During my MBA, a college classmate visited us in Philadelphia. He seemed happily settled in the US, doing a conventional tech job at a bank, drawing a $90k salary. His was a predictable job, with no growth prospects. Every year, his salary would go up by a few...

Years ago, we visited my wife’s aunt in California. When we opened her fridge door, it felt like the whole world came tumbling out – it was so jampacked. And that was not it – they had another industrial-scale freezer in their garage which was just as packed. In fact,...

If you have ever been in a rut, you know what it feels like -- nothing is satisfactory, yet nothing changes. Life is unhappy. Days just go by and nothing much gets done. You set goals and resolve to change 'tomorrow,' but alas, 'tomorrow' is just a repeat. It is as if...

Before my wife leaves for her office, I usually ask her, “How is your day looking?” And her typical response is, “Really bad. Whole day meetings!” Even though she heads her team and has full autonomy, she has little control over her time. And she is not an exception –...

On a vacation near the Gujarat frontier, I went for a morning run with a BSF (Border Security Force) company commander. He was so fast that running with this former commando literally took my breath away! In fact, every morning, I would see him leading his men for the...

When did you last read a newspaper editorial? No, seriously – tell me. I am not sure you remember because I certainly don’t. In fact, I doubt if I have ever read them end to end. Since the invention of the printing press, millions of trees have been felled to print...

Today, the access we have to stellar books, podcasts, videos, and blogs is mind-boggling. And yet, if we are not careful, it can quickly become a feel-good swamp. Most of the content we consume is about building a better life -- e.g., building skills, inculcating...

All it takes is 3-6 months to change your life. Here is what you need to know: 99% of the things that make us happier, healthier, and more prosperous are simple but hard. However, our mind seeks things that are complex but easy. Here are some examples. Instead of...

When I went to Ahmedabad, I was a bit frustrated about how difficult it is to maintain your fitness routine when traveling. But I then remembered how Mr. Atul Karwal, my former training officer in the IPS, prepared for his Everest expedition right here in Ahmedabad –...

The following have a common underlying causative factor: 1. Vulnerability to cults and conspiracy theories. 2. Fundamentalism – religious, political, or economic. 3. Superstition. 4. Prejudice – racial, religious, anti-outsider, anti-immigrant, etc. 5. Vulnerability...

I know a few people who read a lot of books but if you hear them talk, very little wisdom comes out. Isn’t that surprising? Why does that happen? My hypothesis is that reading is necessary but NOT sufficient. True understanding comes from assimilating the ideas,...

If self-improvement always feels easy, you are probably not doing it right. Here is why. When does your body get better? When it finds that it can’t handle what is thrown at it. When you do an intense run, your lungs can’t meet your body’s oxygen requirement. That is...

If you write 10 emails a day, every week, you send out 50 emails. In 2 years, you would have written 5000 emails. In the amount of time it takes to write 5000 emails, you can write a small book. And while the emails have a shelf life of one day, the book would be...

If you flip a regular coin 10 times, on average, you expect 5 heads and 5 tails. But what if the first 9 coin throws all show up 'heads'? Now you are down to the 10th throw. What would you predict? Our gut will very strongly suggest 'tails.' But the fact is, it is...

Productivity = Doing the maximum no. of to-dos in the shortest time. Wrong. This is a seductive but nonsensical idea. Every day, ideally, only one or two things should be your real priorities -- these have to be done at any cost. E.g., my priority today is to record a...