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Change Yourself First
We all want to change the world, which is really hard. But we don't want to change ourselves, which should be pretty easy. Why? Because changing the world is a fantasy. And fantasies feel good. On the other hand, for changing ourselves, there are...
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Risk of failure
The best book has not been written. The best ad campaign has not been created. The best painting has not been painted. But who will write the next...
Ego
One of the most humiliating moments of my life came in 2008, on a day when nobody humiliated me -- I did it to myself. At that time, I was working...
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...
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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 off a barrage of heroic qualities: Integrity, courage, vision, persuasion, eloquence, teamwork......
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 bank balance, do you really have a choice? Further, two things made my desperation worse: 1. Nobody...
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...