My Second Interview with #EatMyNews

Sonal Chhibber - The Idea Is to Be Inspired and Be Inspiring Through Writing (Award-Winning Author From Dubai)

I enjoy writing, communicating, and connecting with people and love to pen down my thoughts, I started my personal blog as an Influencer to share my inputs & experiences, and unleashed my passion for becoming an Author and released my books, and became a renowned Writer. Also as an Editor-in-chief, Content Writer & Journalist for a popular fashion magazine in Dubai, I interviewed many famous Celebrities globally.

My favourite self-authored book has been 'Living life on your own terms.

1. Tell us more about your background and journey. I am Sonal Chhibber. I am an Award-winning Writer, Author, Journalist, Life Coach, Travel Blogger, Wellness Influencer, Mompreneur, and most importantly a Mother. I am an Indian ex-pat living in Dubai for the past 14 yrs with my family. Educationally, I have a degree in Business Management and Teaching and had a successful career in the corporate & educational sector, before taking a career break to balance out my family life. While I loved being at home & spending quality time with my family, still a side of me was looking to venture out. That is when I decided to pursue my passion for writing. After winning a writing contest by Khaleej Times, my inputs started getting featured in reputed newspapers, magazines, websites, books, radio, TV & blog portals in Dubai, India, UK, the USA, and South Africa. This got me much needed appreciation, acknowledgement, and respect. So, with encouragement from my family, I decided to follow my dreams and #BustAMyth that women who have taken a career break are less ambitious or committed to their work. As I enjoy writing, communicating, and connecting with people and love to pen down my thoughts, I started my personal blog as an Influencer to share my inputs & experiences, and unleashed my passion for becoming an Author and released my books, and became a renowned Writer. Also as an Editor-in-chief, Content Writer & Journalist for a popular fashion magazine in Dubai, I interviewed many famous Celebrities globally.

My favourite self-authored book has been 'Living life on your own terms. This ideology is the basic foundation of my life and the cornerstone of my Instagram blog aptly titled @living_life_on_own_terms as I truly believe in living life on my own terms and encourage others to do the same. I believe in life & let live. I seek to inspire and empower all, especially women. 2. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? I used to love reading books and used to write poems and articles when I was in school and used to feel good when my entries were published in school magazines. Then in college, English and Political Science were my favourite subjects. I used to be Chief Editor in my college (St. Xaviers, Mumbai) and was responsible for bringing out a Political science journal named 'Politique'. Writing is something that comes to me naturally and I love to write as it's my inborn talent & passion. Initially, I used to write about Politics but gradually started writing about life and women, as I feel women are the backbone of the family and society at large. Today, as an acclaimed Writer & Influencer, I write on various topics such as Expat Life, Motherhood, Parenting, Kids, Travel, Books, Fashion, Celebrities, Lifestyle, Wellness, etc. I like to share my thoughts and experiences to uplift & motivate people.

3. Is it a financially stable career? Any creative field has its set of challenges, the Writing field is no exception. To get good publishers and regular paid assignments is a bit of a challenge, but nevertheless if one continues to work hard & produce good content, then in due course of time, one will get good work, recognition & accolades.

4. Who is your favourite writer and why? My all-time favourite Writer is Louise Hay. I love her books as she focuses on how we can change our life by thinking positive thoughts & having a good mindset. She advocates the ideology that ‘No matter what the problem is, it comes from our thoughts, and the solution lies in changing our thought patterns.’

The very fact that ‘We control our thoughts and our thoughts don’t control us’ is an empowering statement for me.

5. Where does your inspiration lie? I think it’s essential to find inspiration from your own life and spiritual experiences. Having been an avid traveller, I observe places, people, surroundings, real-life incidents, deep conversations & divine connect with nature; to form my opinions & thoughts, which helps me to churn out meaningful & relevant content in form of inspirational poems, motivational articles, empowering videos, travel & wellness blogs, exemplary books, etc.

I've learned 'people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' So, the idea is to be inspired and be inspiring. 6. What does your typical day look like? Pandemic has adversely affected our lives in many ways. Still, I try to stay positive, active & do my best. I got the Best Writer & Poetess Award, Best Blogger Award & International Celebrity Author Award. Also, got nominated by Filmfare, WIBA & GCA for Change Maker of the year award, Travel blogger award, Wellness Icon Award, Most Fashionable Influencer award, and Best Lifestyle Blogger Award. I was featured in the "TOP 100 Influencers" list and was awarded & felicitated with Trophy & Certificate, & my life story was published in 'Top 100 Inspiring Stories' by The Child Prodigy Magazine, India. Recently, my inputs were featured in The National Newspaper, UAE and my interviews with Bollywood & International Celebrities like Meghna Naidu, Dimpy Ganguly, Shweta Subram, Rj Nimmy, Zarnish Khan, Vianne K Mansur were published in Dubai Fashion Magazine & D Fashion Magazine & the videos received high views on my Youtube channel, 'Sonal Shines'. Apart from this, I had a lot of modelling assignments with various leading brands in the Lifestyle, Fashion & Fitness segment in Dubai, which kept me busy, not to mention being a Special Guest for various fashion events in UAE & Special judge for 'My Dream Dance Stars', USA. A staunch believer of the “women empowering women” principle, I do make it a point to post blogs on my social media channels to support and empower moms all over the globe. Along with my books & philanthropy work, I try & upload motivational videos on my youtube channel 'Sonal Shines' to motivate people of all ages & zones. I completed many Certified courses from Harward this year & joined dance & fitness classes to stay fit & motivate my followers. Lastly, this year I have taken the plunge to be a Mompreneur & started my pages, wherein I interview Celebrities & inspiring women all over the world, plus give lessons to aspiring writers & poets. The idea is to give back to society & uplift & motivate people in these difficult times by giving them a platform to showcase their talent & share their story to inspire others. 7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring writers? Just be original and write about what you are passionate about. "Never give up on your dreams. It’s difficult to wait, but it is more difficult to regret." Keep on exploring & experimenting, & one day you will achieve success. My success mantra is: “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you're proud to live.”

Do something new every day, conquer your fears & learn new forms of writing & expressing yourself. Be flexible & innovative. Keep learning & keep growing. Be a student & have a can-do attitude. As for me, I keep learning & upgrading my knowledge. Will soon launch my Podcast channel, stay tuned! 8. Which is your favourite book and why? My all-time favourite book is, ‘You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. This book is a true masterpiece. As soon as I started reading it, I felt a sense of calm & purpose in life. Louise’s key message in this powerful book is: “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.” Louise explains how limiting beliefs and ideas are often the cause of misery, and how we can change our thinking and improve the quality of our life. For me, the most vital idea which struck my mind while reading her book was to re-examine our own thoughts and re-discovering. It’s rightly said, ‘Focus on what matters, & let go of what doesn’t.’ I’m quite an avid reader and love to read many self-help and motivational books, which lead me to discover my spiritual path and calling, but this one for me was just the right one at the right time.

I was so inspired by this book, that I feel everyone should read it and benefit from it like I have. The idea is to search and share things to help and empower all in this human journey called ‘life’!