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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.)

UNSC to hold closed-door talks today on India-Pakistan tensions after Pahalgam terror attack

  • PTI
  • May 5, 2025
  • 2 min read


UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will hold closed consultations on Monday on the situation between India and Pakistan after Islamabad sought an emergency meeting amid tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack.


Pakistan currently sits as a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation Security Council, which is being presided over by Greece for the month of May.


Islamabad "requested closed consultations" on the tensions between the two countries and the Greek Presidency has scheduled the meeting for May 5 in the afternoon.


Apart from the five veto-wielding permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the UK and the US -- the 10 non-permanent members in the Council are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.


Amid rising tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of May Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris had last week said that if a request comes for a meeting to discuss the situation between India and Pakistan.


“As I said before, as a position of principle, we strongly condemn any act of terrorism and this is what we did” on the "heinous terrorist attack” that took place in Pahalgam in which innocent civilians died, Sekeris had said.



In the weeks following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with all Council members, with the exception of China and Pakistan.

In his calls, Jaishankar underlined that “its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice.”


He also spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, French Foreign Minster Jean-Noel Barrot and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, among others.


Last Friday, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said at a press conference at the UN that his country has the right to convene a meeting when "we feel appropriate".

“We see that all of this that is happening is in the context, in the backdrop of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," Ahmad had said.


He said that the situation that evolved after the attack is a real threat to regional and international peace and security.


The Pakistani envoy had last week met Guterres and briefed him about the security situation in the region.


Ties between the two neighbouring countries plummeted following the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.


India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is committed to taking "firm and decisive" action against terrorists and their backers.


PM Modi also told the top defence brass that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the attack.

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