Challenging yourself is the key to achieving your endeavours | Spoorthi Vishwas | TEDxCITBengaluru

Summary

The speaker shares a personal journey of resilience and determination, starting from a challenging childhood marked by her mother's divorce and financial struggles, to becoming a successful entrepreneur and leader. She emphasizes the importance of consistency, overcoming fear, and building confidence, even in the face of numerous rejections. The creation of the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards is highlighted as a significant milestone. The speaker credits her success to strong relationships and personal growth, urging others to focus on personal and professional balance to achieve extraordinary results.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of consistency over motivation, advocating for a steady approach to achieving goals.
• 🏡 The story begins with a personal account of the speaker's mother leaving, leading to a move to Mysore and a life restart with minimal possessions.
• 👧 The speaker acknowledges the strength and influence of her mother, who played a pivotal role in shaping her life and values.
• 🎓 Despite initial struggles with English and a fear of public speaking, the speaker's academic performance improved, particularly after developing a crush in the eighth standard.
• 🏸 Inspired by a crush who was a state-level badminton player, the speaker took up the sport and excelled, topping three subjects in her 10th standard exams.
• 📺 At the age of 16, the speaker began her career in television, working hard with limited resources and eventually earning a significant income.
• 🏆 The speaker founded the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards to celebrate and inspire women who have overcome adversity to achieve extraordinary success.
• 💍 Facing financial challenges in organizing the awards, the speaker persevered, eventually securing sponsorships from top brands without prior experience in event management.
• 💼 The speaker highlights the journey from being an entrepreneur and actress to becoming a housewife and then reclaiming her identity through her work.
• 🌐 With a dream of traveling 100 countries, the speaker became the Chief Marketing Officer of Travel Mart, blending her personal aspirations with professional opportunities.
• 🤝 The speaker concludes by underscoring the importance of relationships in personal and professional growth, suggesting that a harmonious personal life is key to success.

Q & A

What was the turning point in the speaker's life when she was five years old?

The turning point in the speaker's life at the age of five was when her mother decided to divorce her father, leading to a significant change in their lives.

How did the speaker and her mother restart their lives after the divorce?

After the divorce, the speaker and her mother moved to Mysore and started their lives anew with almost nothing, symbolized by the mention of only having a floor mat in their new home.

What was the speaker's initial experience with English language proficiency?

The speaker initially struggled with English, as she was afraid to speak it and faced ridicule due to her accent, which led to her being introverted and scared to go out.

How did the speaker's school performance change after the 8th standard?

The speaker's school performance improved after the 8th standard, as she was motivated by a crush to study better and eventually topped three subjects in her 10th standard SSLC boards.

What was the speaker's first encounter with the television industry?

The speaker's first encounter with the television industry was when she was selected for a role within 15-20 days of an audition for one of the top television channels.

How did the speaker transition from being an actress to an entrepreneur?

The speaker transitioned from being an actress to an entrepreneur by founding three companies, including a training company, an event management company, and the brand Karnataka Women Achievers Awards.

What was the inspiration behind the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards?

The inspiration behind the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards was the speaker's personal experience of losing her identity after marriage and wanting to highlight and celebrate women who have created their own identity despite societal norms.

How did the speaker overcome the financial challenges in organizing the first Karnataka Women Achievers Awards?

The speaker overcame financial challenges by securing sponsorships from various top brands after numerous rejections and by her mother's support, who broke her FD to provide the remaining funds needed.

What is the speaker's role in the travel industry, and how does it relate to her personal dream?

The speaker is the Chief Marketing Officer of Travel Mart, which aligns with her personal dream of traveling to 100 countries before she dies, as she now receives invitations from travel tourism boards to explore and promote their countries.

What are the three key areas the speaker is focusing on for her future?

The speaker is focusing on creating personal and company brands, training people with accurate skills to help them achieve their goals, and promoting travel through her role as Chief Marketing Officer of Travel Mart.

What does the speaker consider as her elixir for maintaining a successful and fulfilling life?

The speaker considers relationships as her elixir for maintaining a successful and fulfilling life, emphasizing the importance of having a good personal life to enhance professional growth.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Overcoming Adversity to Achieve Success

The speaker begins by emphasizing the importance of consistency over motivation, sharing her personal journey from a challenging childhood to success. She recounts waking up at age five to find her mother had left, leading to a search and eventual divorce. Three months later, she and her mother moved to Mysore with nothing, starting their lives anew. Despite a fear of speaking and English language challenges, she became more outgoing and excelled in school, topping three subjects in her 10th standard. Her journey continued with television work at 16, earning a significant income, and eventually establishing three companies: a training company, an event management company, and the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards.

