YouTube sensation Lilly Singh aka Superwoman tells you how to quit living and start conquering in her debut book
Lilly Singh being her quirky self. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
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Having trouble confronting an unfair senior at work? Feel like you aren't reaching your full potential? About to drunk-dial your ex? It's funny how technology has moved to e-books, selfie phones and tablets, yet our problems are the same. Which is why self-help or motivation will never go out of circulation. Lilly Singh aka Superwoman of the 500-plus funny/advisory videos on YouTube and many billion viewers has an edge over other gyan-givers — she successfully dealt with depression by putting herself out there. And Singh's How To Be A Bawse (Penguin Random House), apart from its new-age spelling of 'boss', is perhaps the most vivid pop-coloured tome you'll come across in the self-help category. We pick seven most impactful mantras from the book.
Let go of emotions
No, she isn't talking to daily soap heroines here. She says, and quite sensibly, that heightened emotions don't quite help stressful situations. Deal with the situation, then the emotion.
Gyan gleaned: Tackle hurt feelings efficiently. If something's hurting you, cry, scream over it at leisure, and learn from it.
It's okay to admit
So Miss Singh says mistake-making is part of growing. So far so cliché, except when she demonstrates how to take onus and seek a solution before moving ahead.
Gyan gleaned: It's only when you are honest with yourself about a mistake made that you have a better chance at not repeating it.
Chill about FOMO
For non-millennials and centennials, FOMO is Fear Of Missing Out, a contagious state of mind being propelled by social media. It is the life you worry you are missing out on while studying, working or sticking to deadlines. It is the most relevant of all the mantras in her book and Singh gets it absolutely right.
Gyan gleaned: Ditch that party because early bird gets the worm. The worm here — a more accomplished you.
Kiss stress goodbye
Unrelenting heat, unfunctioning air-conditioner, traffic snarls and an unwilling autorickshaw driver… the stress-inducing situations Singh lists are a far cry from these local examples, but her method of coping is universal. At the end of a bad day, list out reasons why, and think of how to avoid similar situations.
Gyan gleaned: When in stress, breathe. When out of it, come up with solutions.
Being dumb is fine
This is an oft-repeated pearl of wisdom, but Singh manages to make it relevant with personal accounts of the team she works with, which she says is smarter than her. Ironically though, this is one chapter in the book that missed an apostrophe in a blurb. Oops!
Gyan gleaned: If you're always dispensing gyan rather than receiving it, you're not growing.
Matters of the ex
Sure, it feels like a sweeping statement, but there is something refreshing about Singh's belief that if a relationship ends, it wasn't right to begin with, and you're better off without it.
Gyan gleaned: By all means, cry over spilt milk, but then clean up and get a fresh pack.
There are bigger bawses
Of everything we read, we liked this mantra the most, especially how Singh explains it pertinently and hilariously. According to her, the biggest bawse could be God, science, fate or spirits (hee hee) — forces that could take you down at any moment.
Gyan gleaned: It's better to be adapting than get too comfortable or confident in your skin. And yes, keep that ego in check.
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