Month: December 2021

Wish By Spirit-Book Review

A must read book for those fighting autoimmune disorders and also for their support system

Wish By Spirit-Book Review
Designed by the author on Canva

Book details

Title: Wish By Spirit- A journey of recovery & healing from an autoimmune disease

Author: Joan Young

Genre: Autobiography/Memoir

Type: E-book

Page Count: 231

Price: Kindle edition- ₹449

Paperback- ₹1124

Blurb (as on Kindle)

After mysterious bruises appeared on her arms and each day brought a struggle to maintain the life she knew, Joan finally learned she had immune thrombocytopenia purpura, ITP. ITP is an autoimmune bleeding disorder, subjecting its victims to a lifetime struggle with low platelet counts and constant fear of bleeding to death, or so Joan was led to believe. After seven failed treatments, the additional health problem they created, and a platelet count that hovered near zero, she began her own search for a cure.

She experimented with vitamins, herbs, energy medicine, and took a deep look into her soul to discover ways to heal her sense of self. Joan’s journey from diagnosis to remission lasted 18 months. The insights into her life, the healing practices she learned, and her spiritual shift changed her life forever. Reading this book could change yours.

Book Review

Wish by Spirit by Joan Young, is more than just being an account of her journey of recovery from an autoimmune disorder. This book brings a total shift in the mindset moving from self-pity to self-introspection to self-healing to self-empowering.

As much as this book has dealt with treating external symptoms, it has also equally dealt with doing the inner work. Thus this book can appeal to anyone who is going through chronic health issues and go for a holistic approach towards health and healing.

If there is one quote that can sum up the gist of this book, then it would be this:

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

-Rumi

If you or anyone you know of is going through chronic illness or an autoimmune disease, then this book makes for a must-read. While the autoimmune disease is believed to have “no cure”, this book comes in like a breath of fresh air giving hope and a roadmap to all the possibilities of healing and living a quality life.

It also makes a must-read for the patient’s support system to gain an insight and understanding of what it takes and how much time and energy it takes in their battle against the illness.

Apart from the mention of allopathy medications and treatments, Joan has written down comprehensively about alternative medicine, energy healers, etc. This gives us a clear insight on having a holistic approach towards health and focusing on aspects like lifestyle changes, diets, working on our inner self, etc.

Author’s writing style

It could have been easy for anyone undergoing a health crisis to fall into victim mode and write from the perspective of self-pity. But what makes Joan’s writing style distinct and outstanding is that she writes from an objective view, with a tone of empathy and lots of hope.

Her writing is lucid, honest and has the potential to get you out of your comfort zone, ask yourself the tough but necessary questions, for the onset of your journey towards healing.  

Wrap up words

This book makes for a must-read for those going through critical illness and their support system. Even otherwise too this makes for a great read, as this book changes our perspective towards health for the better and helps us implement necessary changes for better health, physical, mental and spiritual.

Also, a must-read book for those fighting ITP and also for their support system

Buy here

Haven’t read it yet?

You can buy your copy here.

For more reads on autoimmune disorder and ITP, check here:

‘I’m participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter’.  

Raising Readers Campaign- A journey well begun

Glimpse of our participants-Happy Readers!
Our priceless participants- Happy Readers!

There’s a general belief that if you do a task consistently for over 21 days in a row, it becomes your habit. The raising Readers Campaign was conceptualized with that idea and went on as a four weeks long campaign.

The first 3 weeks were to build the habit of reading among kids that incorporated various books related activities and the last week was for reflection & feedback.

A big kudos to all the parents who invested their time to introduce books to their kid(s). It’s almost next to impossible to raise a reader without the involvement of a parent/caretaker. So, to all the parents who participated actively in this campaign & gifted the joy of reading to your kid(s), you have my heart!

That said, if you are one of those parents who couldn’t make time for reading for your kid, please try doing so over the weekends or during vacation time. Take it slow yet steady.

I bet, books can help you have healthy and open conversations with your kid on taboo topics like gender bias, racism, adolescence, puberty, etc. all at ease, over the due course of bonding over books.

For some additional motivation, have a look at what these two Advanced Readers had to say:


Also, do not miss out to check out these adorable videos on our channel, under the playlist “Raising Readers Campaign”.

Here’s a glimpse of what the parents of our participants had to say!

Image on Parents' Feedback on the Raising Readers Campaign
Parents’ Feedback

Raising Readers is a journey and we have, together, taken our baby steps. In the months to come, there will be posts on book reviews, recommendations and reading activities. So stay tuned!

Thank you for your support and feedback. Let’s raise readers together!

A page of reading a day, keep ignorance at bay!


Digitalization & ECommerceInnovation –the Best Bet to Boost MSMEs

8 Actionable Tips for MSMEs To Boost Business With Digitalization & Ecommerceinnovation

Designed by the Author, using Canva

From a recent survey by The Economic Times, it’s clear that digitalization & EcommerceInnovation has helped MSMEs sustain their business even through the pandemic. Having a digital presence for your products or service can help you scale your business in many ways.

