order to grow ourselves? From my personal experience of more than two decades as an entrepreneur, I have realised something very powerful — true growth begins the moment we stop looking sideways and start looking within. A Small Beginning I had a flourishing career of teaching abroad, but when I restarted my career after moving back to India, my beginning was extremely small. My very first assignment was a simple home tuition for a single student, and the amount I earned was meagre. There was nothing glamorous about it. No recognition, no large batches, no big earnings. Just one student and one opportunity. But instead of worrying about how others were doing, how many students they had, or how much they were earning, I made a conscious decision—my only focus would be on improving myself. I focused on teaching better, preparing better, and becoming more disciplined and consistent. And slowly, without even realising it, things began to grow. One student became two, two became a small group, and gradually, over the years, the work expanded beyond what I had initially imagined. Looking back today, I can confidently say that the growth did not happen because I competed with others. It happened because I competed with myself yesterday. Comparison Creates Noise When we keep watching others' journeys too closely, we unknowingly divert our own energy. Comparison creates unnecessary noise in our minds. It brings doubts, insecurities, and sometimes even negativity. Instead of walking our own path with clarity, we start questioning our speed, our direction, and our worth. True success grows through focus, not comparison. Every woman has her own story, her own pace, and her own struggles that others may never see. The path of one person can never be identical to another's. So comparing journeys is like comparing two different rivers flowing towards the same ocean — each with its own route, its own curves, and its own rhythm. As women, we already carry many responsibilities. We balance emotions, relationships, work, and society's expectations. In such a life, the last thing we need is the burden of comparison with one another. Instead, what we truly need is support for each other. When women encourage women, something extraordinary happens. Confidence grows. Opportunities multiply. Strength becomes collective rather than individual. There is enough space in the world for every woman to create her own identity. Each of us can build our own niche without stepping on someone else's path. Choose Encouragement Envy weakens us, but encouragement empowers us. Rather than questioning how someone else is progressing, we can ask a more meaningful question: "How can I grow a little better than I was yesterday?" Lift As You Rise Today, after twenty years of experience, the most valuable lesson I have learned is simple yet profound — focus on your own work with honesty and dedication, and success will quietly follow you. We, women, are capable, resilient, and creative. We do not need to pull each other down or compete in unhealthy ways. Instead, we can lift each other up while building our own dreams. Because when one woman rises, she does not rise alone. She inspires many others to believe that they can rise, too. And perhaps that is the most beautiful form of success. (The writer is a tutor based in Thane. Views personal.)

Abeer’s Dream and the Plastic Planet

We might one day see our planet wrapped in what looks like a massive plastic bag.

One morning, my nine-year-old grandson, Abeer, woke up from a frightening dream. He was trembling, his face pale with fear. After soothing him for a while, we gently asked what had happened.


Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage and began to recount his dream. He said he saw himself walking along a beach in Goa with his parents. The sun was shining, the waves lapping gently against the shore—until, quite suddenly, a giant wave rose from the sea and swept him away.


At first, he was terrified and confused, unable to make sense of what was happening. But after a few moments, the wave seemed to calm down—and then, strangely, it began to speak to him. To his amazement, he realised he could breathe normally underwater. It was as though the sea itself wanted to tell him something, to share its sorrow.


As his fear slowly faded, Abeer began to look around. What he saw next was heartbreaking. The water was choked with countless pieces of plastic—bottles, bags, wrappers, nets—all swirling around him in a vast whirlpool.


Then he spotted a family of sea turtles. The father turtle was struggling to breathe, his nostrils blocked by two plastic straws. The mother turtle’s head and neck were entangled in a nylon fishing net, while the baby was trapped inside a sheet of plastic, flapping her tiny flippers helplessly.


Nearby, a shark was gasping for air, plastic pouches jammed in its gills, bleeding and writhing in pain. A little farther away, a whale swam past with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering the water for plankton—but instead of food, it was swallowing bottles, cans, and plastic bags that drifted all around.


When Abeer finished his story, none of us spoke for several minutes. The room was filled with silence, heavy and thoughtful. It was only a dream, yet it had clearly shaken him to the core.


Finally, he looked up and said with quiet determination that he would never throw away plastic carelessly again. He promised to ensure that no plastic waste would be generated in his home—and that he would urge his friends to do the same.


So, dear readers, welcome to The Plastic Planet!


Often, photographs of Earth taken from space look breathtaking—our planet gleaming in magnificent shades of blue. As we all know, about 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, which is why it is so aptly called the Blue Planet.


Yet, I sometimes fear that in the coming decades, this beautiful blue may begin to fade from satellite images. Instead, we might one day see our planet shrouded in what looks like a massive plastic bag. A grim image, but one that may not be far from reality if we continue our current ways.


Let us then take a closer look at the world of plastics. The word 'plastic' comes from the Greek word 'plastikos', meaning something that can be moulded or shaped with ease. It is an apt description, for plastics are prized for their ability to take on countless forms—bottles, bags, toys, pipes, and much more.


Over the last century and a half, humankind has mastered the art of creating synthetic polymers—materials built from chains of carbon atoms derived from petroleum and other fossil fuels. These polymers consist of long, repeating units of atoms arranged in complex patterns.


It is the length of these chains and the way they are structured that give plastics their unique properties—strength, lightness, and flexibility. In essence, this remarkable structure is what makes them so plastic in the first place.


Yet, the very qualities that make plastic so versatile for humans have turned it into a threat for the planet. What began as an invention of convenience has quietly become a source of global concern.


Perhaps Abeer’s dream was more than just a child’s fancy — perhaps it was the ocean’s way of asking us to listen.


Plastics may have shaped our modern world, but they should not be allowed to reshape our planet’s destiny. Each small act — a refusal, a reuse, a rethink — adds up to something powerful.


More on this next week. Till then, have a nice weekend!


(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

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