Meghna Dixit, Lifestyle blogger at www.lovelifelittleone.com

Tell us about Love Life Little One? What inspired you to start this blog?

It all started with my motherhood. To give you a background of me, I was a workaholic, ambitious and a successful corporate senior executive, before I decided to bring a child in our life. It was my decision to quit my job, take a sabbatical from my career and stay at home to become a full- time mom. The transition was very gratifying and being a mother still feels like the most beautiful role, but the challenges were real. There were times of insecurity, depression, fear, worries, and loneliness. Being an Expat away from the family, I found solace connecting with other mothers, over the internet. I started releasing my emotions through words and hence started my Facebook Page, called Diaper, Drama & Mama’s hugs. I received such warm response, so many followers, some bloggers awards too and that’s when I decided to launch my website and blog, Love, Life & the little one. Today I have about 17k followers, readers across all platforms of my blog and social media.

Who is a person that you considered as a role model early in your life? How and why does this person impact your life?

My grandparents had the most impact on my life during my foundation years. Being the first grandchild, and a girl, I was loved beyond words. But my grandparents never really spoilt me. Being a brat was not an option. I was taught to be polite, to be kind and to be confident. My grandmother is my first role model. She was a modern woman even back in her time. She is resilient, always learning new things, extremely confident and an extrovert. Because my parents moved to Africa during my teenage years, I was practically raised by my Grandmother. I have inherited her quirky sense of humor, her zest for life, her wisdom quotes, her recipes and hopefully her strength and positivity. She is my Shero.

If you are in a bad mood, do you prefer to be left alone or have someone to cheer you up?

I hate bad moods. They are such a waste of time. I am obsessed with being positive and I choose happiness over anything. But bad mood comes, and then I look for a silent cozy corner. In my home, there is this Chair next to the window, by the alter, overlooking the Dubai Marina. That is my go to space to battle bad mood. I sit there. I cry it out or just have a conversation with God. I breathe. I listen to music or watch some funny videos on Youtube. And if I am feeling the emotions very strongly, I write. I like to deal with my bad mood myself.

How do you spend your weekends?

I love my weekends. My husband works long hours during the weekday, so the weekend is our ‘we’ time. My parents live in Dubai, so come Thursday evening, they take my little one to their home for her weekend with her grandparents. My husband and I then go out, eating, clubbing, to the movies or sometimes, just stay at home, talk, play board games or Netflix and chill.  Then, the second day of the weekend is when my husband likes to spend time with our little one. We do something together as a family, or sometimes, he takes some quality alone time with our daughter and I get my “ Me Time” to write, work on my blog in solitude.

What’s the one thing that people always misunderstand about you?

I am honest. And many a time my blatant honesty has hurt people. My honesty has often been called my arrogance. I give you an instance if you ask me, Do you like this view? I am very much capable of saying “No, I don’t”. It’s nothing personal, it’s just what I honestly feel. Though with age and experience, I am learning to be politically correct and sometimes, just smile and change the topic.

What personal goals are on your bucket list this year?

I have 3 main personal goals this year:

1. Learn something new
2. Travel to a place I have not traveled before
3. Imbibe and achieve a healthy lifestyle.

I am working on all 3 goals at this time.

If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they be? Why?

Grass is always greener on the other side. We all think someone else has it easier and better than us but we all have our own demons to fight. I like my shoes and I am working on making them as comfortable to walk the rest of the journey of my life, so no, I am not getting into anybody’s shoes. But if you insist, I think, I will spend a day being “My daughter”. I will understand her little emotions and expectations better. It will help me Mom her even better in future.

What’s one thing your mother/father taught you that completely changed your life?

Everything that I am now, or I know today is the direct result of my upbringing and conditioning. Parents play such an important role in shaping up our personality, something I realize now, that I am a parent myself. I owe my self-confidence to my Dad. He allowed me to be me. As a kid, I decided to not eat meat, for emotional reasons and he respected it. Never forced me to be anything I didn’t want to be, whether it was my choice of subjects at high school, or my career or my choice of man I married. He believed in me and that has been a life-changing motivator.

My mom, on the other hand, has taught me to be compassionate. Honestly, I am still not as kind or empathetic as her, but she has taught me to treat people with respect no matter if they are rich or poor. She is a true humanitarian and I have learned to be a better person, thanks to her.

What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid?

When I was 3, I wanted to be an Ice-cream vendor, because I had severe tonsillitis and hence was not allowed to eat ice-creams or anything cold. When I was 10, I wanted to be a Bollywood heroine. I was awestruck by Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, the leading ladies of 90s. When I was in high school, I wanted to do MBA and be the head of Human Resources department. I did just that, and reached the Head of Department position in HR, within 5 years of passing out from B-school.

What is your physical and mental wellbeing routine?

I believe in the saying, “You are what you eat”. So, I am very conscious of what I feed my body, because it has an impact on my mind too. I was a vegetarian but now for the last 2 months, I have turned Vegan. I do occasionally cheat, but I enjoy my Vegan lifestyle. My body is loving it too. I also workout at least 3 days a week. I enjoy weight training. I feel strong and happy. I also do Pilates and that’s my happy exercise. If too busy to workout, I just play some peppy music and dance with my daughter.

Mental wellbeing: I breathe. Seriously, do you know how many times we don’t breathe like we must? So, I very consciously, just sit down and take deep breaths. I write. I pray. And though I do not know how to still meditate, I just sit down on the floor, cross-legged and recite some mantras, or say affirmations out loud. It works!

What is the most important characteristic that every leader should possess?

A leader should be unbiased. A leader should know the goal but should also have the interest and wavelength to get his team does the thinking too. A dogmatic leader is just a dictator and that’s not very conducive if you want a cohesive competent environment. A leader should lead by words and action. A leader should reward and motivate and correct too. A leader gives credit when due. A leader builds more leaders. In short, a true leader is a coach, a mentor, and a role model.

What is your favorite quote? 

“We are like magnets- like attract like. You become AND attract what you think”

What’s your philosophy in life?

My philosophy is to Live your life, knowing it will end someday soon. The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better days ahead. Live today, tomorrow will get better anyway.

What’s your favorite book/movie of all time and why did it speak to you so much?

My favorite book, hands down is “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I got it as a gift, at a time, when I was going through a bad relationship. That book made me realize that life is beautiful. That your purpose in life is not to stay unhappy to please others. It gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams. To believe in myself and to choose a life of my own making. Good food, spiritual connection, and self-love can cure every broken heart. Every woman in her 20s should read Eat Pray Love.

I am a self-confessed cinephile, so there are so many movies that I have loved and relished and learned from. Choosing one is so very difficult. But, I love “The Pursuit of Happyness” It is a heartfelt story of a survivor, a single father, and there is so much to learn from it. I cry every time I watch it and I take away more strength and positivity from this movie, every single time too. A must watch for sure!

What is a relationship (whether professional or personal) deal breaker for you?

Lies. I have an inbuilt antenna to detect lies. Because honesty is my strongest virtue, it is difficult for me to digest willful lies. So, if I cannot trust you, I cannot work with you or stay in a relationship with you. It’s that simple really.

What is your all-time pet peeve?

Dirty nails. Eww. That and people eating making loud noises with their mouth open. More eww.