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The trap of external validation
I know an ex-civil servant, who joined three political parties with diametrically opposite ideologies, to end up in one of the highest positions in government. So why do people do that? Do their political convictions change so fast? Are they so...
Recent Posts
Avoid Willpower Battles
Here is how I maximize my willpower – I use it sparingly. I don’t touch alcohol because if I start liking it, I will have to fight a battle within...
Well-being and Happiness
During my student days, one morning, when clearing up my hostel almirah, I found a copy of Michael Crichton’s book ‘Congo.’ I casually opened the...
Learning Without Limits
During a video interview, the interviewer asked me this question: What would I do if I did not have any college degrees or any pedigree? Here is my...
Live Fully, Regret Less
The biggest mistake I made in my twenties wasn’t that I lacked focus, ambition, or hard work – none of that. My biggest mistake was that I took life...
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Disagree Without Defensiveness
Here is a simple skill that can accelerate your career: Learning to disagree without being disagreeable or putting others on the defensive. When you tell someone, ‘I disagree with you,’ more often than not, it makes them defensive. If people take...
Lifestyle
When I quit my last job to become an entrepreneur, I could no longer afford my house rent. So I moved into a place with half the rent. Later I moved from Mumbai to Trivandrum, and my rent further went down by two-thirds. Strangely, even though my...
Mastering Articulation Skills
At McKinsey, the skill I needed the most was not maths. In fact, the most advanced maths I used was a simple regression. Surprisingly, even more than ‘problem-solving’, the skill I used the most was 'articulation' - writing, explaining, and...
Morning Habits Matter
“You want to change the world? Start by making your bed” – famously spoke Admiral Bill McRaven, the former head of US special operations command. How you start your day is often how your day goes. And how your days go, is how your life goes. So if...