I never thought I was good enough: Miss Diva 2021 first runner-up Sonal Kukreja

“With a crown comes responsibility, Now, I want to go on and
fulfill my mission to make a difference and spread happiness,” Sonal Kukreja,
Miss Diva 2021 1st Runner-up, shared with confidence, in an interview with
Opoyi after winning the crown. The 23-years-old was announced the winner in a star-studded
ceremony on September 30.

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“I have gotten so much from this journey and all that I’ve
learnt throughout my life. I’m beyond grateful for all the experiences that shaped
me and it’s an honor to get recognition for that. Through this platform I want
to enable financial independence for people, especially women in India so they
can take on their lives, make bold choices, and create their reality,” she
said.

Sonal says that throughout her life, she has been on a
journey of accepting herself.

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“… the way I am and the way I am not. Growing up, I never
thought I was good enough. I was an average kid in terms of academics and I
would think to myself that I’d never go to college because I couldn’t study
anymore. Little did I know that my thoughts were creating my life.

“The more I thought of myself as “average”, the more I was
bound to be average. No matter how much I studied or the hard work I put in, I
would still get the same scores,” she said.

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However, her life changed after tenth grade.

“In tenth grade, I read a book called ‘The Secret’. I give
utmost credit to the author, Rhonda Byrne for getting me where I am today. The
book talks about the power of thoughts and that you are the creator of your
life. At first, it was hard to believe it because if I were the creator, why
was my life the way it was? Why didn’t I have the best life out there? So I
took on the challenge of finding out if it all really worked.

“My first goal was to achieve a 10 CGPA in my 10th boards.
It was a far-fetched dream for me at the time. I put posters all around my
room, I made a plan of action, visualized, and most importantly, started
believing as if I’d already accomplished it. To my surprise, I made it happen.
Since then, I’ve been on the path to creating the life of my dreams. We are
only limited by our mindset. When we change the way we see life, life itself
changes,” she said.

Sonal is on a mission to spread happiness to all, and her
journey revolves around the mantra, ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu
niramaya.’

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“Ever since I was young, I wanted to embark on the journey
to spread happiness for all. A happy soul can make the whole world a beautiful
place. Growing up in a humble background, I realized that it is challenging to
be at peace when you’re constantly trying to make ends meet.

“During the global of COVID-19, when millions of people were
unemployed, they were unable to even provide for the next meal for their
families or for medical assistance. Many lost their loved ones to the pandemic.
That is when I decided to launch my startup, Unicas to enable to common person
in India to be financially independent so they can learn how to save, invest
and break free from their financial circumstances. And most importantly, so we
all can live a happy and healthy life,” she said.

Sonal says that financial literacy is often underrated even
though we live in a world today where instead of making a life, we are
constantly trying to make a living.

“It is imperative we enable opportunities for people and
especially women because they have been marginalized from opportunities in the
past so we can learn how to save, invest and be financially independent.

“Women operate from the heart and mind, with empathy and
kindness while spearheading us towards growth and new opportunities. Women like
Jacinda Ardern show us that women can take on leadership roles and run it with
empathy, agility, and honesty,” she said.