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Abstract

//cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*pTrw_6hK3XseRRW4hHCqQg.jpeg"><figcaption><b>Vidya Sury’s roti smiling at her.</b></figcaption></figure><h2 id="4d20">[5] If you could have a magic wand to zap away one food in life and never have it exist again, what would it be?</h2><p id="8d85">Please don’t let my son read this answer — mushrooms. I don’t know why but I just cannot stand them.</p><h2 id="24d3">Faves?</h2><ul><li><b>Favorite podcast app?</b></li></ul><p id="e4f1">Um… None.</p><ul><li><b>Favorite app on your phone?</b></li></ul><p id="05b7">Google Keep — I love it for note-taking, reminders, jotting down ideas, making lists, and accessibility across devices! And I can save images in it, too!</p><ul><li><b>Favorite piece of technology?</b></li></ul><p id="b0a8">My smartphones. They keep me connected with my friends and the world at large and literally help me run my life.</p><ul><li><b>Favorite person?</b></li></ul><p id="7fe1">My mom — my mentor, my best friend.</p><ul><li><b>Favorite kitchen item?</b></li></ul><p id="640b">My pressure cooker. Queen of my kitchen. Fill it, shut it, forget it. Cooks an entire meal in less than 30 minutes, including prep.</p><h1 id="a590">Articles to share</h1><h2 id="3565">Your top piece last month</h2><p id="d5d2">In July, based on views, it was “<b>Too nice for your own good</b>?”</p><blockquote id="b6a1"><p>Having a shortcoming pointed out is never comfortable in the best of times but being accused of being too nice for your own good always stings a little more. I should know. I believe every one of us is a bit of a <a href="https://vidyasury.com/2015/01/bs-called-people-pleasing.html">people pleaser</a> in varying degrees. And when someone says you are too nice it is not really a compliment. It is a sign that you need to take action to make some behavioral changes.</p></blockquote><blockquote id="55e9"><p><i>Sometimes being too nice is dangerous, you have to show your mean side once in a while to avoid getting hurt.</i></p></blockquote><div id="e54c" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/too-nice-for-your-own-good-600395c91bb2"> <div> <div> <h2>Too Nice for Your Own Good?</h2> <div><h3>Here are 5 reasons why you shouldn’t be.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*GEECwGS57AErGqHc)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="891b">A piece that deserves more love</h2><p id="b778">A personal story.</p><blockquote id="d0a2"><p>If I’ve learned one thing in life, it is this: Nothing is impossible. Or to put it another way, everything is possible. I just need to believe in myself and open my mind to possibilities.</p></blockquote><div id="31ff" class="link-block"> <a href="https://vidyasury.medium.com/second-innings-new-beginnings-dda995dfa639"> <div> <div> <h2>Second Innings, New Beginnings</h2> <div><h3>Sometimes you have to get away to come back stronger</h3></div> <div><p>vidyasury.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*rh8SVyrOd_AkLElgBsAmnA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="5770">A piece that starts with the letter M</h2><div id="6c75" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/mindful-steps-exercise-77824a1db4ac"> <div> <div> <h2>Mindful Steps Exercise</h2> <div><h3>To bring you back to the present moment</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div>

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    </div><h2 id="c960">A piece that is more than 3 minutes</h2><blockquote id="804e"><p>Whether it’s personal life, career or social scenarios, confidence is something everyone needs. Self-confident people tend to be positive. They are not afraid to acknowledge their shortcomings, failures and mistakes. In fact, they learn from them and move on.</p></blockquote><blockquote id="b1d4"><p>I was not always a self-confident person. In fact, I think I am still a work in progress. I would worry about “what if it didn’t….” rather than “what if it did”. Fortunately I had two great teachers — my mom and Life. The lessons were not always easy, but worth learning.</p></blockquote><div id="1789" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/do-you-believe-in-yourself-5fd829977e75">
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            <h2>Do You Believe In Yourself?</h2>
            <div><h3>Here are 7 easy practices I learned to help me build my self-confidence and make it a habit.</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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    </div><h2 id="6113">A poem</h2><p id="a4b7">My favorite forms of poetry are limericks and haiku. Here is a string of Haiku inspired by nature.</p><div id="4239" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://vidyasury.medium.com/from-despair-to-hope-in-haiku-f195b52a1ce6">
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            <h2>From Despair To Hope In Haiku</h2>
            <div><h3>Because what goes down will bounce back up</h3></div>
            <div><p>vidyasury.medium.com</p></div>
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    </div><p id="8d15">The amazing <a href="undefined">Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)</a> churns out fantastic prompts faster than I can write — but I want to insist that I am slow this month only because I am preoccupied with priority offline work. But please do join me in responding to these reflective questions. You’ll be happy you did!</p><div id="ff20" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/august-interview-questions-with-the-brain-is-a-noodle-92cf34114b79">
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            <h2>August Interview Questions with The Brain is a Noodle</h2>
            <div><h3>Egg-cited to get to know you better!</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
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    </div><p id="f4f6">Do read the wonderful responses to the August TBIN Interview under the Twitter tag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/August2021TBINinterview?src=hashtag_click">#August2021TBINInterview</a></p><p id="6776"><a href="https://vidyasury.com"><b>Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles</b></a><b>. Did you smile today?</b></p><p id="0216">I love Medium and the wonderful writers I engage with. Sadly, the Medium Partner Program is not open to writers based in India. One of the reasons I write is to support underprivileged children. <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vidyasury"><b>Would you consider buying me a cup or two of coffee?</b></a> Thank you so much!</p></article></body>

Reflections, Favorite Things, and Some Trumpet-Blowing

August Interview with The Brain is a Noodle

I had no idea this was a monthly thing! When I saw the word interview, I simply assumed it was an…interview! And then, I read Yan Huang’s post How Grey’s Anatomy Has Reminded Me About Breaking Ice And Mental Health and realized — hey, I could do this too! What fun!

