Meet The SHEROES: Danijela Joki-Vaislay, Writer & Life Coach

Born and brought up in Europe and now well-settled with her husband in India, Danijela Jokic-Vaislay is a writer and a life coach. Danijela, who loved reading since she was a child, decided to quit medical college after three years of study and enrolled in journalism.

Although she misses her country, Danijela feels India has some precious rewards that she would not find in her country; be it the variety of vegetarian food--fruits, vegetables, lentils, spices and their aromas--or the nourishment for the soul. She enjoys watching Bollywood movies, celebrating Indian festivals and marriages (music, dance and party planning are once-in-a-lifetime experience here!).

Edited excerpts from the e-interview:

My calling

During my college days, I started blogging and writing articles, following my passion for writing and helping others with my experience and advice. My blog went viral, and I became “famous” in the region, and before I even graduated from college, I started earning my income as a freelance writer.

Not long after my graduation, I moved to India with my husband. After two years of earning my income by writing and having more than four hundred articles published, last year, I decided to pursue my dream and signed up for life-coaching training. I was so fascinated by life coaching, and would think for a fleeting second as to how amazing it would be if I would be a life coach myself. I am living my dream today.

Life coach? Why do I need one?

People are often confused about what is it that they want in their life, or do not know how to get there. Many people lack the motivation or courage to go after their dreams. Others lack the creative solutions and ideas.

People usually seek guidance from their beloved ones, but that advice can be sometimes biased, even when given with the best intentions. A life coach gives the person objective, unbiased feedback. A life coach motivates you and guides you, step by step, in the process of achieving your goals. We all know that if you have someone to support you, guide you, motivate you, encourage you, help you to find the solution or get the answers to important questions in life, you can achieve so much more in life than if you try to do it all alone.

What do I gain from consulting a life coach?

A life coach motivates, guides, encourages and assists the client to decide what is it that they want to achieve in life, and discover how they will get there. He/she helps the client set short-term and long-term goals and define and implement concrete, actionable steps to achieve them

Can I be a life coach?

Yes, there are trainings and courses after which one is certified and can start practicing the craft. Professional training is offered by business academics or career colleges. Life coaching training, firstly, gives you the credentials you need. You learn about life coaching--how to conduct a coaching session, how to work with clients, how to inspire and motivate them and help them thrive.

But, I would say that without practice, theory is not enough. I worked pro-bono as a coach with clients for six months to gain experience, and it has helped me immensely. It is also important to have a mentor, a life coach who is already established and has the experience, which will guide you and help you to avoid beginner’s mistakes.

The unwritten rule is that to be a successful life coach; you have to have “it” within you. You need to love to work with people, inspire people, and motivate them to be more successful and more fulfilled in life. If you want to work for yourself, then you need to have patience, courage, determination and willpower to take the risk of leaving your day job and transit to your dream job.

My typical day

Since I have flexible working time, my daily routine is not the same. I plan my day according to the sessions. Between the sessions, I read and reply to e-mails, post something inspiring on my Facebook and Instagram profiles, and write articles or post on my blog.

Challenges for a working women?

It is important to put yourself first and give priority to your needs, because only a healthy, fulfilled and balanced woman can be a good as a wife, daughter or a mother, and thrive in her career. Taking time for self, doing activities which bring us joy and recharge us, practicing self-care, healthy diet, and enough sleep, as well as being spiritually grounded are essential.

I make sure I have one day off in a week. I have a social media detox day when I do not check social networks or e-mail (although my work is mostly online). Swimming in the pool, dancing, yoga, spending time in nature, shopping and reading inspiring books are my go-to activities to relax and recharge. Some days, if I feel lazy, I take it slow and just stay cozy in my bed with a cup of good green tea, incense, and relaxing music.

Healthy habits to follow to gain confidence on a daily basis

• Get out of our comfort zone and do the things that scare you. How about learning a tough skill or a language that will make you proud? It is just another way to gain confidence.

• Work on improving your communication skills and body language..

• Writing a success journal, where note things which we have done or achieved is also helpful.

• Letting go of negative, criticising thoughts and being more compassionate with ourselves is huge!

• You can also hire a confidence coach to help you build the self-esteem and boost your confidence.

Safety and cleanliness: Where India can improve

Safety would come at the first place. I never had armed guards in front of my home gate with machine guns, or had to worry if I go out on the streets in my home country. I got mugged in the church in New Delhi in the middle of the day, on Christmas Day one-and-a-half years ago!

I believe India would be a much better place to live and come to visit as a tourist (this is why, many of them have second thoughts about visiting India), if it would feel more safe, especially for women. Cleanliness and traffic on the roads have a lot of scope for improvement too.