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Can You Brief us About your Overall Journey?
“I grew up in India as my father was serving Indian Army. My mother took care of us. We are two sisters and I am the youngest.I am a computer engineer (gold medalist) by qualification. My qualification helped me in getting campus placement in a Multi-National Company.This exposure to an MNC helped me explore my full potential and gave me the strength to conquer the world” Says Abhrekha Jain.
How and Why You Started Woman Related Initiatives?
What can I say! Gratitude and humbleness have motivated me. I wanted to spread happiness. Our needs as human beings will never finish.
When you choose to be happy, life becomes better. People read about me and know me, therefore they come to me. I want to make people believe in themselves. It’s difficult, but not impossible.
Tell Us something about your motherhood and Parenting Experience?
Being a mother has made me extremely satisfied as an individual as I am able to attain work-life balance. I haven’t felt guilty of sending children to daycare. as, I when it comes to spending time with kids, I strongly believe in quality time than quantity. Also, they learn time management and multi-tasking from me while they grow.
“As a leader, I feel accomplished as I am able to attend all official meetings, calls and I also ensure that I attend parent-teacher meets, sports and an annual day of my children. It has taught me to lead by example and work passionately. I also have become adept in internal (personal) as well as external (official, school etc.) stakeholder management” Says Abhrekha.
Image Credit/ Source: Abhrekha Jain
Who is the most Inspirational Person in Your life?
My father is my inspiration and role model. He has left me physically but has given me lessons for eternity. Since, my childhood I was instilled with deep-rooted thoughts like “Dream big, but keep your feet firm on the Ground”,” Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going”. Respect and Compassion for all living beings on earth and so on
Can you brief about Your Women related initiatives and also kindly share some experience with Our Readers?
I try to lead by example and participate and speak about work-life balance at various forums like Vaahini (Accenture Women’s Network) and AOTW (Accenture Technology for Women) etc.
I was a key speaker at the Accenture International Women’s Day. It was a beautiful opportunity to share my blessing with other women and inspire them to work hard to create an inclusive environment
How You manage Work-Life Balance and What’s your message Especially to Our Women readers?
“Michael Jordan, the basketball icon, has rightly stated that ‘Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it” Says Abhrekha.
Be happy in whatever you do. (5 days if I work hard, 1 day I party hard!) My husband supports me. If he tells me to look after the kids the day he has to work, I happily do it. But I ask for one day for my own leisure time. Women are the anchors in the family. If they are not happy, the kids or husband won’t be either.
Happiness is within. Its how you take it. You can either crib about certain things or see it in a positive light. One should take out time for oneself. Come out of your comfort zone, believe in yourself and do not rust at home. Work to your maximum potential! Be ready for challenges because hardships will always be there. But be strong and do not fear. Try to give everything a chance. Like work for a year after having a baby. You will know that at least you tried! And always keep yourself upgraded. When I was not working for a year, I read a lot and kept myself updated so when I came back, no one could say that I was out of touch. Grow as a human being and be content and happy in life. And of course, spread happiness.
Inspire yourself every day by reading stories of others, talking to other people. Have patience and do not give up easily. You will be rewarded for your efforts. Help others and yourself. As they say, charity begins at home. Nothing is big or small. Stop blaming your circumstances and learn to bounce back from situations!
Image Credit/ Source: Abhrekha Jain
Whats your Advice to Budding Woman Entrepreneur?
One should not crib about the situation but should learn to tackle it. A woman has to realize her potential and understand where her true happiness lies. A woman can be happy just being a home-maker or can be equally unhappy being a leader.
A quote from Oprah Winfrey moves me a lot. it says,
“If you look at what you have in life,
You’ll always have more.
If you look at what you don’t have in life,
You’ll never have enough”
I do believe that technology can really help women. The computer is practically my life. Society has this image of women that after graduation they should marry and start a family. In this process, many lose their identity and self- respect. Women can rust if they don’t use their full potential. We have the ability to reach our full potential. I have come out of my comfort zone and have always had a clear vision. I try to do my best. While technology is important, social media can help develop your hobbies. You can learn to-dos and how-tos on Internet or Youtube. They can help take your art to the next level. They also make it easy to get connected to everybody. Eg – as a baker, one can start selling cookies and cakes from home itself. One can also do trading from home with the help of technology. After children grow up, one may become frustrated, as there is no purpose that’s fulfilling and makes you happy. That’s why one should pursue a hobby, even if it’s just singing at home! Women aren’t machines neither are they mechanical. They can start a small business or give tuitions at home. I believe every single human is blessed with a certain skill set. Use it to your full potential so that you feel happy. I lost my dad to cancer. But even in his final days, he used to open Youtube and sing. I asked him why and he said it made him happy. In my opinion, technology is easy to use and is compact.
Whats Your Future Plans?
Well, professionally, we always have a lot of plans, goal, and targets to achieve. Don’t we? On a personal front, I think of becoming an inspiration to all the women out there who read my story.
