Nadia And The Sunny Side of Life

 

My name is Abubakar but she insists on calling me Sunny—my nickname. Her name is Nadia Ballas-Ruta and I just call her Nadia.

Sometime back in 2008, I stumbled upon a blog named Happy Lotus. I clicked the link and read a post and then I was hooked. Nadia’s story telling skills and the underlying wisdom in her writings were enough to keep me interested.

I still read her blog as I used to, but she, like all ambitious souls, has moved on. The simple personal development blog—Happy Lotus—has become Happy Lotus Lifestyles, LLC. The simple personal development blogger has become an Online Media and Branding Consultant, but the interesting thing is, that at the heart of it all, she is still the same old serene Nadia, who likes to help people stand up and make something of their lives.

Here is her story and how she created a business for herself, based on her passions, rather than her academic qualification as a lawyer.

Nadia, I have known you for about two years now, and I have seen you transition from being an attorney to a personal development blogger to an Online Media and Branding Consultant. How did the journey feel and what made you take this road?

Well, Sunny, during a religion class in college, we watched the video of Joseph Campbell’s "The Power of Myth". There were a few lines that he said, that have been engraved into my mind.

And one of those lines was about the hero’s journey. The hero starts out at one point to go in search of something greater. He descends into darkness and through various experiences, he comes back to where he started, but with greater wisdom and insight. I am not a hero, but my journey has been exactly like what Campbell said.

When I was 25 (which was over a decade ago), I was working as a writer and communication and image consultant, while attending law school. I was very good at what I used to do, and was living a luxurious life.

However, that was not enough because I felt something was lacking and thus began my spiritual journey in earnest. As a result, I almost became a nun and held many jobs, but the underlying theme in all that I have done, was a search for meaning, and to find out what life is all about. I found what I was looking for, and now I am back to where I started, but with greater wisdom and insight.

That’s interesting! Where did your journeys take you internally and externally? Did you face any obstacles or extraordinary realizations or spiritual experiences that normal people do not experience?

When I left my luxurious life, my ultimate goal was to find meaning, happiness and inner peace. So I left everything behind, and went in search of that. I lost friends, and some of my relatives stopped talking to me. That was hard, but my desire to find my answers meant more. I traveled the world and read all the books that I could.

One thing led to another and I met my version of Yoda, and that one meeting led me to be initiated into one of the high orders in India. I studied all the religions of the world and learned a lot about spirituality and life. I was exposed to teachings which changed my whole outlook on life. Life truly is, so much more than we realize. We are capable of so much, but we let the junk get in our way.

Anyway, I was on the road to being a nun, but I realized that even though I could give up the world, I could not give up the idea of marriage. So I left the monastic path and re-entered the world. That was tough because the monastic path is very sheltered, but I continued on my mission.

I met my husband about a year later. We then moved to India and lived there for six months. While we were there, we built a reading room for the village we lived in.

It is important to note that ever since I began on my quest, I was constantly working on myself. I  knew what was in my way of finding happiness, and so I worked on it without making any excuses. I knew that in order to get what I wanted, I need to face my pain and so I did.

I healed all the stuff that I needed to heal. I accepted aspects about myself that I struggled with. I worked hard on all of this, because it meant so much to me. I am not a perfect person but I am a much better person than I was. I do consider myself a happy person, and I am at peace. I could be better, but I am much better than I was.

In my eyes, my mission was accomplished. I found what I sought. It took me thirteen years, but it was worth every penny (I spent all the money I had) and every second.

Now that is some passion! What is the most interesting incident that you can share with us, in your 13 years of traveling in search of the truth?

There are so many incidents. The world is a beautiful place, and I have been blessed to have had such a beautiful search for truth. However, I will share a couple.

One incident that really stands out for me is, when I met my version of Master Yoda. The man had skin that glowed. He was (and still is) full of peace and joy. He was able to read my heart and soul with ease. He was in his 50s and looked half his age. Meeting him changed my life and taught me a lot about life, happiness and inner peace. He is truly a beautiful soul, whose presence on my path, took me to higher levels of awareness and understanding. I will be forever grateful, to have met him.

Another incident that sticks out, was the time I went shopping at one of the huge department stores in Mumbai, India. I purchased a bunch of shirts and then had to return a few. I ended up buying some more shirts, but I did not have enough money with me. So the man at the department store, let me keep the shirts anyway. That would never have happened in the West.

