Game On: Cracking the Code of Workplace Dynamics

 

A recent conversation with a friend left me thinking. She’d been feeling low—emotionally drained by some awkward and uncomfortable dynamics at work. Her words hit close to home. Navigating challenging situations in a professional environment can be exhausting, especially when things start to feel personal or out of your control. I’ve been there too, in those moments when twisted words or false narratives shake your sense of safety, making even simple conversations feel risky. After our talk, I felt compelled to reflect on the small but meaningful things that have helped me find peace in similar situations. So, if things feel heavy right now, just know you’re not alone—and there are real ways to find your balance again. At least this helped me to reconnect with a calmer, more centered version of myself.

1. Reframe the Narrative

Instead of seeing yourself as a victim of difficult dynamics, try to reframe it:

• "This is a test of my resilience, not my worth."
• You’re learning how to navigate complex human dynamics — something even seasoned leaders struggle with.

2. Detach Emotionally (But Stay Aware)

Not everything deserves your emotional investment.

• Observe the patterns, but don’t internalize the negativity.
• Ask: Is this about me — or about their insecurity, ambition, or fear?

3. Vent Safely, Reflect Constructively

• Talk to someone you trust—outside of work if possible.
• Journaling also helps. Write what happened, how it made you feel, and what part of your power you’re reclaiming.

4. Reconnect with What You’re Good At

Challenging work dynamics can make you doubt yourself. Push back by:

• Revisiting projects you’re proud of.
• Reminding yourself of the value you bring.

Confidence is a quiet resistance to nonsense.

5. Focus on Your Growth, Not Their Games

• Take the high road — it’s not weakness, it’s wisdom.
• Use the situation to sharpen emotional intelligence, diplomacy, and strategic patience.

6. Protect Your Energy

• Set boundaries. You don’t need to be available for gossip or manipulation.
• Make time for activities and people that refill your emotional tank.

7. Decide What’s Next—Proactively

• Stay, but on your terms! Prepare to move on!
  Even just knowing you have options gives you strength.

8. Pause and Protect Your Mind

·       First, silence the self-blame.

·       You’re being made a target because others are either insecure or trying to shift attention.

Reminder: Being quiet and honest is not a weakness. It’s a strength at a place where noise is mistaken for importance.

9. Watch, Don’t Withdraw

It’s tempting to go into isolation mode, but silence can also be misinterpreted. Instead:

• Stay calm, composed, and observant.
• If someone approaches you, respond in a grounded, neutral tone.

10. Don’t Let Fear Mute Your Voice

Fear is normal in situations like this—but if you let it shrink you, the false narrative wins. So:

• Speak up in meetings when it matters.
• Keep showing up with integrity and doing your job well.
• Let your consistency be louder than the gossips.

11. Affirm Your Values

Ask yourself:

• Who do I want to be in this environment?
• What kind of energy do I want to bring, regardless of theirs?

Even if others act small, you can choose grace and clarity. That’s leadership.

12. Check: Is This the Right Place for You?

If this pattern continues and there’s no psychological safety, it’s fair to ask:

• Am I growing here — or shrinking?
• Do I feel respected — or managed by fear?

It’s not quitting to consider healthier spaces. It’s strategy.

13. Want a Small Action Plan?

Here’s a 3-step move you can use right now:

1. Control your core circle – Only speak openly with people you trust. Be polite with others, but careful.
2. Draft 1-2 neutral, clarifying responses – Ready-made lines to gently shut down false assumptions.
3. Document your wins and work output – Your consistency is your defense. Keep it professional and clear.

You are not powerless. You’re being tested—and the way you move through this with quiet strength, dignity, and self-respect is going to shape you into someone even more unshakeable.

A friendly reminder: you don’t need more information, just courage

 

Here is a compilation of sentences/ conversations/ phases/ quotes that gave me chills and taught me that its just the courage that keeps us moving… moving in the right direction.

