Hello everyone! Welcome to THE PEACE STORIES. Today we have Varsha Bagadia with us. Today, she will share her inspirational journey of transformation, meeting a stranger and learning kindness from the encounter, her moments of personal achievements, and a lot more. Come, let’s know her peace story.

A Marwari with a Maharashtrian heart, Varsha has spent her entire life here and loves every bit of it. She is fond of everything from wall painting to sketching and crocheting to gardening and cooking to hitting the gym. Writing is her passion and she expresses herself best through her written word. 

Varsha's Writing Journey:

It started during my school days although back then it was about writing essays, adding my own lines to greeting cards, or random poems that would always get appreciation from teachers, family, and friends. I maintained a diary and wrote in it often. Over the years that culminated in blogging. It’s been 11 years and counting! I’m also planning to release a couple of eBooks on Amazon and hopefully, that will happen soon. 

Varsha 2.0 - The Transformation Story:

I’ve always been on the heavier side and never thought that I could reach where I am today. My transformation didn’t happen overnight. I’ve tried and failed at it many times before. The biggest difference was that I stopped feeling guilty and avoided setting deadlines this time around. 

The ‘Eureka!’ moment was nothing more than a group pic in an event where I stuck out like a sore thumb with my double chin and shapeless baggy clothes. It was now or never for me! I decided to use basic knowledge of workouts from my gym days and found free apps online that could guide me further. 

I went for early morning jogs and followed them up with crunches and leg exercises every day. Most importantly, I monitored my food intake closely while making sure that I ate healthily and didn’t starve. The effects started showing in 2-3 months and thanks to the continued support of family and friends, I haven’t looked back.

While the numbers on the weighing scale mattered, honestly, contentment came from the fact that my hard work yielded results. 

Holding the reins of your life in your own hands is akin to no other joy in the world!

Varsha's Note on Peace: 

Anything that makes me feel at home and makes me happy from within is peace. It could be a place, a person, good food, or even a song. I must admit though that these things keep changing. Don’t we all evolve with time?

The Journey of Self-discovery: 

I embarked on the journey of self-discovery by giving myself priority over others and valuing every single moment I spent with myself. I allowed small experiences that gave me the joy to take a permanent place in my life. 

I never ran in my life but now run three days a week since it makes me happy. Self-discovery is an ongoing process and one of the most interesting ones for me. Sometimes I surprise myself. Isn’t that awesome?

One Beautiful Realization About Storytelling:

Storytelling gives us wings! We can create a sweet or mean character we want and handle its reins with our pen/keyboard. I find this liberating since this allows me to virtually feel emotions that I otherwise possibly wouldn’t. 

Activities for Calming Down the Anxious Mind:

Meditation, cooking, reading, music, playing with my kids, or a good game of squash; different things work at different times. I sometimes sit near my home temple and chant mantras to calm myself down too. 

The Letters Connect - A Letter to the Younger Self:

Don’t underestimate yourself and life will sort itself out. You’re doing great! 

Story of a Stranger:

I was newly married and was traveling alone on a local train for the first time from Navi Mumbai. The crowded Kurla station seemed confusing and overwhelming so I asked a guy about the platform where my train would arrive. He told me and I followed his directions. In a little while, I saw him running down the stairs towards me profusely apologizing for his mix-up. I was at the wrong platform and needed to rush as my train was about to arrive. I thanked him and broke into a run. Luckily the train was late and as I gratefully waved him goodbye, he genuinely smiled. This incident broke the incorrect assumption I had about Mumbaikars. 

Kindness exists in our hearts. There’s goodness everywhere. 

Moments of Personal Achievements:

The last two years have ironically been the most rewarding for me. I ran 8 marathons in 2020 and taught myself baking. 2021 was even better since with Blogchatter I did many new things like being part of a podcast, moderating a session on arthritis, and also completing a couple of blogging challenges. Earlier this year I was a winner of a contest on the Growth Matters Forum. Honestly, every new thing I learn is an achievement for me. Being consistent is also one of them.

A Message to the World:

Life is too short to fight over whose God is mightier, in the end, we will all turn to dust. Just be good humans and let everyone live in peace. 

A Beautiful Realization About Life:

Our biggest and most intimate relationship is with ourselves. I’ve lost friends, had broken relationships, and got distanced from family but never felt alone since I had me. Being self-sufficient is simply wonderful.

Varsha's Gratitude Notes:

I am grateful to life for my health, family, financial security, independence, and education. Everything else is derivative of these in some way. 

(We will add the gratitude notes to our Big Gratitude Jar, where we are collecting all the beautiful things we are grateful for in life.)

TPS: Thank you, Varsha, for being with us and sharing your story with The Peace Stories. We are honored to have you here. Wish you all the best for your journey ahead. May you be guided by peace and purpose.

About the Storyteller:

Mother of two, foodie, fitness lover, reader, agony Aunt, dreamer, and forever Potterhead best describes Varsha. She is a blogger, author, editor, content creator, and independent writer by profession. Check out her famous blog A Vibrant Palette.

About The Peace Stories:

We are building a space for calm and bliss. A space for counting our blessings. A space for just breathing and being. I welcome you all to come along with me to build our very own community of storytellers.

The Peace Stories: Together we smile, together we heal.

Read all the peace stories here.