Rajan’s Linkedin posts

Why Less is More

In my previous EdTech startup, ConceptOwl, I found one day that new videos were not showing up on our app even though we were recording dozens of them every week. Why? Manpower problem. We had too many people! I found that there were too many steps in the video...

Why We Need Clear Priorities

Your mind CANNOT focus on a task if it subliminally fears that you are missing out on something more pressing. When you have that fear or anxiety, it does the following: You multitask or leave a task incomplete (e.g., a half-written email) and jump to some other task....

Life Takes Time

In 2010, at an investor event at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, I was dazzled by a company called Opto Circuits. Their polished presentation, storytelling, and impressive product display left no doubt that a medical device giant was emerging from India. The founder won...

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Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you build better habits in yours.

Start Now

When I started my Civil Services or IITJEE preparation, I had no idea how I would get to the finish line – so I just bought a few books and started learning. When I quit my job to do a startup, I did not know how I would build a company. But I got started, made...

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Building Habits

When I was in the 9th grade, I built a habit that inadvertently helped me crack the Civil Services interview almost a decade later. In those days, I started reading newspapers religiously because I loved following the international stories (e.g., the Tamil conflict in...

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Fresh Start

When I finished my BTech, instead of feeling on top of the world, I felt dejected and defeated. Till I went to IIT, like any teenager, I felt that I could accomplish anything – I felt bullet-proof. But during college, for the first time in my life, I felt that I was...

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Life is a Journey

Soon after I landed in Kerala on joining the Indian Police Service (IPS), my batchmates and I did a courtesy call on an officer of the rank Additional Director General of Police – the second-highest rank in the IPS. Naturally, as rookies, our rank of Assistant...

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Life is often the best teacher

When I was in the 5th grade, I learnt the basics of monetary theory from a local shopkeeper in Assam. Here is what happened. At that time, my father got posted to a remote place in Assam’s Kamrup district. There, the most prominent shop in the local market was a...

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Writing Wisdom

The skill that has changed my life the most is ‘writing.’ And if I could give you some unsolicited advice, here it is: Learn the craft of writing and it will pay you a hundred times over. In school, my writing was pathetic. Nobody taught me because my English teachers...

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Life is short

Last few days, I was a bit angry and unhappy with someone. Not so angry as to want to smack his head but angry enough, nevertheless 🙂 So when I woke up today morning, I could feel the anger inside. But what’s the point of carrying anger inside? It is so dumb! So...

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Stay humble and Walk alone

Many years ago, I met this person who had degrees from the world’s top-tier universities and an exceptionally stellar career. The only thing this person had not done was a startup. In fact, she had come up with a startup idea but to be doubly sure, she asked each of...

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Joy in Challenges

A few weeks ago, I tricked my family into going for a morning trek. I told them about this beautiful place near Trivandrum but when they asked how long the walk was, I said it was just a short walk. So the next day we started early, and when the uphill climb started...

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Focused work

The hyperactivity and constant busyness at work are placebos -- they lull you into believing that you are making progress. No, you are not. Most of the real progress you make in life happens only during deep, focused work. Focus is the real deal. So get rid of the...

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Perfect job

When I saw how much some of the most coveted jobs suck, I realized that there is no perfect job. And if no job is perfect, how can our life be perfect? Everybody with a perfect life is sharing their story selectively. Be careful in what you choose to believe. -...

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Benefits of meditation

Today morning when I woke up, I was not feeling good. But after an almost hour-long meditation, I felt like a different person – calm, mindful, and in control. A long run does exactly the same thing to me – it virtually flips a switch, brightening my mood, driving...

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Biggest revenge

Some guy wrote an abusive comment accusing me of joining the Civil Services because I enjoyed the crumbs of power. And he said many other nasty things. So how did I take my revenge? I did nothing. He wasn't worthy of even my revenge. In your life journey, some people...

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Motivation

For some reason, I don’t feel super motivated today. So what? Our goals are still alive, and so are we. Then what is there to wait for? Time won’t stop flowing, nor will the clock stop ticking for us to find the right mood. The world waits for no one. I have never...

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Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you build better habits in yours.