‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone’: Simal Soin, founder Aayna
The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one’s personality. It has its origins in a parlour game popularised by Marcel Proust, the French essayist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.
Dr. Simal Soin, founder, Aayna Clinic, is an Aesthetic and Cosmetic Dermatologist. After her basic medical qualification in India, Simal went to the UK where she trained and worked for six years at two of the world’s most premier Dermatology centres - St. John's Institute of Dermatology London (where she received her postgraduate degree) and Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge (where she was awarded an M.Phil.). Anti-ageing therapies are Simal’s forte. She is also the Dermatology Influencer for Proctor & Gamble, India. Here are her responses to our Proust questionnaire…
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Doing spiritual readings with music in the backdrop drinking a cup of coffee or tea in a room filled with beautiful art.
What is your greatest fear?
Anything happening to my loved ones.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
The inability to say no to anybody.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Manipulation, hypocrisy and people trying to take shortcuts to success without hard work.
Which living person do you most admire?
Bill and Melinda Gates.
What is your current state of mind?
Peaceful and mindful.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Temperance.
On what occasion do you lie?
Almost never.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
At the cost of sounding a bit vain- Nothing.
Which living person do you most despise?
No-one.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
A sense of humor and kindness.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Being soft, feminine and intelligent.
Who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My sensitive nature.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My beautiful children who have turned out to be such good human beings.
Where would you most like to live?
I can’t imagine living anywhere else except where I live.
What is your most treasured possession?
The birthday wishes, written on cards from my kids and family and friends over the years.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Loss of self-worth.
What is your favourite occupation?
Artist.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Multi-tasking.
What do you most value in your friends?
Sincerity.
Who are your favourite writers?
Robin Sharma, Parmahansa Yogananda and Eckhart Tole.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Spider-Man.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My maternal grandmother and my sister.
What is your favourite name?
Arjun and Karan.
What is it that you most dislike?
Angry people.
What is your greatest regret?
Not to being able to stand up for myself when certain situations demanded it.
How would you like to die?
In my sleep.
What is your favourite journey?
Creating Aayna and watching it grow.
What is your motto?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
