goal

Running a startup is painful. Although some founders have turned it into get rich quick scheme. With funding winter, these companies and founders are coming into the lights of scrutiny. I am sure this is just the beginning, and we will see many more names coming out.

India’s growth story. The youngest English-speaking population has resulted in investments in the last ten years. Now they are looking for returns, which is not coming as anticipated.

Because of a few bad actors, the entire startup ecosystem should not suffer. We have just begun, and our goal is to build big.

responsibility

As a founder, one virtue you should seek from early team members is their responsibility-taking capacity.
A founder should not worry about the quality and delivery timelines.
They should be confident that team members will do it and deliver their best.

Any other pedigree and show-off should not be the priority in early hires. Otherwise, the founder ends up becoming a pendulum or a headmaster of a school.

source

Our life is a mixed bag. It has everything from pain, happiness, and longing to suffering. Once we are stoic about it, living becomes easy. The other magic that happens to us is finding the source, people who believe in you, your vision, and ways of seeing the world. It can come from anywhere, including rejections and ego. All you have to do is to observe and take action on it.

At the same time, we are social animals. We need believers who are part of our journey.
Those who inspire us. The ones who believe in the impossible.

Life is a work in progress. People walk with you and make theirs and your dreams as one; we need most of them in the journey. Every goal and task becomes easier to achieve.

I have been lucky in finding few in every aspect of my life.

freedom

We all have a particular definition of freedom. Some crave money while others for time to think. We are all unique, and our way of seeing this world varies.

I see education as a source of ultimate freedom. It’s education that brings a change for society and generations. It is education that helps us think, ask questions.

Acceptance

Most of us lack accepting reality in our life. We never move on. Could this be because of our emotions, expectations, and ego? You cannot mourn the passing away of your loved ones for life. You have to accept it and move forward.

The same goes for relationships. Once out of it, we are with memories, not a relapse. We would wish for things to work out as we imagined. As a result, we will waste more time on our dreams, not living in reality. We will result in closing other opportunities coming our way.

In the case of entrepreneurship, it comes with a risk of failure. We have to wake up, accept the reality and see another day. We can’t dream over the good old days or blame others for our failures.

Acceptance is the least favored virtue. But it provides a good night’s sleep and keeps us away from stress, panic eating, or heart attacks.

little

Our little actions can take us a long way ahead.
Our kids and peers: all observe us and how we treat others and react to a scenario: everything is closely watched.

Our aura depends on us and our actions.
We have to make life better for us and everyone around us.

Will your cook, butler, or chauffeur enjoy your company if you are not kind to them? They will leave you the day someone pays them a little more along with respect and care.

Default

Most of us are born and groomed with the world telling us what we can’t do. As a result, we end up being risk averse. Our thoughts and actions circle in a limited parameter. The default mindset becomes NO to every unknown. I am no different for the 30 years I have been on the same journey.

I think ego took precedence one day, and powered by the itch brain got rewritten. Now everything looks possible. It’s a default YES.

I think a healthy lifestyle and reading philosophy helped. Some friends believe it was psychedelics, which I doubt.

Our life is a long journey. At every stage, we have decisions to make and sail through. The only thing matters is our mental and physical well-being. We need a company of people and habits to make us Uberman.

Most things in life are not in our control. But that does not mean we should sit ideal. How will I know to swim without jumping in the ocean? [I know shark or drowning are a possibility too]. But who cares.

actions

Our actions define our journey in life. Our life is limited and mostly a mixed bag with happiness and pain accumulated together. Murakami says: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”

Many of us continue living a sedentary life or make negotiations with it. We start making ourselves accept that this is how life has to be. We don’t take action or think about choosing another path.

Our action helps us is keeping us grounded and focused. The distraction we go through in our lives is enormous. We have to pick our battle and stay in it. That is where the action plays a definitive role.

mornings

I have read multiple books and how successful people wake up early and start their day. I would laugh at it reading in my 20s because of the IRC conversation and late-night beer bash.

I wake up early these days. It has become part of me. I feel like a different person: I get to make my coffee, hear birds chirping, and read for two hours without distraction.

I was also a non-believer in yoga and meditation. I remember doing it forcefully in the hostel days in early childhood. I enjoy it now. I don’t do it for hours but just 10-15 mins pranayam and Surya Namaskar.

My Evenings are for long walks. Waking up early means I get free early from work.

point

It is easy to point fingers at others about their life or how they are operating businesses. It requires nothing.

The person living a life or in the journey of it knows what they are into. They are the ones who have plans for it. As an outsider giving any opinion is a waste of time and, in most instances, a piss-off.

I saw over the internet: talks about SoftBank for their loss. These are the same people who don’t know of the past: SoftBank made bombastic returns with Alibaba and Yahoo.

Let the captain run his ship or a human their life. Who are we to judge or point fingers unless we are not directly involved?