If you are just planning to start your enterprise or already have one and want to take it online and don’t know how and where to start, then fret not. Here are a few tips and resources that can help you take those essential steps towards taking and scaling your business digitally.

1. Decide on domain name & keep logo ready

The website name for your product/service is going to be of primal importance as it is something that your customer will at once identify your product with. So it’s only wise enough to give it a thought and come up with a sensible, simple, catchy and preferably short name for your website that’s easy to remember.

Logo goes a long way in branding your product. Keep it simple and relatable to your product or domain name.

Pro Tip: You can create a logo all by yourself using the Canva app’s free version.

2. Get your business registered with Udyog Aadhar

Similar to the Aadhaar- a unique identification number for citizens of India, Udyog Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit Government identification number for your business enterprise. It is provided by the Government and highly beneficial especially for sole proprietors who don’t have official recognition for their business.

To get a quick idea on how to register and the benefits of getting your business registered, read this.

3. One-page website

It’s always wise to start small and then scale up a business. Likewise, how much ever tempting it might be to invest in a fancy and shiny website, it’s highly recommended to go with a simple one-page website.

What matters is that you get your own domain name and hosting. If this sounds Greek & Latin to you, here’s a detailed article that can hand hold you to create your ready-to-go, one-page website.

4. Payment Gateway

Now that you have registered your business, have an online face to it and you want to monetize it. This is where the need for a payment gateway comes in.

A payment gateway is nothing but an eCommerce application service provider service that makes money transactions between you and your customer feasible. Some of the common service providers that you might have come across are PayTM, RazorPay, Instamojo, etc.

To know what are the top 10 payment gateway in India and choose the right one for your business, check here.

You may like the below video on how an ECommerceInnovation has improved the Indian Economy!

5. Google business

To have more reach in your local area, go get yourself a Google business account. It’s free and it’s an easier way to put a word out and find some local customers. Just do this:

Step 1–  Create a Google account. Pro Tip: Have a dedicated email id for your business.

Step 2– Go to http://www.business.google.com and enter your business name, location & delivery.

Step 3– Tell google what areas you serve and your business hours.

Step 4– Choose a business category.

Step 5- Add contact details.

Step 6– Finish & verify your business. You will be sent a code to your address of correspondence in a week & once you enter it your account will be activated.

There you go!  

6. WhatsApp business account

WhatsApp Business Account is the biggest boon for MSMEs for the way it adds professional as well as a personalized touch to the business. Its ease in accessibility and ability to connect with customers directly makes it a must for boosting business. Marketing and reaching out to a bulk of the targeted audiences is the biggest plus. All you need to get a separate phone number for your business account. No big deal right?!

ROADBLOCKS THAT WE OVERLOOK IN AN INDIAN WOMAN’S JOURNEY TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP

7. Social Media Connect

Anyone and everyone are on at least one of the social media platforms. Given the wider reach of social media, you can take advantage of the free platform and connect with your customers there. Social media platforms are the best bets for your product/service launches and marketing.

Pro Tip: The analytics for each platform works differently. So, start with one social media platform at a time, grow your audience there over 3 months and then move on to the next platform.

8. Sustainability factor

The best part of having a small scale business is you have control over it totally and make wise decisions every step of it, choosing sustainable solutions. For example, I have seen small businesses like PracheenVidhaan and Kalpavriksha Farms choose sustainable packaging and also support local artisans. As a small business owner, you will definitely have the hold on making conscious choices towards sustainability.

In conclusion, this is the best time to take your next big step towards making your dream business come true with the government schemes and technology all in your favor.

Wishing you the best in all your endeavors. Let growth & success prevail!

This post is written as part of Blogchatter’s campaign #ECommerceInnovation. Read more posts in the campaign here.

Raising Readers Campaign- Activities 4 & 5 and Contest Announcement for Advanced Readers

Images of participating kids.
Our participants, engrossed in books

Quick Recap

Raising Readers is a 4 weeks long campaign to help kids develop a love for books & reading. We hope you have started the reading journey with your kid and hope the tips and resources from previous posts have helped you along. If you haven’t checked them yet, read them all here.

Good news is, even if you haven’t started yet, you still hold a chance to participate and win. Read through the post to know more.

Remember, you can get your kid started in this beautiful journey of bonding over books anytime. It’s never too late to start but to make it sustainable for a lifetime, the journey has to be made enjoyable.

To make the journey enjoyable, here are two more activities that you and your kid can enjoy doing.

Activity 4- Create Your Reading Corner

The idea here is to create a vibrant reading corner, an atmosphere where even a hyperactive kid will be attracted to explore the space and books.

You don’t have to invest in a bookshelf or buy flaunt worthy books.

Just choose a bright corner in your home. Get creative and use the things you already have at your home to stack the books (it’s ok if just 2-5 books). Have one or two of their favourite toys (don’t overdo with toys!), a small notebook and some stationery. Maybe, add some of their drawings in the backdrop and TADA, there you go with an attractive reading corner for your kid.

