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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.

I wrote my first blog post in May 2005.
I posted my first LinkedIn content in 2013.
I posted my first YouTube video in Aug 2017.
I sent my first newsletter in July 2020.
I posted my first IG reel in Jan 2021.
I recorded my first podcast in March 2021.

And guess what was common in all of them?
I think they were all TERRIBLE!

I was an amateur.
I was nervous.
I was rambling.
I was not precise.

And whenever I look at my earlier work, I am always left embarrassed.

So how is it that I have never cared to delete any of my previous work?

Because:
My first work reminds me that I started.
My first work reminds me that I took the plunge.
My first work reminds me of how far along I have come.
My first work reminds me of this beautiful quote:

Here is something you already know of:

Your first work will not be your best.
Your first work will leave you embarrassed.
Your first work will make people laugh, cringe, judge or mock you.

And yet, until there is no first work, there is going to be no other work!

Don’t ask yourself, “Am I ready to start?”
Ask yourself, “Am I ready to improve?”

1. Someone else’s definition of success for you.
2. People who do not support your dreams, instead question them..
3. The chase for money, that doesn’t let you even enjoy it.
4. Your own self, whenever you say “I’m like this only!”
5. The belief that it is too late. YOU have this moment, until you die.

1. Very few find their passion early in life. Most find it much later, if at all.

The world convinces us that we should “pick” a passion as early as possible and then settle.

I think all of your 20s should go towards discovering your passion.
Don’t settle.
Explore.

2. Passion isn’t about money. It is about how you feel.

We are led to believe that if you follow your passion, you will make a lot of money, which will give you a lot of happiness.

The most passionate people I know are simply content.
They are at peace with who they are.

3. “Quit your job to follow your passion” is poor advice.

Financial stability is important.
When we sacrifice that to follow our passion, we put the pressure of making money on our passion, from day 1.

Our passion then becomes our necessity!
And ultimately dies.

4. Passions don’t come in templates.

Stop looking for standard answers to what your passion could be.

Your context, your experiences, your habits, your idiosyncrasies – all of them lend to a passion that is uniquely you.

Don’t make someone else’s passion yours.

5. Our failures direct us towards our passions a lot more than our successes.

Whenever we fail, we seek solace and inspiration.
It is during such moments that our potential passions emerge.

What we gravitate towards.
Where we can truly be ourselves.
And not have to pretend.

There was a time when there were no ranks.
No grades.
No scores.
No positions.

You worked at something until you wanted to, or you got really good at it.
And then, the industrial revolution changed it all.

Tests were introduced.
The outcome of the tests was not to measure knowledge or understanding.
Rather to grade.
To score.
And then to rank.

Someone with a 93% was deemed higher than someone with 92%.
And we all got addicted.
Addicted to this race.

Fast forward to today – all of us live in constant comparison.

“Am I the best student?”
“Am I the best employee?”
“Am I the best leader?”

All of us live in constant fear, as a consequence.
Assessing who else is better?

If only we stopped to realise:

“I can never control if I am the best at anything.”
“I can only control if I am the best version of myself, at it.”

The race is not with the world.
The race is within.