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We don’t want people to reject us, and so we find it difficult to reject people.
Saying no becomes insanely hard.

We think if we say no, people will leave us.
We will hurt the other person.
People will think poorly of us.

When we say no, we say no to a request. Not to the person.

The challenge lies in reminding that to ourselves, and to that person.

Today’s generation is under immense pressure.
It’s the pressure of self-doubt more than anything else.
This self-doubt is led by the view that everyone else, except them, has it figured out.

People seem to be eating the nicest looking food.
Wearing the nicest looking clothes.
Clicking the nicest looking selfies.

We think the other person’s life is sorted.
We think that we are not good enough.

What we fail to realise is that others are going through the same anxiety as we are!

At times, all you need to know is that you are not alone in feeling what you are feeling.

We are taught to admire the extraordinary.
To be inspired by them.
To want to become them.

But…

We are raised to become ordinary.
To follow a template.
To take the path already taken.

To admire is easy. To get inspired is easy.

To become extraordinary is not easy. Because we haven’t been taught how!

“It’s okay to work long hours. I will make my parents happy with the money I make.”
This was one of the biggest mistakes I made, when I was younger.

I thought I would send them on vacations.
Buy them new things.
Make their life comfortable.

Pamper them so much, for all the sacrifices they made to help me reach where I am.

Truth is — the busier I got, the less happy they were.
Despite all the things they now had.
Because they didn’t have the thing they valued the most now – my time. 

Here is the undeniable truth.
Our parents are going to die, and we have no idea when.
Sadly, we do not have all the time in the world.

I’m grateful I saw the wrong in my ways.
Today, my relationship with my parents is the best it has ever been.

True relationships do not need things to grow.
They need time.

Make sure to give your loved ones this time.

If I could go back in time, I would tell my 20-year old self this:

This decade is when you will be judged the most.

Your college.
Your job.
Your car.
Your phone.
Your clothes.
Your choices.

Here’s the thing:
People judge you because they want to feel good about themselves.

It has nothing to do with you!
It is their insecurity.

To all the 20-year olds reading this…

You are not wrong.
You are simply different.
You are simply you!

Keep doing you :) 

Imagine there is a movie of your life and you are the main character.

Ask yourself — when people are watching the movie of your life, what will they keep hoping for you to do in your life?

What would they hope, beg, scream, plead for you to do right now in this moment?
Because that is the only thing that you should do.

Maybe you are afraid of doing it.

But this may be the push you needed.

If there is a difficult conversation in the relationship and the person in front of you becomes defensive, say these things to give them assurance:

“I am sharing this with you because I care about us.

I don’t want to attack you.

I know it may not seem like it, but I am not your enemy. I can never be your enemy.

This is not a battle between you and me. It is a battle between us and this situation.

I know you are feeling defensive because of my words, but I really want to understand you.

Please talk to me. It is important for me that both of us are able to say difficult things to each other and feel safe while saying them.”

Ever thought of asking for something on social media AND actually getting it?

I was scrolling on Twitter one day, when I came across this Tweet:
“I just need someone to take me to a bookstore and pay my bill.”

I am all in favour of having no budget for books and learning materials.
Because they are an investment in yourself and provide IMMENSE value, which will pay off over time through the better opportunities you get access to.

So, I agreed and connected Vanshita with one of my team members to host her.

32 books later, the Tweet became a reality!

Not only did this lovely incident bring a smile on my face, but it also reminded me of one of my favourite quotes:

“If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”

1. Rent until 35.
2. Don’t do FDs.
3. Invest for long.
4. Only buy assets.
5. Rich isn’t wealth.
6. Wealth is freedom.
7. Invest every month.
8. Read Atomic Habits.
9. FOMO isn’t investing.
10. Freedom is privilege.
11. Read about compounding.

This is one of the worst things that people can say if you have just failed or lost.

Don’t move on.

Pause.
Reflect.
Introspect.
Make changes.
Then take a step.

Failure by itself does not lead to success.
It is the introspection and action upon failure that leads to success.