Lessons from the past

I want to note down some of the fundamental lessons I have learned about life lest I should forget.

1. Success is defined not by what is happening in the world around you, but by what is happening within you. It is about the goals you have set out to achieve and the ones you have achieved. When I was young, growing up in India I wanted to do the things my uncles did. I wanted to travel to America. I wanted go for an MS from  one of the best schools in the world. I wanted an MBA from one of the top 5 schools in the world. I wanted to be well read. I wanted to be physically fit. I wanted to be able to speak well. I wanted to meet interesting and exciting people. I wanted to party like there is no tomorrow, I wanted to play a lot of sports. I wanted to be able to write well. I wanted travel to different parts of the world and meet people. I wanted to buy a car. I wanted to be loved and appreciated by others. I wanted to write business plans. I wanted to be accepted into a scholarship program. I wanted to do something good for the society. I wanted to work for the best companies.

At various points in my life I have thought that each one of the above statement was beyond me. But then through some miraculous intervention, I was able to do each of the above things. It has made be both happy and gave me a deep rooted sense of belief that if I keep dreaming and working towards my dreams, they may indeed come true!

The lesson here is that I should never  stop dreaming. Even if the goals seem beyond my reach at this point in time, if they are noble and earnest, they will come true and the experience will be rewarding and cathartic.

2. Once the goals are in place, whether they are material or spiritual in nature, accomplishing them requires discipline and help. Lets talk about discipline first. If the goals were set with your heart, making sacrifices to achieve them do not even feel like making sacrifices. In fact it is a full time job and you feel no stress, only joy and satisfaction when you strive to take the steps in achieving those goals. As you move along that path, you feel as though you have enormous amount of time to set aside, you find that you have all kinds of resources at your disposal and you amaze yourself by your capabilities. I still cant believe that I was able to do the things I have done so far in my life. I still have plenty of things to do, but 10 years ago I didn’t think that Ill be where I am right now.

Lets talk about help now. I remember reading somewhere that your life is defined by the people you meet and the books that you read. In life you always need mentors. In my case, growing up, I assumed my uncle as a mentor. I wanted to have the life that he had. He too grew up in the same surrounding that I did, but he was able to break free, go for an MS from one of the best schools in the world and then an MBA from MIT 17 years ago. I am amazed that after choosing him as a mentor, 10 years ago how much my career has resembled his. Now I think it is time for another mentor to model the next 10 years after. Mentors are critical in life. Following their footsteps is how you make key decisions.

The second aspect is about the books that you read. In life you have to learn the rules of this world. You need at your disposal various aspects of religion, psychology, philosophy, general knowledge, in addition to your basic skill set to succeed. This is because no one can be a recluse and be successful at the same time. Some of the rules and laws in life are broken, but you still need to play by them to appear normal and to gain others respect. Only after you have gained your coworkers, friends, families, others respect can you be an effective person that people want to associate with. Only through being an effective person can you achieve all the things you want to. People want to be able to trust you to solve their problems. Books help you learn these rules about life. Thats why it is very important to be well read across a variety of subjects.

3. The cycle of giving. Growing up I never realized about this powerful force. Accept whatever others have to give you and be very thankful about their generosity. Do not feel guilty about it, even if you are unable to repay that person, just pass it on to someone else when you get the chance. This creates a circle of goodwill from both the giver and the receiver that is very powerful and can help you out a lot.

4. It is OK to make mistakes. After understanding the consequences and with mitigation in place I should take risks. If it was a mistake, Ill learn a lesson. If it was not, Ill gain something. Either way, if that was a well thought out risk, it is worth the risk. There should be plenty of opportunities to make amends.

5. Finally, life makes a lot more sense looking back than looking ahead. At times you dont really know why you are doing something. But if that seems right even though it  makes no sense it is better to trust your intuition and do it. A few years down the line it will make sense. I have been amazed at how various whimsical things I have done at various stages in my life have found a profound place and meaning in my story so far.

6. Enthusiasm can make up for talent! I dont consider myself to be a very technical person, but I have worked on some of the most cutting edge projects in health care IT. I have worked with physicians, scientists, software engineers, hardware engineers, clinicians, researchers and physicists to design and develop some awesome software. If you are willing to learn and ask people for help and work hard, unbelievable things are possible. You just need to know very well what your strengths and weaknesses are and how you can contribute to the team in accomplishing its goal. All kinds of people are needed when as a team you are trying to do great things.