It takes years to discover the real you, make the best use of your capabilities, and achieve your dreams. But what if an expert makes it easier for you. Here comes Mukta Bahrani.
A former IT professional, Mukta Bahrani chose the path less travelled, to empower others in their journey of holistic self-development. Mukta Bahrani is a Corporate Trainer specializing in Image Management, Soft Skills, Behavioural Skills, Communication, Personal Development and Emotional Intelligence. She has trained over 5000 people in last 5 years and helped them to become more confident and successful. Mukta Bahrani was recently featured on a global online women’s platform, a business magazine, and has also been awarded the ‘Youth Leadership’ and ‘Proud Woman’ award.
Read on to know some interesting facts about Mukta Bahrani, in this conversation with Storiyaan.
Interview
Questions and answers
From an IT engineer to an Image Consultant and a Corporate Trainer, how did this shift happen?
My creativity, communication skills, ability to understand and connect with people, never let me settle in IT and led me to find something that aligned with my passion, strengths and made a meaningful difference in people’s lives. I dedicatedly did a year-long business course in Soft Skills and Image Management while I was still working, got certified, quit IT, and took a beautiful shift in the profession. And thereon, I started training people on developing their skills, personality, achieve their goals, realize their true potential, and become the best version of themselves.
What piqued your interest in People Development and Interpersonal Skills, any incidents that you remember?
I saw many of my friends, colleagues who were very talented, knowledgeable, and technically skilled, but they were unable to create a great impression, didn’t look the part or present themselves well, or struggled to speak confidently in public, during presentations, interviews, meetings, client interactions, or when they moved abroad. That bothered me, and I wanted to help them and many other such people who missed out on some really good opportunities, who couldn’t make the most of their tremendous potential. And here I am, guiding people to do just that!
What were a few challenges that you faced at the beginning of your freelance entrepreneurial journey?
It was difficult to leave a good and secure job and shift to something unpredictable when I didn’t have a good network, business acumen, marketing strategy, or even a definite roadmap in a new age profession. And another challenge was to convince my parents of the same. But what we were all sure of was my competence, passion, and determination to enhance people’s lives, and that was enough to start. So even though, making clients was a challenge in the beginning, gradually, I started to get amazing assignments, and ever since, it’s going great.
You say, “A well-nourished image can boost self-confidence”. Could you please elaborate on that?
Self-image is important because how we think about ourselves affects how we feel about ourselves and how we interact with others. We need to understand our thoughts, nature, body, capabilities, and limitations, value ourselves, believe in ourselves and feel confident, and be open to criticism. When we feel good about our self, there’s nothing or no one that can put us down. A positive self-image can boost our physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
How does personality play such an important role in building image and relationships?
Your personality is a combination of your looks, attitude, body language and how you present yourself. When someone appreciates your personality, they mean, they love your confidence, how you dress up, or conduct yourself, or just your smile or your eyes, or how you make them feel, or maybe all of it. But, remember, to be genuine and don’t pretend. Your personality is the most attractive aspect of who you are, and how others behave with you. So, make it amazing, it will be worth it.
You have bagged the “Youth Leadership” award and the “Proud Woman” award. How did you feel?
Fantastic! It is such a joyous and proud feeling to be acknowledged and appreciated for all the work. When I train people, see their progress, and receive amazing feedback, it feels incredibly encouraging. But this award showed me my progress. It was not just recognition, but also a moment of reflection, of how far have I come and how far do I have to go. It reminded me of why did I choose to be in this profession and inspired me to do even better, achieve greater heights, enhance more lives, and spread more joy.
Throw some light on the idea of Soft-skills and why is it important in today’s time?
Soft skills refer to both character traits and interpersonal skills that will influence how well a person can work or communicate with others. They help us present and behave better, improve relationships by creating trust, understanding, and dependability, manage time, stress, work and lead teams. In today’s competitive world, we all need to learn and improve our soft skills to become successful in our business/professional as well as personal and social lives while being more efficient, mindful, and happy.