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Life is not a single game

A few years ago, while teaching physics to a bunch of high-schoolers, I erred in deriving a formula. And in a split second, even before I could correct myself, a kid raised his hand and pointed out the error. This kid was so brilliant that anything...

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Recent Posts

Catastrophize

In 2004, I walked into Mumbai’s Oberoi Hotel for my Wharton MBA admissions interview. I was nervous but once the interview started I got into flow....

Rewrite the story

In 2004, I realized that my life-story was going wrong. I had joined the Indian Police Service expecting massive challenge and excitement. And the...

Leadership

During my Civil Services training in Mussoorie, an IAS officer conducting a class once asked us, “What are officer-like qualities?” Soon we rattled...

Determination

The MBA at Wharton turned my life into a one-pointed quest: Find a summer internship. At any cost. When you are an international student with zero...

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Loving-kindness

Two years ago, our landlord cheated us -- when we vacated our office building, he refused to hand back most of the security deposit on some flimsy grounds. Seething with rage, I wished him ill to no end. And every time I thought of him, my blood...

Disasters

What I learnt from a lifetime of anticipating disasters and nightmare scenarios: - More than 90% of the disasters I worried about, never materialized. - Less than 10% that did materialize, were rarely as bad as I imagined. The next time you feel...

Building habits

This is a true story -- at the ripe old age of five, I briefly became a thief. But before you judge me, hear me out -- I promise you, there is a lesson here. When I was in first grade, in Bangalore, some neighbors used to play badminton near my...

Survive

In Apr 2020, my startup’s revenue went to zero. The Covid lockdown shut us down overnight. The day after the lockdown, I was at home, staring at the walls. Years of struggle and crores of investment were gone -- in a blink. In those moments of...

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Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you
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