A man asked a gardener why his plants grew so beautifully.

The gardener said:

“I don’t force them to grow.

I remove what stops them.”

 

When the road gets bumpy,

You don’t leave the car,

You put your seat belt on.

 

We romanticize the stars,

But forget the dark is what

Made them visible.

 

One day, you’ll realize that

No one was really watching,

And you could have done

Whatever you wanted.

 

If you mattered to them,

You wouldn’t be asking

If you mattered to them.

 

It’s funny how day by day

Nothing changes, but when

You look back everything is

So different.

 

The cost of never taking a

Risk is spending the rest of

your life wishing you had.

 

Someone asked me:

“What’s your favorite place?”

I don’t have a favorite place.

I have my favorite people.

And whenever I’m with them,

It becomes my favorite place.

 

You find your rhythm when

You realize that even the steps

Backward were part of the

Dance.

 

The day the blind man sees,

the first thing he throws away

is the stick that helped him

all his life. 

 

Answer to "Where to start when simplifying your life?"

 If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to simplifying your life, ask yourself, “What do I want less of in my life?” and “What do I want more of in my life?” The answers to the these questions will help you know where to start. If you still aren’t sure, take a look at the different elements of your life and identify what causes you the most stress. It might be clutter, health, money, work, relationships or something else. It may even be all of those (it was for me) but still one was always the most stressful. Simplifying the most stressful thing naturally removes stress from the other stuff too.

Here are a few places to start.

 Prioritize your relationships. Our relationships with others can be a source of joy and fulfillment, but they can also be a source of stress and frustration. Take some time to evaluate your relationships, and prioritize those that are positive, supportive, and meaningful. Let go of relationships that are toxic, draining, or unfulfilling or set boundaries so the relationships are healthier. This will give you more time and energy to invest in the relationships that truly matter.

  Simplify your routines. We all have daily routines, such as getting dressed, making breakfast, and getting ready for the day. Try to streamline your routines by creating a morning and evening checklist. This will save you time and energy, and help you start and end your day on a more positive note. If you aren’t sure where to start, think about the things you do over and over again each day. There is great opportunity to simplify in those areas.

Reduce your possessions. Our homes are often filled with possessions that we don’t really need or use. Consider getting rid of anything that you don’t use or enjoy, or that no longer serves a purpose. This can include old books, unused kitchen gadgets, and duplicates of items that you already own. By reducing your possessions, you will have less to clean and maintain, and more space to enjoy.

Slowing your schedule, prioritizing self-care and/or setting boundaries with others (or yourself), these will speak to you. May they provide inspiration, motivation and even some relief to know you are not alone when you bump up against things when letting go and changing your lifestyle.

 

Weaving our daily webs

 

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." 

- Matsuo Basho

Behind our house, there’s a yard. Each morning, clouds rise from the valley. Dew covers small spider webs in the grass, making them shine. The webs are made of many tiny threads. By noon, the dew is gone. By sunset, most of the webs disappear too. So much effort and beauty rising and falling unnoticed.

I started thinking about my countless little daily efforts that go unnoticed. Preparing the meals, packing the lunches, cleaning the counters organizing the scattered things and clutter, making the bed, tidying my inbox, folding laundry, … to what end? It’s a question that I’ve asked myself - and have been asked by others - a lot. I think it’s a question that comes from the mistaken belief that there is some end.

Life isn’t a product, but a practice. Spiders weave their fading webs not for the future but for a future. They weave, wait, repair because that’s what it takes to live. Their webs often catch nothing, they get damaged or totally destroyed. All of their efforts will disappear over time, and that’s totally natural.

We have cultivated a rather unnatural context of effort. Much of our effort has become commoditized and transactional. We work for money. We workout for health. We learn for skills. We share for likes. We eat for enjoyment. This context causes suffering in three significant ways.