Another memorable trip, was my visiting Paris. A beautiful city with beautiful people. Walking in that city just really touched my creative heart and soul. I have been a writer for over twenty years, and words are one of my passions. So to walk the streets and see such art on display was sheer bliss. My visit to London had a similar effect on me too.

Actually, each trip and experience taught me something about life and about myself. So it is really hard to single out a few, but these are the ones that are primary on my list.

So how does this search for truth ties in with your decision to re-launch yourself as an Online Media and Branding Consultant? What unique services you are offering to your prospective clients?

Actually, the decision was made for me. Last year, I was working as an attorney in one of the top law firms in America and I got laid off with the promise that I would be called back in, when there was work for me. So I then tried to look for another job, but nothing felt right, and nothing really worked either. Then my husband and my father both suggested that I start my own business. 

It has always been something that I dreamed of doing. Even though I freelanced before, as a political campaign writer and image consultant but I never really had my own company. I was simply freelancing.

Their advice to me felt right and one thing led to another and I was faced with the realization that I should go back to what I was doing, because I came to see, that I really loved it and was really good at it.

What helped me to see this realization was that my spiritual quest had finally come to an end. So all the pieces fell into place and I saw the obvious. As I told you before, my life came full circle.

I am a master of branding, copywriting, writing and online media. I know that sounds arrogant but I am really good at what I do. Writing and imagery are my strong points. Plus, I infuse my work with my spiritual awareness.

I am a big believer in conscious business and so all of my work is done with the intention to do great work, and to genuinely help the client shine. We each have the ability to be extraordinary and I help people and businesses become extraordinary.

All my past clients and current clients love my work and that says a lot about what I do. I mean if your customers/clients aren’t happy, then you have a problem.

I know you are a good writer and I always loved the imagery you created with your words in your blog posts, so I have no doubts about your abilities.

The interesting things for me is that you are bringing spirituality to a profession that is considered “worldly” and is also highly competitive and people use all kinds of go-get-them techniques in online branding. They hard sell such services. You, on the other hand are coming from a completely different perspective which I appreciate.

Can you give me a real world example from any of your previous work with a client who benefited from your spiritual approach to online media branding so that the potential clients can really understand how exactly they will benefit from your approach?

Thanks for the compliments! You know what is funny? Being a lawyer was far more competitive so the competition in online branding does not scare me.

See, the thing with branding is, that it is truly an art form. I see many people write about it, but most of them do not have a true understanding of how it works. Their desire to make money overrides their love of the art of branding.

For me, I love branding. I love words and imagery. Taking words and images to convey a business’s idea, is truly a creative process. It requires thinking outside of the box and using creative tools to conjure up a tag line or a visual that invokes what the business and/or the individual wants to convey to the world.

I love being able to talk to a person and see what they want to do. I actually take my time to talk to my clients and really get to know them and what they want to achieve. I treat my clients like human beings and with respect. That is what I call being spiritual.

I don’t think about the money. I think about doing great work and making my client blissfully happy. That is what makes me different. I am all about doing great work and creating art.

When you create great work, you then enable your client to become a success, because they are coming from a position of strength. Every single client I have had and do have, feels empowered and they end up going out and achieving their goals. I am proud of that, because I helped them to become extraordinary.

To resort to sleazy or go-get-them techniques, in my mind, is a form of insecurity. If you are really good at what you do, then you don’t have to be sleazy or force a hard sell. When you know you do great work…the work speaks for itself and people will find you. I have seen it time and time again.

I agree with you Nadia, because that is true and I have myself seen it happening, time and time again, that people tend to gravitate towards the people who they feel can really help them out in some way. So I know you will do fine because you are that kind of person who will help anyone from your heart—even without any financial rewards.

(What you read above, was an email interview with Nadia (the very first one, after she launched Happy Lotus Lifestyles, LLC. If you need any help with online media branding she will be the first person, I’ll ask you to contact.)

Now lets go back full circle. Like I said, my name is Abubakar, but she insists on calling me Sunny, and when I asked her about it, she said, “I like to call you Sunny because you are like the Sun—you bring the light along, wherever you go”.

But, between you and me, I think, that she likes to call me Sunny because she likes to look at the “sunny side” of life—always.

SHARING IS CARING