05:03

💍 Transition from Single Life to Traditional Marriage

The speaker describes her decision to get married, leaving behind her successful career to join a family of 12, which was a stark contrast to her previous life. She had to adapt to a traditional lifestyle, giving up her entrepreneurial and acting pursuits. For three years, she lived on a small allowance, feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from her previous achievements. This period of introspection led her to the realization that she was meant for more than an ordinary life. She decided to become a voice for women who, despite societal expectations, achieve extraordinary things. This realization led to the creation of the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards, a platform to celebrate and share the stories of women who have overcome adversity.

10:03

🏆 Creating a Platform for Women's Achievements

The speaker shares the story behind the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards, which began as a casual conversation over coffee. Despite facing over 120 rejections from potential sponsors, she persisted, eventually securing sponsorships from top brands. The first event was a significant success, with India's ex-prime minister as the chief guest. The speaker emphasizes the importance of belief and persistence, highlighting her mother's support during a financial crisis. The awards have since inspired many, with the speaker expanding her mission to include training and skill development for women, leading to her certification as a trainer and success mentor.

15:05

🌟 From Zero to Hero: A Journey of Personal and Professional Growth

The speaker reflects on her journey from being unable to speak English to becoming a successful entrepreneur and public speaker. She outlines her future goals, which include creating personal and company brands, training individuals in valuable skills, and promoting travel and tourism. She emphasizes the importance of relationships in her personal and professional life, stating that a fulfilling personal life is essential for professional success. The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to create a beautiful personal life to enhance their professional endeavors.

Keywords

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the practice of maintaining a regular and stable level of performance or behavior over time. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of consistency over motivation, suggesting that it is a more reliable driver of long-term success. The speaker's journey from being 'nobody' to 'something' is attributed to consistent effort rather than fleeting moments of inspiration.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and adapt to challenging situations. The speaker's story of her mother's decision to divorce and the subsequent hardships they faced illustrates resilience. Despite the initial shock and the scarcity of resources, they managed to restart their lives, which is a testament to their resilience.

💡Influence

Influence is the capacity to have an effect on someone's character, development, or behavior. The speaker mentions how her mother's strength and the support of her crush in school influenced her to become a better student and pursue badminton, showcasing the power of positive influences in shaping one's life trajectory.

💡Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is the process of designing, launching, and running a new business, which typically starts as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process, or service for sale or hire. The speaker's journey includes becoming an entrepreneur at the age of 21, establishing three companies, and later the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards, which exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of creating opportunities and making an impact.

💡Self-belief

Self-belief is the confidence in one's own abilities and judgment. The speaker's decision to pursue her dreams and establish the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards despite financial challenges and rejections from sponsors reflects her strong self-belief. It is this belief in herself and her vision that ultimately leads to the success of her initiatives.

💡Transformation

Transformation refers to a profound or dramatic change in form or appearance. The speaker's life story is a narrative of transformation, from living in a house with almost no possessions to becoming a successful entrepreneur and public figure. This keyword encapsulates the idea that significant change is possible with determination and effort.

💡Overcoming Adversity

Overcoming adversity involves facing and ultimately surmounting difficulties or challenges. The speaker's recount of her struggles with English, her introverted nature, and the financial constraints she faced while organizing the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards are examples of adversity that she overcame through perseverance and resourcefulness.

💡Inspirational

Inspirational describes something that motivates or encourages someone to do something, often by making them feel more hopeful or confident. The speaker aims to inspire her audience to become consistent in their pursuits, using her own story as a testament to the power of consistency and determination to achieve success.

💡Identity

Identity refers to the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is. The speaker reflects on her struggle to maintain her identity as an entrepreneur and public figure after marriage, where societal expectations threatened to overshadow her individual achievements. Her story highlights the importance of preserving one's identity amidst societal pressures.

💡Achievement

Achievement is the action of accomplishing something successfully, typically through effort or skill. The speaker's narrative is filled with various achievements, from academic success to establishing a successful business and creating a platform to recognize other women's achievements. The concept of achievement is central to the speaker's message of striving for excellence.

