top of page

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.)

India Needs a Credit Repair Framework—Not Permanent Financial Punishment

India’s financial system has made remarkable progress in expanding credit access. Yet, there is a quiet crisis unfolding beneath the surface—millions of otherwise responsible borrowers remain locked out of formal credit due to temporary financial distress experienced during extraordinary times.


The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by economic disruptions, medical emergencies, and employment instability, pushed many individuals into short-term loan defaults. These were not cases of wilful negligence, but of systemic shock. However, our credit reporting and scoring mechanisms continue to treat such defaults as permanent red flags, often without scope for contextual review or rehabilitation.


Recently, I submitted a proposal to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Finance urging the introduction of a structured Credit Repair and Rehabilitation Framework—one that balances credit discipline with economic realism and human fairness.


Why Credit Repair Matters Now

India is aiming to become a $5 trillion economy, driven by consumption, entrepreneurship, and MSME growth. Yet, credit exclusion acts as a silent brake on this ambition. When salaried professionals, small entrepreneurs, and self-employed workers are denied access to loans years after a one-time crisis default, we unintentionally push them toward informal lending, higher interest rates, or economic stagnation.


A rigid “once-defaulted, always-risky” approach may protect balance sheets in the short term, but it undermines long-term credit expansion and trust in the formal system.


Learning from Global Practices

Globally, regulators are rethinking this approach. For instance, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has recently introduced a regulated credit repair mechanism allowing borrowers with limited, time-bound overdue records from crisis periods to restore creditworthiness. Importantly, this does not weaken credit discipline—it strengthens it by distinguishing temporary hardship from habitual default.


India, with its robust digital banking and credit infrastructure, is well-positioned to design an even more nuanced and accountable framework.


What a Balanced Framework Could Look Like


A well-regulated credit rehabilitation policy could include:

• Eligibility limited to crisis-period defaults, officially notified by regulators

• Caps on overdue amount and frequency

• Mandatory cooling-off periods and improved repayment behaviour

• Bank-led review and approval mechanisms

• Clear RBI guidelines for credit bureaus on data correction and updating


Such a framework would be conditional, transparent, and auditable, ensuring no dilution of systemic risk controls.


Economic Inclusion Is Economic Strength

Credit systems are not merely risk filters—they are economic enablers. A borrower who recovers, repays consistently, and rebuilds financial discipline should not remain excluded indefinitely due to a past crisis.


True financial inclusion is not just about opening accounts or issuing loans—it is about allowing recovery, rebuilding trust, and restoring dignity within the system.


The Way Forward

This is an opportune moment for RBI and the Finance Ministry to initiate a structured consultation with banks, NBFCs, credit bureaus, economists, and consumer representatives to explore a calibrated credit repair framework tailored for India.


Second chances, when governed responsibly, do not weaken economies—they strengthen them.


As India charts its next phase of growth, our credit policies must evolve from being purely punitive to progressively rehabilitative, without compromising prudence.

Comments

bottom of page