bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt
“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret in life, whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work.”
—Oprah Winfrey
Some might think it impossible to maintain a positive mindset, no matter the circumstance. But that’s exactly the attitude of certified mediator, international coach and author Sally Ann Bharat. Her outright “larger than life” personality was evident when Bharat stopped by to discuss her first book, Born to Win: Be Confident, Believe in You, a compilation of previous articles she had written on self-growth and development.
For the 37-year-old Laventille native, “every grey cloud has a silver lining,” and one just has to open the eyes of one’s mind to appreciate this.
It was with this attitude she fought the criticisms of perfect strangers who would seek to dismiss her ambition to soar, despite her geographic location and socio-economic challenges.
“I can recall meeting this guy some years ago and when he heard I was from Laventille he said, ‘Girls from Laventille like to spread their legs, so how much children do you have?’”
Needless to say, Bharat is yet to become a parent and is four months away from obtaining her doctoral degree in business administration (DBA) from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business.
Education, she said, was a major route to success for her, even from her early days, growing up in a family of 11 children.
“I came from a poor family of ten siblings, my father died when I was five. I had no money and no one in the family chased after education and I did not have the University of the West Indies entry qualifications. But I was adamant my pursuit for higher learning would not be interrupted by anything,” she said.
She demonstrated this level of commitment to her studies when she almost gave up mere days before completing her masters, having been struck with a rare skin disease that left her in excruciating pain and almost took her left leg. Still, in the face of this, she laughed saying: “I wear these scars proudly, as a reminder that I triumphed over my trials.”
The very painful experience she endured at a former workplace turned out to be the inspiration for her book.
Bharat said the medication given by doctors for her condition caused her to rapidly gain weight.
“One minute, I was this slim chick, and the next thing I know, I’m tipping the scale,” she said with a giggle, making light of the experience.
Unkind rumours spread by some of her colleagues hurt her emotionally, but didn’t do enough damage to break her entirely, she said.
Contrary to the usual reaction, instead of confronting her colleagues, Bharat researched the psychology behind rumours and why people liked to spread them.
A chapter in her book is dedicated to this experience and its outcome, titled, What should we do when we are the targets of hurtful office rumours? In it she explains how to deal with rumours and ‘ole talk’ positively, finding a way to spin it around and come out winning.
Essentially her book is about helping people and young professionals learn how to overcome challenges and build confidence.
Bharat credits Dr Norris Haynes, former clinical professor at the Yale University School of Medicine Child Study Centre and the Zigler Centre for Child Development and Social Policy, revealing it was his advice to write a book that prompted her to stop procrastinating and just do it.
“It was in the making for four years, but after he saw some of my articles online and reached out to me, encouraging me to write a book, that’s when I really got it done. And the book was completed in 2018,” she said.
Bharat, who used to suffer major stage fright, is today a bona fide international keynote speaker trained by top American leadership and management expert, John Maxwell. She is also the principal consultant at Stratosa Coaching and Consultancy. She will share her experiences at a women’s empowerment brunch next Saturday at Jaffa’s at the Oval, The Love Experience, which will focus on teaching women how to develop self-strength and courage, as well as how to reprogramme the thought process to push pass limits and obtain success.
