When it comes to pursuing one’s dreams, it takes a courageous individual to truly go after them. It requires exceptional people to not only dream big, but to transform those dreams into fruition. Pursuing one’s dreams requires tons of endurance, persistence, and belief. It means that one has to envision that a goal will, come true. While we continue to envision that goal, there is a period of work and repetition, taking place. Creating and re-creating those tedious details, when it comes to ensuring that every step along the way is important; as it pertains to our ability to stay on track for that goal. Not every one is able to do that. Which means that getting goals is. . .hard. Well, it’s supposed to be.
When we decide to go after our goals, go get our goals, all too often, people do not understand that getting goals is tedious work. And, it is the completion of this work, which sets apart those of the mediocre persuasion-who settled for what life handed to them; and those who used what life handed them to go get something bigger. That’s why achieving goals is. . .hard.
Once we end up achieving our dreams, there is a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes into mind. Knowing that we have reached our final hurdle. Understanding that we can dig to that next level. Meditating in realizing that there were others, who paved the way for us to take our goals even further. That is the fuel, which gets our dreams pressing on, to an ongoing state. Because the truth of the matter is that there are no limitations when getting and going for our goals. Nothing limiting, at all.
When it comes to one particular “go-getter,” being ambitious definitely has no specific age. From childhood, to our teenage years, and even to our early 20’s, the beauty of creating (while entering into the adult world) is limitless. For one energetic, determined, young woman, it wasn’t a question as to when she would get there; moreso than how she would get there. Coming from an Indian family, and carrying on the legacy of her family, as a first-generation U.S. citizen, this entrepreneur made it an opportunity to delve hard-in getting what she wanted. In honor of 2020’s Women’s Herstory Month, founder and CEO of The Das Media Group,
Shinjini Das
tells us the healing power of going and getting the desires of your dreams.
Lauren K. Clark: At 24 years old, most people are working a steady job, trying to pursue a career in school, or what have you. What mentalities and spiritual growth did you have in your 20’s, which nourished your abilities to create your own media company at 24?
Shinjini Das: The frustration at the lack of career opportunities and possibilities of advancement for young women of color in America pushed me towards media entrepreneurship a little faster than I would have liked. The clarity of vision has been important to consolidate. Growing up as an introvert, I invested the majority of the time in myself and into my own thoughts. So, I am very comfortable with solitude, reflection, and visionary styles of thinking. That has helped me identify a need in the marketplace of thoughtful, empowering, intellectual, and educational content to motivate go-getters to go get their goals, as we look to build our own media platform; with content verticals designed to help a go-getter “go get goals,” in a variety of different areas.
Lauren K. Clark: As the Founder and CEO of The Das Media Group, what do you do to ensure that the company maintains a nurturing and therapeutic environment for your team?
Shinjini Das:. Building a nurturing, and innovative environment. Most importantly, positive, calming, empowering culture is very important to me as a go-getter and media company founder. I have made it a point to enable and empower my team to make independent choices about their deliverables, a luxury in most companies. I want their unique viewpoints, thoughts, and ethos to reflect in our messaging, content, graphic design, photography, and digital platform. So far, my team has amazed me with their capabilities. The more my team feels independently valued, the more they will continue to feel nurtured and excited about our mission to motivate go-getters to get their goals.
Lauren K. Clark: “I fell in love with myself. That’s not egotistical. That’s something we should all be proud to say.”-Shinjini Das in Forbes Magazine. What would you say is the difference between ego and self-confidence? How does the ego bring destructive energy and stress in the workplace?
Shinjini Das: Self-love and self-respect are both critical to success as an entrepreneur in any industry; specifically, in the media, where so many have an opinion on your business and on your personal brand, every day. Ego manifests itself in the reverence of one individual viewpoint over everyone else’s just for the sake of it happening. Whereas, self-confidence is the idea of elevating your own worth in your own eyes, so that your viewpoint comes from a place of worth. Ultimately, the greatest quality idea is selected-whether that be yours, mine, or hers. Operating with self-love and self-respect is a quality I take very seriously, in who I hire as a freelancer; as well as in myself, as the CEO. Ego creates destructive energy in the workplace by putting people against each other vs. uniting people towards one united goal.
Lauren K. Clark: Kindly speak on your experience and journey as an Indian woman, whose family immigrated to the United States. What part of your Indian culture and spiritual realm do you return to, in order to maintain mental and spiritual balance in your hectic schedule and career?
Shinjini Das: This is a great question! Thank you for respecting my culture. I return to my roots of love, family values, and ultimately, to unite-which guides me, grounds me, and consolidates my belief, that there is more to life than just a career and just to work. Spirituality is also quite important to me. I like to reflect, think, and ponder about the present, future, and our collective past. It’s fun to build the future of media, while thinking about where we have been as a humanity. Indian culture encourages self-reflection and preservation of our core values.
Lauren K. Clark: If you were to take a time machine to the place of that little, Indian girl, before she was to come to the United States, what would you tell her?
Shinjini Das: I would tell her that she belongs in America, and that she has always belonged in America.
Lauren K. Clark: Let’s sit back and play make-believe. If you were to create a Super SHEROE, mythical character, who adequately describes you, who would she be? What would she look like? What are her main attributes and powers?