💡Personal Growth

Personal growth is the process of enhancing one's skills, abilities, and understanding. The speaker's journey from being an introvert with limited English proficiency to a confident public speaker and entrepreneur represents significant personal growth. Her story underscores the importance of continuous self-improvement and learning in one's life.

Highlights

The speaker emphasizes that consistency is more important than motivation.

At five years old, the speaker's mother left the family, leading to significant life changes.

After her mother’s divorce, the speaker and her mother had to restart their lives with almost nothing.

The speaker credits her mother’s strength for shaping her into the person she is today.

In her early school years, the speaker struggled academically, ranking in the bottom of her class.

Her journey toward success began in eighth grade, motivated by a crush, leading to improved academic performance.

The speaker started her career in television at the age of 16, with only 20-30 rupees in her pocket.

By 16, she was working 365 days a year and earning 5,300 rupees per month.

The speaker founded three companies: a training company, Dream Big Vision Pvt Ltd, an event management company, and the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards.

Her role in a film led to a personal transformation and eventually meeting her husband.

After getting married, the speaker transitioned from an entrepreneur and actress to a housewife, living on 3,000 rupees pocket money from her husband.

A turning point occurred when the speaker realized she was not meant to live an ordinary life and reignited her ambition.

The creation of the Karnataka Women Achievers Awards was inspired by her desire to honor women who had achieved extraordinary things.

The first Karnataka Women Achievers Awards event faced significant financial challenges, but her determination and support from her mother helped her succeed.

The speaker now trains over 12,000 students in leadership, communication, public speaking, and entrepreneurship.

Transcripts

everyone has a story you have a story

this stage has a story and this little

girl standing here has a story and I'm

here to share this story from being

nobody to being something today with all

of you I hope it actually I would not

say inspires because I don't believe in

motivation because motivation is

overrated and consistency is underrated

I hope this talk will actually inspire

to become consistent

I was five

and that afternoon

I happened to wake up with my father to

realize that

my mom had left our house forever

we had to search for her three days

just to know that she had taken a

biggest decision of her life

to divorce my dad

it was quite shocking

but we had to take it cut to that after

three months I and my mom happened to

move to Mysore

it was just that

as I remember there's nothing in our

house absolutely nothing except a floor

mat that is how I and my mom restarted

our journey

you see a strong woman standing here

right in front of you because I have

been raised by a strong woman I hope you

all agree with you because you are here

today because we are raised by that one

woman who stands by us that's our mom so

I want to say thank you to my mom

because I remember moving forward she

never said no to anything you know I had

a very bad voice I used to be like oh my

God if somebody calls me and I was like

hello people used to say hello sir what

the hell this happened to me so many

times from there to actually getting

scared of going out of my own apartment

because I couldn't speak English well

right I was afraid to face people

because I started in a very simple

school where even English teachers used

to speak in Canada so how would you

expect me to speak English so I was very

scared to go out speak I was very very

very introvert

and from there I started my journey

school days were very average you know

what is the rank I used to get 25th 26

27th that was like the best average say

average

and from there I think I don't know what

happened eighth standard I had a crush

and used to study well so that actually

motivated me so from eighth standard I

started becoming a better student and

from there I started you know he was a

state level badminton player so that

inspired me to play badminton and then

going forward I actually topped three

subjects in my 10th sslc boards

don't know if I have to thank him I have

to thank myself because I did that

Journey

going forward I joined first puc and

then within like 15-20 days I happened

to be on television my friend took me to

an audition and one of the top

television channels where auditioning

you know they were they were calling out

for auditions I went and I was like

you're selected within 15 days people

started writing letters to me from

across Karnataka and if I walk out

I used to hardly have 20 to 30 rupees in

my pocket and I remember sharing idlis

with my friends like we'll take one

plate of Italy and we're sharing with

each other from there five thousand

three hundred rupees per month working

365 days at the age of 16. today to

earning three

companies which is a training company

[Applause]

