I asked Vanessa Lewis to shoot my Diwali 2014 pictures for the Post Newspaper….and while we were on shoot, she came up with the idea of doing a pic that reflected what life was like for me. With the help of make up artist extraordinaire, Lyn Kennedy, they had me looking like Jansi ki Rani much to my amazement. For those of you who don’t know…Jansi ki Rani was the warrior Queen of an Indian city called Jansi in the 1800’s!

There is just so much on the go and at times it feels like I am juggling 100 things…I am a mom, wife, recipe book author, recipe columnist, recipe developer, owner of a food brand and entrepreneur! I admit that I am not perfect at any of them…but the race isn’t over yet!

This post is not about religion – let’s get that straight…so for those people who read these blog and get into a huff, you clearly haven’t understood it! The lamps represent keeping the fires burning, the heap of spice represents the effort that goes into my spice brand, Curry Me Home. And the sweetmeats….that represents the abundance that life has to offer and the love I share through the food I create.

With religion out the way….this is about embracing your strengths and understanding them! So before everyone goes crazy thinking that I claim to be a religious goddess, I declare that I am not. We often come across buzz phrases like ‘awaken the goddess’ or ‘be your own goddess’ or even Nigella’s ‘domestic goddess’ but what does that really mean? I think a domestic goddess would wake up every morning and make up her own bed, I confess that I don’t!

For me, it means quietly getting on with your stuff…it means not complaining because however much you complain, you know the job will be done…it means, hauling out your big girl knickers and lacing up your boots because life is full of twists and turns! From my personal experiences, I can say entrepreneurship isn’t for sissies but neither is love or parenting!

I was given the name ‘Yudhika’ – it’s a Sanskrit name meaning Jasmine but there is another meaning….In Gurmukhi, Punjabi, and Hindi ‘Yudh’ means war! Naming an Indian child is an auspicious event and I think that someone forget to mention this to my gran (she was in charge of names)! A hindu priest once visited our home and said that the name is one of the Goddess Durga…she took on the form of a warring Goddess, Yudhika! It’s a strong name and most conservative Indians are surprised by it because it is also believed that your name determines your character and personality! A ‘Yudhika’ would be the rebellious sort!

I lived up to the meaning of my name…I am a fighter, a rebel and never the sort that would make a subservient wife or daughter in law! We are all born with a divine uniqueness….it’s just that we have to find out what it is…and it is only then that we can perhaps crack life’s secret code!

I take on a lot, do a lot, work fiercely, fight hard and love passionately…I am constantly asked how I do it and my response is that, ‘If you love what you do, you never work a day! And yes, there are always things that do get neglected….

So, leave you with these thoughts….we pray for health, happiness and success but we play a large part in achieving what we desire! We have to take up the challenge to creating that happy space….I do believe in a supreme being but not so much in the religions around it!

Here are some tips for finding that goddess….

– Try traveling back in time to when you were a kid, and remember the things you said you would do….that was when you were free from most fears….I said to my mom that I was going to be famous! She still talks about it!

– Put yourself on a pedestal…because no one can do that for you!

– Love what you do….we spend most of our lives at work….so, try to make it a happy space…if you don’t love it, then start out by trying to like what you do!

– Learn to be your own best friend….be selfish…put yourself first, because without you there can be nothing else! Try this….’Me first, everything else later’

– Share whatever you can share…share with friends and family…..and share with strangers…this is the best sharing because let’s face it…our friends and family can piss us off sometime!

– Share a kind thought…ask someone how they really are without expecting the ‘I’m fine and you’ response….and listen to them….make an effort to connect!

– Say what you will do, when you say you will do it! We lose credibility by not doing this and making excuses for it! I am borrowing this one from Graeme Butchart, author and creator of ‘The Genius Programme’ http://www.graemebutchart.com

– And if none of these strike a cord, enter the AMC cookware competition on the blog here, https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/amc-giveaway/ or the KitchenAid competition here, https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/blog-party-kitchenaid-giveaway/