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Recall the time when we asked a question in class and our teacher dismissed it as a stupid question?

Suddenly we felt alone.

The entire class laughed at us.
We felt the teacher doesn’t like us anymore.
We wondered why we asked in the first place.
The best thing would have been to shut up instead.

So, that’s what we did.

We stopped asking.
We stopped questioning.
Instead, we focused on memorising answers.
Answers that helped us score in exams.

Today, as adults, we have trained ourselves to not ask.
Just to answer.

What we do not realise is that the only way to grow in life is by asking questions.
To never ever stop your curiosity.
Especially because of what we think people might think.

That’s the way I have grown.
And I love this way of growing :)))

I tried JEE twice.
Didn’t clear it.

Tried IIT again for MSc.
Didn’t clear it.

All these times it seemed like the end of my world.
It wasn’t.

That exam, that job, that relationship, that target, that goal.
That isn’t the end of your world.

I asked 2500+ people “When was the last time you cried?”

“I cried on my birthday. I think I can’t make my parents proud.”

“The one person I truly love (who doesn’t love me back) is going through a rough patch in life and it hurts knowing I can’t do anything to make them feel better.”

“I don’t get along with my family. They don’t agree on how I should live my life and I feel abandoned.”

“Being a topper is not good. Moreover, being a JEE and NEET aspirant makes things worse. Apart from being sad since I have a lot of homework to complete, I started crying because it was just so difficult to handle.”

“I have no one to talk to.”

All of the responses had a story to tell.
A story that could be ours, that we might find ourselves in.

I want you to know that you are not alone in feeling what you are feeling.
You are not inadequate.
You are not a loser.
You are not incomplete.
You are not a failure.

It is ok to cry.
It is ok to not know why you cried.
It is ok to not be able to stop your tears.

You will be ok.
It is going to be ok.
You hang in there, ok?

Hugs!

Your salary is not your only success.
Your happiness is as well.

Your marks are not your only success.
Your learning is as well.

Your designation is not your only success.
YOUR description of your designation is as well.

The world will make us believe a fake definition of success.
Not falling for it is the biggest success!

1) What is your happiest memory of us?

2) How was the first year of parenthood for you?

3) What is the nicest thing I have ever done for you?

4) What are the best & worst parts about getting older?

5) What’s one thing you want me to always remember after you are gone?

Do something together that you used to do as a child.

Help them. They are getting older.

Tell them you are thankful for them.

If you died, your manager would put out a job posting in 48hrs looking for a replacement.

Your friends and family will never get that chance.

As much as your job is necessary, do not ignore the relationships where you remain irreplaceable.

Managing time can be intensely hard in today's distraction-filled world.

I see it as an opportunity to stand out.

The world is going to reward even more, the ability to take control of one's time and drive your own agenda.

Emotionally intelligent people allow themselves their bad days, their hard moments, their tough admissions.

And they give themselves the space to experience them all.

Knowing that this too shall pass.

As will the good ones as well.

Fame is being known in front of the world.
Success is knowing yourself.

Fame may (or may not) make us arrogant.
Success keeps us grounded.

Fame is external.
Success is internal.

There’s nothing wrong in chasing fame, as long as we know what makes us successful and keeps us grounded.

While the world defines one as being incidental to another, there are a lot of famous people that are dissatisfied.

That’s not success.

Also, there are a ton of successful people who aren’t or choose not to be famous.
That’s success - knowing what we want.

Fame and success aren’t concentric circles.
They may just be intersecting ones, but are mostly mutually exclusive.