dream big Vision private limited even

management company dream big event

management company and also the brand

Karnataka women Achievers Awards this is

all a journey which I would like to

remember

and then Jolly days happened it was my

first film Happy Days remake I went in

with that excitement oh my God I'm gonna

play a re-roll and I got a shock that

you had to cut to a boycott you know you

got to get a boycott and I was like

man again

so I took it off probably if I wouldn't

have taken that opportunity of you know

getting a haircut done I wouldn't have

met my husband so you would have just

seen spurti no vishwas so I met him

there and then it was a 14 years Love

Story We Got Married the life changed

there 21 years I was an entrepreneur 16

years I was a fellow you know popular

television actress 18 I was an actress

21 I was an entrepreneur 23 I had three

choices

what are these choices

the first choice

I was doing my MBA I had got selected

for ESC Pro ESC for Exchange program in

France

the second choice I was doing pretty

well in Tamil and Telugu films I was

busy

I got a movie offer with Tamil actor

jeeva

and the third choice

get married I like to Chuck all that let

me get married I was so excited happy

bride I decided to marry

from a family of two just me and my

mother to a family of 12. oh my God

how many of you can imagine that pain

from being

from a very very modern approach family

to getting into a very traditional

approach I had to become housewife

overnight no denims no Salva and nothing

not an entrepreneur not an actor not an

anchor

nothing

three years

this woman from 2014 to 2017 lived on

3000 rupees pocket money from my husband

that is where things changed

I used to go into the washroom

wash my face I'd be like

this is not you

you're bleeding earning from 16.

I used to go stand in the kitchen

make tea coffee I'm like is this you the

answer used to be always no

this is not who you are born to be and

something striked my head saying

you're not born to be ordinary you are

born to be extraordinary and that voice

hit me strong because in India you don't

need any reason

to become an ordinary person apart from

your women you just need that reason

you are a woman you are supposed to live

a ordinary life and I wanted to become a

voice for such people who said this

because there's so many women out there

in spite of all of these hardships all

of this journey they've created magic

and they've created history and I wanted

to tell that to the world now let me

tell you how I built this brand

Karnataka women Achievers Awards

it was just an evening and I went and

sat with my friend having a coffee I

said listen I was independent from 16.

