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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.)

Things to Avoid In Compost Bin

Updated: Jan 20, 2025

Compost Bin

Last week we tried to understand what kind of biodegradable waste ….oh..wait a minute! Shouldn’t we call it as a ‘raw material’ rather than calling it ‘waste’ ? Because there is nothing like waste in nature. And raw material could be an appropriate description as you are going to get most precious ‘product’ namely the Bio-compost out of this process using this biodegradable raw material.


Now the following picture tells you what you SHOULD NOT add to your compost bin.


You may ask why? There are multiple answers.


Most important is that the things or the waste materials shown in this picture are ‘man-made’ and hence the microorganisms in the compost bin will not be able to process these things. On the contrary, by adding these ‘waste’ items, you will be creating a ‘mini garbage dump’ rather than a compost bin. So, please avoid them. If at all you see any of these, then remove them. But remember one thing. Bio-composting is a natural process. Sometime, something may go wrong. For example, one day, you may observe that your compost has lost it’s powdery texture and has become muddy and gooey.


Most probable cause is, accumulation of lot of moisture in your compost bin. In such case, you may cut dry cardboard into few small pieces and/or newspaper pieces into your compost bin. This is under such exceptional circumstances. Alternatively, you can add saw dust, dried brown leaves to reduce the moisture.


Now, you may think that newspapers -or any paper for that matter- cardboard etc. are directly or indirectly the plant products, so why are you telling us not to add these into the compost bin under normal circumstances? You are right. These are natural products. But these are not ‘purely natural’ because they are processed using variety of industrial methods and are and mixed with different chemicals to make them usable and saleable products.


For example, paper used for newspapers printing is derived from trees. But to print on it, ink is used which is rich in certain toxic elements like cadmium. This ink and it’s organic/inorganic elements might ‘leach’ into the compost and could interfere in the process of composting. Most of the cardboard is lined with plastic. That is why as far as possible, you try to avoid adding these into the compost bin except for the conditions as described above.


So finally, your first batch of compost is now ready for harvesting and for using it for your house plants or your community garden. Go ahead and enjoy. Remember? While setting up your compost bin for the first time, you had added a culture of decomposing bacteria called bio-inoculum available in the market. Now you have your own bio culture ready which you can use over and over again. Dear readers, you know what you have done? You have created a new, natural ecosystem inside your compost bin. Now what is this ecosystem thing? More on this, next week. Till then, have a nice weekend!


(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

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