The Spinning Top - Inspiration marinated in Humor & Satire - A Life & Work Podcast by Shafali Anand

Episode 17 :: Have you ever been trolled on social media for the unforgivable lapse of not being politically correct? Have you had your fill of intolerant jerks, who love to start feasting on your tiniest goof-ups? Do you, secretly of course, feel that being on social media is a pain-where-it-hurts-the-most, because what you say online could be misconstrued? If you’ve thought and re-thought whether you were treading upon toes, while making a simple social media post, then join me in this episode of The Spinning Top. In this episode, I talk about the importance of letting it slide. Join me on a slightly nostalgic and frightfully truthful podcast about the intolerance that’s growing unabated – fueled, of course, by the digital anonymity of Internet. If you like The Spinning Top, then subscribe or follow it on a podcasting app of your choice. You can leave a voice comment at http://anchor.fm/shafali-anand or a comment to share your thoughts. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Thank you! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 16 :: Punjabis are aggressive… Artists are shabby… Professors are absent-minded… Bengalis are nerds… Women gossip… Wives…you know... Local brands? Don’t waste your money! Dark complexion....ummm... The list can go on and on and on… And you know what? It’s all stereotyping. Why do we do it? Actually, we don’t. Our brain does it for us. Unfortunately, not all stereotyping is good, but to tell your brain to stop all stereotyping is not just impossible, it's also inadvisable. Stereotyping is born of generalization - and brain generalizes stuff to learn better - and to simplify future decision-making. But we could do help our brain reduce the negative stereotyping. In this episode, we will talk about age, gender, and community stereotypes and establish internal dialog as a way to keep ourselves from negative stereotyping. If you like The Spinning Top podcast, please like, subscribe, follow, rate, review, and share with your likeminded friends. You can connect with Shafali through http://shafalianand.com A Merry Christmas to you! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 15 :: Are you bored? Are you looking for a change? Or a transformation that gives you a new life? Have you been thinking of changing your job? Have you been contemplating a move to a new city? Have you been bored of your life…or parts of your life, at least? Worse still, are you becoming bored of your spouse of decades? Boredom is a killer that everyone wants to kill, but the methods that we employ to kill it, can sometimes feed on our happiness. If you too have been feeling stuck in a life that has been going on unchanged for a very long time, then this episode of The Spinning Top podcast could help you decide what you want to do. Remember that the sum of small changes is often bigger than one big change, and some judicious decision-making can help you avoid some head-on collisions! If you like this episode, do listen to other episodes, and subscribe to The Spinning Top or follow it. Thank you. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 14 :: Have you found it difficult to continue pouring effort into an endless pit without knowing if it would ever get filled? Have you experienced the high and the low tides of motivation – flooding your existence in one moment and leaving you with a feeling of hopelessness, the next? Have you found yourself questioning the rationale of working day after day, doing something that empirically has a very low chance of success? Entrepreneurs feel it all the time, so do writers, artists, singers, bloggers… in fact anyone who must toil for a fruit that may eventually turn out to be a mirage. And yet…because this is the only way to get where we aspire to reach, we must continuously fuel our motivation to toil – to put in the effort. This episode illustrates the three facets of Krishna’s advice through experiences and stories. If you too love Krishna and believe that his words from Bhagwad Geeta are timeless and forever contextual, you’ll enjoy listening to this episode just as I enjoyed creating it. If you like listening to The Spinning Top, inspire me by spreading the word. New episodes are published every Tuesday and Friday, so in order to get notified, please subscribe or follow it on a podcasting app of your choice. The Spinning Top is now also available on YouTube, so if it’s your favorite listening platform, you can also follow it at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIORMWMGlsXaeRY0fBWCYpQ And I’d love it if you left me a voice comment at: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand If you’d like to connect with me outside this little time-box, please visit shafalianand.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 13 :: If you are a working professional, there’s a good chance that you know about the oh-so-seductive to-do lists already! A daily to-do list helps us stay on track with our tasks and ensures that we don’t slip. It helps us manage our time judiciously and also ensures that we don’t forget anything! But there’s a catch. A to-do list must be created right – only then it stays effective. Just jotting down a few points and ticking them off isn’t sufficient. A great to-do list helps us improve our skills, allows us to prioritize, and enables us to carry forward tasks that slip through the cracks. In this episode, I talk to you about to-do lists. I’ve been using them for the last two-decades and I think they’ve been my companion, mentor, and guide. I share three must-dos for the to-do lists – and I think you must check this episode out – regardless of whether you use to-do lists or not. If you enjoy The Spinning Top podcast, please follow it on a podcasting app of your choice. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Radio Public, Overcast, Google Podcasts; and on Youtube too. If you’d like to connect with me, please find me at http://shafalianand.com Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, please like, share, and comment. The Spinning Top is available on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 12 :: My dear listener, if you know me from life and if The Spinning Top makes you uncomfortable – either because of its choice of topics or because of its edgy and satirical nature, or even because it shows me as a goofball…I want to ask you to hang on and keep spinning – with me or without me. In this personal note, I talk to you about making and breaking images – about learning to accept who we are, and about spinning the best we can. You are welcome to connect with me and send me your thoughts on life and work through http://shafalianand.com. If you listen to your podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcast or Google Podcasts…please follow it there or at http://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/, where you can also leave a voice-comment. If you’d like your voice comment to remain personal and if you won’t want me to use it – please let me know in the comment and I promise that I won’t include it in any of the future episodes. You can also listen to The Spinning Top on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 Thank you. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 11 :: If you are a lefty, rejoice, because people around you envy the fact that to look different, all you need to do is be yourself. In this episode marinated in irony and satire, a lefty-ambi shares her feelings on being a lefty and talks about the challenges of existing as a lefty in a world that’s designed for the right-handed majority. Lefties are about 10% of the world population – and many have grown up in societies where the left has symbolized evil, and where the left hand is never used for anything pious or good…and in these societies, lefties are a silent but brilliant minority continuously adapting and mastering their right-leaning environments. If you are a lefty or you know a lefty, listen to this episode and share it with the lefties you know. The Spinning Top is available on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 And if your favorite podcasting app isn’t here, you should check it out at https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand You can reach out to Shafali at: http://shafalianand.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 10 :: Do you know what being micro-managed is like? When your manager lingers about your work-desk or pulls a chair next to you, and tells you what should be done, critically examines every little thing you do, and essentially robs you of all the happiness that you could’ve gotten from your work, you are being micro-managed. In this episode, join me on a trip into my past to meet my micro-manager, let off your steam by talking about micro-managers of all sorts, and then leave with a four-step tried and tested process to manage and survive your micro-manager. If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe or follow, and do whatever your podcasting app allows to you do, so that we may stay connected. New fun-filled yet soul-connecting episodes of The Spinning Top are published every Wednesday and Friday. The Spinning Top is available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIORMWMGlsXaeRY0fBWCYpQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 And if your favorite podcasting app isn’t here, you should check it out at https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

