Here are my takeaways from the book “The Life Lessons Of Kamala Harris: How to use your voice, be assertive and own your story by Hitha Palepu” – Part 4

Here are the tips about focusing on your north stars and being brave:

In Drop the Ball, Tiffany Dufu advises her readers to find their purpose by imagining what will be written on their gravestone. Start with the end in mind.

Talk to yourself, as it helps being more grateful, reframe negative thoughts and get through hard times. Remind yourself of all the things God gave you.

Remember, it is not just okay but absolutely necessary, to have me time and get some space from what is troubling you. If you give yourself space, especially in hard times, you will rebound faster.

As you grow older, the challenges you face will change but if you have your eyes set on your North Star, you will find the way through all the hardships. Resilience is a muscle, and you can make it stronger by exercising it daily.

Have clarity about yourself and don’t let rejection take root in your mind and change the way you see or know yourself. Do not allow anyone tell you who you are, instead you tell them who you are, which takes bravery. Bravery is the choice we make and practice the bravery muscles, on a daily basis to make them stronger and slowly you and others will feel that you are naturally brave. Our bravery muscles become weak if we do not use them enough.

How do we practice bravery?

• Practicing bravery starts with taking care of yourself.
• Another way to practice bravery is to embrace the power of ‘yet’. If you find yourself saying something limiting about yourself, change it by adding yet. E.g. “I am not strong” to “I am not strong yet” etc.
• If you are not feeling confident about something, borrow confidence from those who see truth in you till you find your confidence.
• Ask for feedback. It works several of our mental muscles
  • It shows you where and how you can improve?
  • It teaches you how to filter constructive criticism from judgement and let the personal opinion float out the other ear.
  • Inviting criticism enables you to bear witness to your future own imperfections and build tolerance for them.
  • Practice being ok with rejection and judgement. They stop tasting bitter with practice and become easy.

Have rituals or routines in life. It is a way to declare that values that matter the most to you and rituals help you live those values the fullest. Maintaining the ritual also helps to set boundaries and give something to look forward to, in stressful time.

Take care of yourself, as only you can. No one else can do it for you. Some ideas are:

• Do the things that make you happy.
• Experience and recognize your feelings, but don’t give them any more energy than it seeks.
• Remember, you are not your work, so set boundaries between you and your work.
• Take a moment to journal, mediate, or phone a friend. Have a life outside work.
• Find people with whom you can connect in an authentic way when the days are rough or when you want to have fun.