something changed I got married I became

nothing I was like I'm somebody's wife

and Somebody's Daughter I'm somebody's

daughter-in-law who am I I don't have an

identity for myself that is when I sat

and said why not we bring in such women

in this world who have created their own

identity and tell their stories to the

world loud and clear that in spite of

all of this

these women have created history and

with that thought we came up with

Karnataka women Achievers Awards the

story is very long but still to cut it

short

I wanted to do it the budget was about

two lakhs to three lakhs we'll book an

auditorium we'll call some Achievers

then I was like okay

we'll do it a little bigger then I

thought okay we'll approach some

celebrities to come in I mean everybody

will get to know about it then I was

like

then we thought okay why not we go pan

Karnataka and start promoting and

calling for nominations

but vitamin M was Zero I went you know

my husband is Rich but I did not get

married for that huh

but I own a net worth equal right now

with my own okay so yeah

you can't go ask your family or your

husband saying that you're doing an

award ceremony you are giving an awards

some to somebody please give me money

nobody would say yes right so what I had

to do is then we came up with this

sponsorship and all of that you won't

believe it I think more than 120 brands

have rejected us

because I had no idea how to build

Brands I had no idea what sponsorship

deck was I had no idea how to do an

event of that large scale

but guys six months down the lane we and

my team a group of friends

used to call Brands wait for hours big

Brands but Chota soch nahita

and thinking was never small we used to

call only big Brands you name the top

brands we used to call and used to be

like tall numbers marketing managers

everybody always rejection at the end of

the day we used to sit and like it's not

gonna work it's not gonna work it's not

gonna work then I said let's not give up

we'll go which again

I went and I sat in front of a one of

the top jewelry brands in Karnataka I

sat there I said listen there's no in

there's no return of investment because

every time you go to a marketing team

they ask what is that we are going to

get I sat in front of them I said listen

there's no return on investment in this

what you get is a return of value

because you are supporting a brand one

of its brand in Karnataka where Awards

cannot be bought

it's the only brand in Karnataka where

even a nomination fees is not charged

and if you want to win Karnataka women

Achievers Awards it's only possible if

you have achieved something

extraordinary I did not say I did not

sell the brand I sold the idea

and guys you won't believe it

you name the top brands I can't name it

here unfortunately which would have

gotten you know more more of interesting

now but you name the top brands first we

got the jewelry brand next we got a tire

brand which is one of which is one of

the part of the biggest cricket Brands

today in India next we got one of the

top brands in the car

after that we had one of the top

Hospital brands you name the brand

associated with women they are

associated with that six months waiting

for brand calls and things like that

later to which today I don't have to

call them I just have to write an email

that this is the date for Karnataka

women Achievers Awards and the brands

are with us this is a journey of belief

right but there was a small test in the

very first year

I said the budget was 2 lakhs right but

guess what the budget went up to 38

lakhs

I was able to raise 26 lakhs in the very

first year

India's ex-prime minister is the chief

guest

S

2 lakhs and from corner of the event you

know small event to becoming an event of

36 lakhs

going forward I had 10 days time

I was short of 12 lakhs wherever I could

I searched I could I could attempt I

tried but was not able to raise the

money you know today Karnataka women

Achievers Awards is a brand people speak

about but that day guess who came in my

favor

my mom who's a government employee broke

her FD of fifty thousand fifty lakhs and

gave me that 12 lakhs to say that

brand create murder and next there will

be so many people who will follow you

and I would say thank you to my mom who

held me that day who supported me that

day who actually said do it I'm gonna be

there for you so that's the power of

women I believe

thank you

[Applause]

so Karnataka women Achievers Awards I

thought

Instagram

they started getting inspired started

saying you know

students like young girls used to come

and say one thing I want to reach there

I want to get that award I want to stand

there holding that award I used to be

like wow this is so nice and it is

inspiring lot of people and that's when

I thought people say dream big dream big

dream big but dream big okay everybody

dreams big in 1.6 billion people in

India everybody dreams big but what's

different is how many of them know how

to achieve that dream

it's very very very less and let me tell

you and I'm sorry to tell you

75 percent of Indians are unskilled

unfortunately there is no skill there's

no communication skill there is no

leadership skill there is no

entrepreneurship skill you finish your

MBA and at the end of MBA you have

campus interview why

what are you doing MBA for

you have campus interview at the end of

the day so I was thinking like this then

we thought

we are recognizing women Achievers to

Karnataka women Achievers Awards and

Indian women Achievers Awards why not

why not we create women Achievers Awards

and that's when I took up my ATD

certification Association for talent

development from USA I'm a trained ATD

certified trainer

I'm a leadership coach I'm a success

Mentor today I have trained over 12 000

students on leadership communication

public speaking and Entrepreneurship

where they can come to our organization

and Academy get trade get certified and

move out with their bright colors so

this has been a journey now you must be

asking what is that from there till here

from a girl

without any background with zero

background with no entrepreneurs

in-house to becoming a first generation

millionaire first generation

entrepreneur this has been a journey

from a girl who couldn't speak English

to today being on tedx speak tedx stage

for the second time this has been a

journey

from a girl

who didn't know how to actually

you know create a brand to a girl who's

been awarded as emerging leader of South

from all the top brands in India so this

has been a journey now you must ask me

what's a way ahead and what's your

Elixir way ahead right now I am the

chief marketing officer of travel mart

my biggest dream to do all of this was I

had a dream of traveling 100 countries

before I die but I was thinking how to

arrange so much money but guess what

today I'm the chief marketing officer of

travel mart and I get invitation from

the travel tourism boards from across

the country come explore our country and

be with us and tell the world how is our

country so this has also been a journey

Elixir for me focusing on three things

the first thing going forward I want to

create Trends tea

Trend that is create Brands creating

personal Brands and creating company

brands and help people create Brands

second thing I want to train a lot of

people with accurate skills which can

help them achieve something in their

life which they want to and travel Trend

train travel this is my way forward well

let me tell you what is my elixir to

keep me going honestly it is

relationship

I don't know how many of you understand

the depth of relationship if I'm

speaking here today

if I wake up happy at my house only then

I can be here who I am

[Applause]

if I'm going to my office

and if I have a good relationship with

my team and with my colleagues and with

my subordinates or the people who are

working with me including my pen that is

when I have a good

space to work

if I go back home if I have a good

relationship with my partner a good

relationship with my family that is when

it helps me sleep peacefully and wake up

peacefully

so for me Elixir is relationship so for

your professional financial and career

growth trust me guys being at 30s this

is my biggest realization having amazing

personal life is what can create a

difference so I wish you all the very

best create a beautiful personal life so

your professional lives becomes much

more beautiful and thank you so much for

having me here to share my journey and

thanks a lot

all the very best

[Applause]