First, transactional efforts set expectations that are increasingly difficult to meet. The more we expect from what we do, the more likely we are to be disappointed. Be it career, relationships, travel, health, wealth, social media has set our expectations impossibly high in almost every dimension. When we compare our effort and results to the world, it often leaves us feeling chronically less than, disappointed, frustrated, bitter, demotivated, resentful.

Secondly, we do fewer things for their own sake. Focusing on outcomes often diminishes the process. Doing the bed just to get it done isn’t fun. Doing it while listening to a podcast, or to calm the space is enjoyable. 

Lastly, the “to what end” mindset can opaque the very answers we’re looking for, and they are hiding in plain sight.

When we simply stop doing these fleeting activities, the quality of our life drops dramatically. Be it our homes, relationships, or health, what we don’t care for, deteriorates. Not only this, but all that shimmers in our life today is the legacy of the countless strands - no matter how thin, thankless, or transient - we spun day after day after day. To what end? Look around. Everything we love in our life is resulted from countless forgotten efforts. Forgotten, not meaningless.

We often practice beating ourselves up for the things we got wrong. What if we practiced being grateful for the person who allowed you to enjoy a clean house, a healthy meal, a resilient relationship? It all took a lot of work, most of which is invisible to all but you.

By acknowledging our tiny efforts today, we create the conditions to have more trust, compassion, and even love for ourselves tomorrow. Though our efforts are fleeting, these qualities are timeless, and it’s much easier to practice life with someone you’re grateful for.

Thank you for taking the time,

Tanu

Life's Little Joys

                                                              The beauty of

‘Ghar Pahuch ke call karna’

‘Main hu na’

‘Chai peeni hai’

‘Beta tere bina ghar khali lagta hai’

‘Khana time se kha lena’

‘Time do sabb theekh ho jaayega’

‘Tumharey saath sabb achha lagta hai’

‘Sabb theekh hai na?’

‘Yaad hai na hum?’

‘Aaj pata hai kya hua?’

‘Smell of the geeli mitti’

‘Aaj jaldi ghar aana’

‘Tum sirf milney ka time batao’

‘Mumma pata hai aaj kya hua?’

‘Apna dhyaan rakhna’

‘Wo Ivy ke lunch ka poora khatam hona’

‘Wo Nea ka teddy wala hug’

The Saree Story: A Journey of Creativity and Uniqueness

 

Allow me to share yet another enchanting tale from my ever-growing collection of saree stories—one that truly epitomizes the serendipitous beauty of fashion and creativity.

It all began with a blouse I received alongside a different saree. However, my tailor, in his artistry, selected a contrasting shade of pink fabric to craft the design I had envisioned. Unfortunately, I failed to provide the exact colour specifications of the saree when I shared the design, merely indicating the shade I wanted. This seemingly small oversight, however, proved fortuitous, as it presented me with an unexpected opportunity—an excuse, if you will—to find a new saree that perfectly complemented the blouse.

Thus, my search commenced. But despite scouring numerous shops, I could not find a saree that met my requirements.

Then, on a seemingly ordinary day, during a visit to a fabric store, I discovered a bolt of organza running fabric that was an impeccable match for my blouse’s hues. The fabric—a delicate shade that mirrored the softness of spring blooms, blending shades of orange and pink—was a perfect complement to the blouse’s floral pattern, with the same subtle yet striking tones.

Yet, as with all journeys of discovery, the challenge had only just begun. The fabric, though stunning, was organza—so light and ethereal that it seemed to float in the air. The very moment I draped it, the song "Hawa Mein Urta Jaye" seemed to play in the background, such was the sheer weightlessness of the fabric. The lightness, while exquisite, posed a challenge when it came to managing the pleats and the pallu—both of which, due to their delicate nature, were prone to shifting and losing form.

Thus, the quest for a solution began. This led me from the fabric shop to a lace store, where I explored a myriad of possibilities. After much deliberation, I decided to enhance the saree with green piping along its borders and to affix a heavy metallic lace trim to the end of the pallu. The lace would not only keep the pallu in place but also impart a regal, finished touch to the ensemble.

