Lessons from life

 

Focus on your talents—that is the best way to grow

Zankhana Shah, a chartered accountant and the first practising woman certified financial planner (CFP) in the country, heads Moneycare Financial Planing. She is a director of Haven Financial Securities, a family-owned company whose services range from depository services and stock broking to derivatives and commodities services. Before starting her own financial planning company, Shah worked as a systems consultant in DTTI, a leading Chartered Accountant firm, and has served companies such as Reliance Ltd, Jet Airways, and Elbee Courier. She is also a member of the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange and Haven Comtrade, and of the commodity exchanges MCX and NCDEX.

On making ambition productive:

 One of the important lessons in my life has been to accept the situation as it is and work towards a solution. This has always worked for me. Whenever you get overambitious, you start looking for a problem, rather than solving it. Once you accept the situation and think about the solution, the thinking translates into action. Have patience. It is not a question of the best way or the right way to do it. It mostly doesn't work that way. The secret is to take small baby steps forward every day, and things will improve dramatically. One should always have a bigger vision for the smallest of things. You should always try to connect with people. This is the best way to learn new things. You should know whom to talk to when you need a solution to a problem.

On being open to new ideas:
    I get motivated by new ideas. They keep me going. This is something I have discovered about myself. For example, I was motivated to start out on my own when I discovered financial planning, then a new concept, and found it interesting. I wanted people to understand the new concept and benefit from it. I wanted to help them change the quality of their life. Now I want to expand my business further. I have an enterprising streak that keeps me on my toes. I want to learn or do something new every day. I think the day you stop learning new things, you start stagnating.

On maintaining perspective in one's life:
    It is equally important that you should have a perspective about life. You should have a vision, and choosing a happy life should be the first criterion. Being overambitious does not work. Putting a figure on paper and working towards it also seldom works. You should focus on your talent; that is the best way to grow. When someone focuses on their talent, the unique nature of the person comes out. It is also equally important to have strike a balance in one's life. I try to do justice to my different roles: entrepreneur, mom of a 10-year-old, wife, and daughter. They are equally important to me. That is why, even in my professional life, I always try to integrate money with the lives of the people I work with.