Woman in the Mirror

Not for the applause. Not for the front row seat.Invisible work. Quiet strength.

They say brand building is all about marquee, visibility, and flexing your muscles — being the strongman, flaunting your fancy Ivy League degrees, and celebrating every new round of funding.

But what about building yourself?

That’s a different ball game altogether.

And this begs the question — is the brand really different from its founder/creator?

I don’t know about others.

To me, they have to be the same — both the personas meshed together into a complete whole.

You build yourself from the ground up, layer by layer, like little blocks of Jenga.

Unsure at first but resolute in intent.

You do it in the quiet alleyways — away from the spotlight, uncomfortable and vulnerable.

And yet, those are the moments that shape who we’re meant to become.

I remember sitting in a clinic one afternoon, waiting for my name to be called. I looked up and saw a framed quote on the wall:“Who are you when no one is watching?”

It struck something deep in me, and it’s stayed ever since.

It’s easy to perform when there’s an audience.

When the spotlight’s on, we play a part.

But the real you emerges in private — at home, with loved ones, or in those quiet, unguarded moments.

Just like that Michael Jackson song: “Man in the Mirror.”

I’m far from perfect.

There are days I wish I had Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak.

I squirm when I think of the times I’ve been riled up — spiraling over trivial things: someone overtaking from the wrong side, jumping a signal, the tap running dry with a sink full of dirty dishes still to do, or answering a call from an unknown number only to find it’s a poor, helpless salesperson trying to sell something.

Anger is such an overrated, destructive emotion — unless you’re fighting for justice or defending the helpless.

Else, it is just expended energy for nothing.

It burns more than it builds.

But it has energy. A charge. And if harnessed right, it can fuel something greater — something that serves.

I reflect, musingly: there’s joy in giving. Lightness in letting go.

And a quiet, steady power in not chasing, not clinging.

I remind myself daily that every moment is a reset.

When I slip into that wilderness of guilt and shame, I recalibrate — I build my exit ramp, my soft landing back into freedom and creativity. To break the chains that shackle me.

To get mentally stronger so i remain unafraid and undeterred by the challenges ahead.

The realisation that life is about coexisting.

Distilled, life is about understanding differences — in religion, sexuality, beliefs, physicality, race, and economic status — and that we are all the same nonetheless.

We breathe the same air, never mind the PSI levels but still the same threat to everyone . Again same threats, same risks.

“Live and let live” is such a simple motto to understand, yet so rarely practiced.

Homogeneity is meh — I have a Gen Alpha son, I’d like to think I’m current on the lingo.

Conformity is the death of creativity.

I hope that by making inclusivity a big part of my persona, I play a small role in bringing about a societal shift toward acceptance and harmonious coexistence.

Finally, I hope to understand gratitude in the truest sense.

Not the mushy Pinterest kind — but a raw awareness that everything you have can disappear in the blink of an eye.

A sobering thought, but a grounding one.

Some of the values so easy to admire, yet harder to embody, are discipline and commitment.

But I would choose the path less trodden any day.

In the end, it all boils down to this:You are not defined by a single choice, but by the sum of all your choices.

Be judicious.

Be smart.

Be stingy with your time — and gracious with your choices.

Sitting atop all this is the hard, cold realisation: You have to go in alone.

Fight your battles alone, even if people are cheering you on from the sidelines.

To borrow from Roosevelt’s timeless words — you become the man in the arena: bloodied and bruised, yet standing tall after every fall.

Akin to Finding Nemo, I hope to find my duende (Spanish for soulful passion) — the intangible that makes me come alive when I’m strategising, shaping the destiny of my brand.

Green Molecule — my honest, 100% plant-based cleaning, care, and hygiene brand — is a product of unbridled passion and unflinching commitment to the values I hold dear: honesty, integrity, fortitude, compassion, and discipline.

Signing off.

Molecularly Yours,

Sanjana

Curiously Irrepressible

Original Dreamer. Accidental Chemist. Green Molecule — Clean Confidently.

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https://www.molecularlyme.blog/post/knees-don-t-lie