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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.)

On a mission to serve the elders

Mumbaikar Leena Deosthalee finds a way to support the senior citizens through an old age home situated in Raigad

Mumbai: A Mumbai resident Leena Deosthalee’s urge to serve her father in his illness has led to formation of one of the friendliest old age homes in Maharashtra - Chaitanya Jyeshtha Nagarik Sahaniwas situated at Jambhulpada in Sudhagad district of Raigad. Deosthalee, a retired banker, started this facility in 2012 to fulfil her desire to serve the elderly people as she could not do much for her father in his last days.


“I worked for 33 years with Bank of India, from 1966 to 1999,” Deosthalee told ‘The Perfect Voice’. “At that time my father was very old. I wished to visit him every day, but there was a time constraint. I quit my job to give him time. However, he passed away and my purpose of quitting the job was over,” she said narrating the idea behind Sahaniwas.


“My husband was extremely busy. I had ample free time. By God’s grace I was financially stable. My children were well settled in their own world. Hence, I felt that it is time to give something back to society. I expressed my wish to my husband, and he supported my dream whole heartedly,” she said.


Chaitanya Nagrik Sahaniwas has a capacity to accommodate 30 residents at a time. Jambhulpada is equidistant from Mumbai and Pune—approximately 100-110 km. Senior citizens who are physically independent and do not need assistance for their daily activities are given admission after they are screened and interviewed by the Trustees. Chaitanya is run by Mathura Foundation. On twin sharing basis 30 residents can be accommodated. There are other rooms for amenities such as library, medical room, dining room (with attached kitchen), recreation room which has a common T.V. and tables for playing chess, cards, carom etc.

The facility has a caretaker and two resident staff members, who are on the premises all the time. Other staff members travel from the surrounding villages. The Foundation also has its own ambulance and driver, who is available on the premises 24x7.


Self reliance

Deosthalee said Chaitanya home is 95 per cent self-reliant as far as electricity is concerned. They have a project installed with a solar power capacity- 20 kv which has reduced their electricity expenditure to an extent that they send surplus electricity supply to the MSEB grid. “We are almost self-reliant as far as electricity is concerned. Besides, the solar water heaters keep us self-reliant for nearly nine months of the year.”They recycle the sewage water using Solid Imobilised Bio Filter (SIBF) System and alum tanks to reutilise it for sanitation and maintaining the gardens.


Social serviceDeosthalee believes that she is able to overcome most of the operational hurdles without the residents feeling the pinch of it because of her sound financial background. “We are not making any profit because our objective is not to earn money. We take nominal fees from the residents and find solutions to our operational difficulties through donations and sometimes from our own pockets.”Jambhulpada has one more such old age home. Deosthalee had to open a facility at the time when there were similar facilities doing a good job in the area. However, she cited that there was no sentiment of competition and that other facilities were working for the same cause and hence she actually got a lot of guidance and help from the trustees. “They actually helped me identify what was lacking in their facility so that I could rectify their flaws in the facility I was planning to set up,” said Deosthalee.


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