Shinjini Das: She would be who I am. She would be an industrial engineer on the full-ride President’s Scholarship from Georgia Tech, media company founder at 24, Indian woman, Bengali woman; and she should be creating a space for go-getters in the media, by highlighting intellectual, educational, empowering, and motivational content in media, and then, in Hollywood. Increasing representation of educated professionals like doctors, lawyers, and engineers in mainstream media is important to her. She embodies love and lives with love. She would look like me. Tan, petite, confident, with a radiant smile. Her main powers are her resilient mindset, unlimited radiant energy, and strategic intelligence to overcome obstacles, and win with everyone around her; uplifting everyone around her to go get their goals like go-getters.
Lauren K. Clark: When you are going through periods of stress or frustration with your company, delays, missteps in projects, how do you return to your memoir, “Unapologetically Shinjini: a memoir at 26?”
Shinjini Das: I think that my memoir, Unapologetically Shinjini, a memoir at 26, really shows me who I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. I return to it almost everyday, as I want to ground myself in where I have been to recognize and understand where I am going. My values are represented very clearly in my story. I believe in integrity, honesty, empowerment for all, and ultimately, in motivating everyone to go get their goals. That’s who I am. I return to my story every day, because that is the core essence of my personality, from a young age.
Lauren K. Clark: You were a moderator for a panel at the 2016 Commission On the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters. There are other humanitarian endeavors, that you have partaken in. How has bringing social endeavors allowed you to bring well-being into your work vibe?
Shinjini Das: I think that in the ethos of my media company is grounded this essence of motivating go-getters to go get their goals, because that will elevate the consciousness of the world and ultimately, of every human being, who self-identifies as a go-getter-who is going and getting their goals. Giving back is a part of who we are, and of who I am, too. I am here to elevate the reality of every self-identified go-getter by enabling them to recognize their true potential; and ultimately, of motivating them to go get their goals, by living to their highest potential.
Lauren K. Clark: When examining your company, and the arena of the digital creativity, what do you do as needed improvements for the industry in making it more of a therapeutic arena? What processes can be changed? What do you think should be removed?
Shinjini Das: The major change required to make the digital media arena more therapeutic is to focus on sharing empowering, motivational, and uplifting digital content to help others. Vast majority of the content in this landscape is incredibly divisive, negative, or divisive and negative. As a result, it turns people off, and makes people more fearful of their futures. That is not obviously the world’s goal. So members of society, content creators, should look to churn out more motivational, uplifting, and empowering content to spread via social and digital media. That would be a great, first step. Negativity, divisiveness, and content without substance, should be removed-ASAP.
Lauren K. Clark: During your breaks, and you are taking time out, what is your quiet place-realistically and metaphorically?
Shinjini Das: Solitude.
Lauren K. Clark: If you could change any bad habits that you have in running your company, what would they be? What work are you doing to improve on that?
Shinjini Das: I think waiting on a magical time to scale is the habit that I am moving away from because the time is now. We have put in the time, effort, and energy required to cultivate an audience and that audience is now aware of me, my purpose, and my mission to help them to become their own go-getters, who go and get their goals.
Lauren K. Clark: Listening to the stories and journey of your mothers and grandmothers, how do you channel their wisdom to gain, and secure, foundation in your field?
Shinjini Das: I listen to the wisdom of my grandmothers everyday in my mind. Both are very strong, inspiring, and resilient women, who grew up in India. Each encourages me to fully go-get all of my goals, because they recognize their own sacrifices; that, somewhere, enabled me to be able to be in a position to “go-get” my entrepreneurship goals from 24 up til’ today. I realize that I have to make it because of them. There really is no other option for me. Because it takes a great deal of sacrifice for a family to immigrate, and set up life in a whole other country. I know that I am a “go-getter,” who is placed in this prime spot of adequate privilege to be able to channel my family’s energies to make it as a media entrepreneur.
Dreams become reality for those willing “to get” their goals. Which means that the initial decision to make our dreams a reality is based on a mental state of being. Not only “I can,” but “will do” attitude. The latter requires work, plus the willpower of the mental state. It demands pushing through, even if one is not used to resilience. Which means that consistency and resilience, requires getting used to. Even when one doesn’t feel like doing it. . .do it anyway. Soon, the work doesn’t feel so hard, to do. In fact, it becomes easier because it is familiar. That’s the irony of the go-getter, isn’t it? Digging one’s claws inside of hardened soil. Finding your rhythm until you slowly scrap yourself through the foundation. Softening the soil until it feels like sand, when one’s hands glides through it. And, when you are trying to reach a higher level, to have stepped into another hardened foundation of soiling (one that is harder than the previous one), you do the same process (discovering more tactics) all over again. The levels become more complicated and difficult to reach. Purposefully so! Forcing you to get out of your comfort zone.
So, as the world of go-getters continues to expand, continue to see an expansion in possibilities. Infinite possibilities by those, who dare to create their own desires of success. Those who used what life dealt to them, in order to create more. Designing new worlds that they were not born into. Or, in the case of Shinjini Das, moving to a new world and designing herself, in it. The true Spirit of a go-getter. The true Spirit of going into infinite possibilities in order to develop one’s personal touch (and artistry) in the world of success! And, if those opportunities and possibilities are not in your area, or within your reach, you go out to find them. Just go! Keep going! Go and get what is authentically . . .yours!
To stay up-to-date with Media Mogul and Founder of The Das Media Group-Shinjini Das, check out the link below. http://www.unapologeticallyshinjini.com