Latest Post
Life is all about setting expectations
On day 1 of a project at McKinsey, during the kick-off team meeting, one guy said, “I will not touch my laptop on weekends.” He explained that he was divorced and got custody of his daughter only on weekends. So work was out of bounds as he wanted...
Recent Posts
Learn Like an Intern
Quitting the Indian Police Service allowed me to restart my journey, like a fresh intern trying to make sense of the world. I totally loved the...
These are Your Key Assets
When I quit my job to become an entrepreneur, it felt a bit weird, but not for the first time. Years earlier, to do my GMAT and MBA prep, when I...
The role of struggle in achieving success
During my days working in private equity, I once met an entrepreneur who manufactured orthopedic implants (typically used in surgery for fracture...
Consistency is the key
Starting in 2018, I have been writing nearly every day, for almost 1,000 days (on Linkedin, Quora, HabitStrong blog). Writing per se was not the...
More Articles
Managing Social Expectations
My most terrifying moment at McKinsey was not handling some really tough client, but the invite I got to attend the New Year’s ball, a fancy black-tie event on some island near New York. For most people, these lavish events are the compensation for...
You Fail Only When You Quit
Every once in a while, an old back injury of mine flares up with excruciating pain, wrecking my workout routine for a week or two. And once the routine is broken, the momentum is gone. With every passing day, you feel even more like a failure, and...
Fixing Exam Formats
When I first decided to write the Civil Services exam, I was horrified at: 1. How sub-par the syllabus was. 2. How random the marking was. 3. How unbelievably opaque the system was. For my optional subjects (Maths & Physics), supposedly at B.Sc...
Quitting is not an option
Whenever I struggle to persevere while doing something hard, here is what I tell myself: Slowing down is an option. Taking a break is an option. Modifying your goals is an option. Reprioritizing is an option. But if you really care about something...