I’ve been told I am too talkative for my own good by some folks, while others think I tend to just smile and listen. No, I am not a split personality — my behavior simply depends on who I am with. That said, after I thought I finished writing this post, I was a bit surprised to see that some of the answers were brief. Also, I felt just a bit shy to list the “articles to share”.

But I must say that writing this post felt pretty good — probably because I enjoy self-reflection questions. It is always therapeutic to think about our whys and hows and whats as it can sometimes shift our perspective on situations we are in, right now.

So here are my responses.

[1] What’s a new technique or topic you’d like to try writing about?

This question got me thinking. I’ve written just about all topics and techniques as a freelance writer since 2004. But yes, I would love to write more poetry and short stories. Growing up, I enjoyed creating stories in pictures and I’d like to do that too. And oh! one of my dreams is to write children’s books!

[2] What are your top three values in life? Why are they your main values?

That’s an easy as well as a tough question! I am not going to say authenticity/honesty/integrity — because I think those are a given.

Kindness/compassion, a positive attitude, and consistency immediately come to mind.

Why? To quote The Dalai Lama — kindness is my religion and I practice it with commitment. I believe the world needs a lot of kindness — everyone deserves it. We never know what someone is going through and my hope is that my kindness can make a positive difference.

A positive attitude is important in life, as I have discovered over the years. It has kept me afloat through various tricky and unhappy situations in life. I know we need to be realistic, but for me, combining it with a positive attitude motivates me to put in the effort I need to get results. Also, it helps that I believe every problem has a solution.

Consistency — is the secret of my success, such as it is. I like that people find me dependable because I am committed to everything I do.

[3] If you only had 5-minutes to squeeze in some mental health / self-care time, what would you do?

Grab a cup of coffee, turn on my music playlist and make a list of all the things that are good in my life. Gratitude lists are my favorite self-care strategy and they keep me optimistic.

[4] What is one story, tradition, or myth about death that has been passed down your family?

That the souls of our beloved departed watch over us. At least that’s the part I prefer to believe. Case in point: my mom passed away eleven years ago and I feel as if I can hear her voice sometimes — usually when I am in the kitchen. When I cook, I see smiles and hearts on the food I am making and I take that as a sign that she’s watching over me.

[5] If you could have a magic wand to zap away one food in life and never have it exist again, what would it be?

Please don’t let my son read this answer — mushrooms. I don’t know why but I just cannot stand them.

Faves?

Favorite podcast app?

Um… None.

Favorite app on your phone?

Google Keep — I love it for note-taking, reminders, jotting down ideas, making lists, and accessibility across devices! And I can save images in it, too!

Favorite piece of technology?

My smartphones. They keep me connected with my friends and the world at large and literally help me run my life.

Favorite person?

My mom — my mentor, my best friend.

Favorite kitchen item?

My pressure cooker. Queen of my kitchen. Fill it, shut it, forget it. Cooks an entire meal in less than 30 minutes, including prep.

Articles to share

Your top piece last month

In July, based on views, it was “Too nice for your own good?”

Having a shortcoming pointed out is never comfortable in the best of times but being accused of being too nice for your own good always stings a little more. I should know. I believe every one of us is a bit of a people pleaser in varying degrees. And when someone says you are too nice it is not really a compliment. It is a sign that you need to take action to make some behavioral changes.

Sometimes being too nice is dangerous, you have to show your mean side once in a while to avoid getting hurt.

Too Nice for Your Own Good?

Here are 5 reasons why you shouldn’t be.

medium.com

A piece that deserves more love

A personal story.

If I’ve learned one thing in life, it is this: Nothing is impossible. Or to put it another way, everything is possible. I just need to believe in myself and open my mind to possibilities.

Second Innings, New Beginnings

Sometimes you have to get away to come back stronger

vidyasury.medium.com

A piece that starts with the letter M

Mindful Steps Exercise

To bring you back to the present moment

medium.com

A piece that is more than 3 minutes

Whether it’s personal life, career or social scenarios, confidence is something everyone needs. Self-confident people tend to be positive. They are not afraid to acknowledge their shortcomings, failures and mistakes. In fact, they learn from them and move on.

I was not always a self-confident person. In fact, I think I am still a work in progress. I would worry about “what if it didn’t….” rather than “what if it did”. Fortunately I had two great teachers — my mom and Life. The lessons were not always easy, but worth learning.

Do You Believe In Yourself?

Here are 7 easy practices I learned to help me build my self-confidence and make it a habit.

medium.com

A poem

My favorite forms of poetry are limericks and haiku. Here is a string of Haiku inspired by nature.

From Despair To Hope In Haiku

Because what goes down will bounce back up

vidyasury.medium.com

The amazing Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) churns out fantastic prompts faster than I can write — but I want to insist that I am slow this month only because I am preoccupied with priority offline work. But please do join me in responding to these reflective questions. You’ll be happy you did!

August Interview Questions with The Brain is a Noodle

Egg-cited to get to know you better!

medium.com

Do read the wonderful responses to the August TBIN Interview under the Twitter tag #August2021TBINInterview

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles. Did you smile today?

I love Medium and the wonderful writers I engage with. Sadly, the Medium Partner Program is not open to writers based in India. One of the reasons I write is to support underprivileged children. Would you consider buying me a cup or two of coffee? Thank you so much!