This is just a suggestion to get you an idea but feel free to go creative in your own ways.

The point here is when you allocate certain space for reading and stick to it, over time, when kids grow up they tend to make that space their comfort corner and settle there with a book/activity on their own.

So keep it simple and easily accessible for the kid. Make sure to send a pic of your kid exploring a book in their new cosy book corner.

Activity 5- Character Play

Though character play may sound difficult, the rules are quite easy and flexible.

Dress up your kid in their favourite character from the book they are reading and help them say a line or two from it. Smaller kids can identify objects/characters from their favourite book.

What matters is that they have fun. If your kid is fussy about dressing up, maybe make a cut out of their favourite character/object and let them hold and identify it.

Sounds simple right? Do give it a try and send us a very small video of them saying the line/identifying objects all dressed up in their favourite character.

Surprise Contest for Advanced Readers

As a surprise element, for those who approached us asking if their kids who are already into reading can participate or not, here is an exclusive contest- “Reading Is My Superpower”, for those Advanced Readers.

Reading Is My Superpower

This contest is for Advanced Readers (kids aged 8+ who are independent readers and writers).

All they need to do is write a short essay between 200-300 words on the topic “Reading Is My Superpower”, telling why they love reading books and why others (especially younger kids) should read books too.

The best 3 entries will get prizes and also be featured in our Blog.

Scan the handwritten essay and upload it in the Google form, here.

Wondering where to send your entries?

All those young readers participating in the Raising Readers Campaign, check out the contest activities (1-5) and send in your entries by the 12th of December, 2021, here in this Google form.  For your convenience, here is a checklist of what’s to be uploaded for each activity.

Contest Checklist
Contest Checklist

Participants of the Advanced Readers Contest, send your entry in the Google Form here.

So, what are you waiting for? Participate and win exciting prizes!

Happy Reading! Happy Book-Exploring!


Raising Readers Campaign- Making Reading Enjoyable & Activty-3

Contest Checklist
A sneak peek into the activities ahead!

Quick Recap

Raising Readers is a 4 weeks long campaign to help kids develop a love for books & reading. We hope you have started the reading journey with your kid and hope the tips and resources from previous posts have helped you along. If you haven’t checked them yet, read them here and here.

Remember, you can get your kid started in this beautiful journey of bonding over books anytime. It’s never too late to start but to make it sustainable for a lifetime, the journey has to be made enjoyable.

Designed by the Author on Canva

Tips to make the reading journey enjoyable

One of the frequent queries that we received is what can be done to make a hyperactive kid sit and read a book?

Well, here is the short answer. You need to make the kid ENJOY the book and not just read the book. This can be done easily and here are a few things that you can try:

Personal Bonding

For a kid, reading time is more about bonding with their parent/caretaker than the actual reading. It is about creating a memory.

So fix a time every day to bond over books. Read the book aloud. It can be in any language. All that the kid seeks here is comfort from your presence and voice.

Sensory experience

When starting out, opt for colourful picture books or touch and feel or sound books (you can find resources on where and what to buy, here). Let the kid explore books for their pictures and texture first, like they do with a toy.

With an appeal to their senses, exploring books becomes more enjoyable.

Involve others in the family too

It can be more fun when kids get exposed to different ways of storytelling. This can happen when people of different ages, say, a grandparent, a sibling or a friend can all read out the same story to the kid at different times or occasions.

Book conversations

Bring conversations around books in your day to day life. Say if you just read about traffic signals in the book, make sure to show them the traffic lights while you are on a drive.

Activities around books

As simply sitting and reading a book can tend boring for starters, you can club reading with other activities.

You can include some craft works related to the topic or playing a sport mentioned in the book, or list out things mentioned in a book and identify them in your home, or have pretend-play sessions on the topic around the book.  

Hope these help you get an idea of how to make book reading an enjoyable activity than a mundane chore. To help you get started, here come activity 3 of the Raising Readers Campaign.


Raising Readers Contest

We hope you are aware of the ongoing contest and as part of it, here is your Activity-3.

Activity 3-Accessorize Your Book

This is going to be super easy and super fun. Here’s a video on DIY Kawai Origami Bookmark, video courtesy: Roshna Salim.

Video Courtesy: Roshna Salim

All you got to do is take some time out, sit with your kid, get your hands on paper and colours and little glue and make this bookmark together.

Take a pic of your kid helping or making the bookmark and also a pic of your kid holding their favourite book accessorized with this bookmark. Keep them ready for uploading.

We are so eagerly waiting to see those proud creations and happy smiles!!

Hope you have got your videos and pictures ready (check out this content checklist picture ) from the previous activities. In the next few days, there will be a few other activities. Once everything is done, you can upload your entries here: Raising Readers Contest Form.

If you have any query, write to us at promisingpoetry5@gmail.com

Happy Reading! Happy Exploring!