Episode 9 :: Do you want to wake up early? Do you want to savor those peaceful and serene moments of the morning, when night embraces the day? And for achieving this...are you ready to sacrifice the most beautiful part of your sleep? And if you are…there must be a reason – a good enough reason, that will keep you from falling back into your old late rising habit. I rise early - and these days, I am up really early - at  3 AM...and I know that it isn't easy - and there are days when I'd rather not leave the comfort o my bed - but on most days, I'm at my desk by 3:30 AM. In this episode, I share my three-pronged strategy to not just wake up early, but to do it on a sustained basis. If you’ve been struggling to get the waking-up-early-bit right – then let Shafali talk you into it. And yes, keep a piece of paper and a pen handy. You’d like to note down the three important steps. You are, of course, welcome to write to me about your personal successes and failures with waking up early. I’d love to share your thoughts in my future podcasts. Please find me at http://shafalianand.com If you listen to your podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcast or Google Podcasts…please follow it there or at http://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/ You can also listen to The Spinning Top on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIORMWMGlsXaeRY0fBWCYpQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 Thank you :) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message

:Episode 8:: Previously, in Episode 2 – The Boss-Monster Part-1, we talked about taming the Boss-Monster by figuring out the skills that you have or haven’t in common with your boss. In this Episode, we once again return to meet the Boss-Monster and talk about the boss’s behavioral traits. We discuss the two top traits and how we can maintain our sanity while working with bosses who love to take credit for the work we do – or who are nasty and abusive and make our existence at work a misery. But I leave the micro-managing boss for another episode – because I feel that among all kinds of bosses that God has placed in our path, the one who tests our patience to hell and back, is the micro-manager. So if you have a monster of a boss – this episode is for you. You can listen to The Boss-Monster Part-1 at: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/episodes/The-Boss-Monster---Part-1-elurfi Or just scroll back to Episode 1 of The Spinning Top in your current podcasting app. This podcast by Shafali Anand is her teatime conversation with an imaginary you, in which she talks about her own experiences with life and talks about falling down and then getting up to get going. In the times of the pandemic, work-from-home causes a bit of tension and stress, but provides a safety net too. As our normal lives stay halted and we remain in animated suspension – it’s important to talk – to inspire and motivate ourselves and others, to handle conflict that we didn’t know existed, experience failures and successes of a different sort – and try to fill our own lives and lives of our loved ones, with positivity, confidence, self-respect, and happiness. Have fun with it and I’d love to hear from you on boss-monsters. As I said before – even anonymous venting helps. Find me at http://shafalianand.com If you listen to your podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcast or Google Podcasts…please follow it there or at http://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/ You can listen to The Spinning Top on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIORMWMGlsXaeRY0fBWCYpQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MiZIIdOWkdDibVUERgYmr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-spinning-top-spin-to-win/id1537753873 I hope you enjoy this podcast and find it helpful, and yes, be a gem and share with your other boss-trodden friends. Reach me at http://shafalianand.com Thank you :) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shafali-anand/message