The result was nothing short of magical. What began as a happy accident transformed into a uniquely styled saree that remains unmatched. Each time I wear it, I am showered with compliments, not just for its beauty, but for its exclusivity—there truly is no other saree quite like it.

In the accompanying photographs, I have endeavoured to capture every intricate detail of this journey—each element a testament to the creativity and innovation that brought this saree to life.

I encourage you all to embrace these avenues of creativity, to explore and experiment with your apparel, and to revel in the uniqueness that comes with truly bespoke fashion. The possibilities are endless—let your imagination run wild!

Insights that drive my journey

 Over time, I’ve gathered countless lessons from both life’s challenges and triumphs. These lessons have shaped my mindset, helping me grow stronger, more focused, and more at peace. Below, I’ve compiled a few key insights and goals that have become central to my journey. They reflect what I've learned and how I strive to live each day with intention and purpose.

Give It to God and Stop Worrying

When you trust in higher power and surrender your worries, you free yourself from anxiety and stress. Letting go of control and placing your concerns in God's hands allows you to find peace and embrace faith in the unfolding of life.

God Rebuilds You in Front of Those Who Broke You

In times of hardship, God’s power can transform your pain into strength, often in the very presence of those who once caused your suffering. This divine restoration serves as a testament to your resilience and a reminder that you are never alone in your journey of healing.

Elevate in Silence and Peace

True growth and success often come from inner reflection and quiet progress. By choosing silence and peace over noise and chaos, you allow your actions to speak louder than words, gradually elevating yourself without seeking validation from others.

I celebrate me LOUDLY, I don’t care if nobody claps. I’ll clap

Embracing your own achievements and progress without waiting for external validation is empowering. When you celebrate yourself, you take pride in your journey, and even if others don’t acknowledge it, your own applause is the most important — it’s a reminder that your worth is not dependent on others' recognition.

I don’t have to fix anything, I didn’t break

This statement is a powerful reminder of self-acceptance and resilience. You don’t need to change or fix yourself to fit anyone else’s expectations because you are already whole, and any challenges faced by you have only strengthened you, not broken you. Don’t bother about pleasing everyone.

Some Doors were Closed for a Reason, Stop Knocking

When certain opportunities or paths close, it’s often for your own protection and growth. Instead of insisting on entering, trust that something better is ahead and focus on doors that are meant for you, allowing life to guide you toward what's truly aligned with your journey.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Expensive

Recognize your value and don’t settle for less than what you deserve. Embrace your worth confidently, knowing that you bring unique qualities, talents, and experiences that are worth appreciating, even if it means that not everyone will understand or agree with your price.

How You Make Others Feel Says a Lot About You

The way you treat and uplift others reflects your character and values. Showing kindness, respect, and empathy reveals your inner strength and emotional maturity, demonstrating that how you impact others matter more than what you achieve for yourself.

Don’t be a football of others’ opinion

Meaning don't let other people's judgments or views control your actions or emotions. Just like a football is kicked around, don't allow others to push you in different directions based on their opinions. Stay true to yourself and make decisions based on your values, not external pressures.

Striving to Become a Calm Woman in Every Situation

Desiring calmness in all situations reflects a deep inner strength and emotional maturity. Cultivating peace within yourself allows you to respond thoughtfully, rather than react impulsively, creating a sense of balance and control no matter the circumstances.

Things Get Harder Just Before You Level Up

Challenges often intensify when you're on the brink of growth, testing your resilience. These tough moments are signs that you're about to break through, and with perseverance, you'll come out stronger and more capable, ready to reach the next level of your journey.

Goals: Work, Pray, Discipline, Consistency

Achieving success requires a balanced approach. Work hard to pursue your dreams, pray for guidance and strength, maintain discipline to stay focused, and be consistent in your efforts. Together, these elements create a powerful foundation for growth and accomplishment.