Live Well

Success is at the right place at the right time. Once upon a time, I refused a lucrative offer to join a leading IT company in Mumbai, citing “I won’t shift to Mumbai.” I was well settled in Vadodara when I got an offer to join Sony Music in Mumbai. I asked a close friend for advice, and he said, “Ishwar, you should go there as you will get a better opportunity to grow yourself.”

If I’d have refused the opportunity, Sony Music wouldn’t have happened. The opportunity to write 100s of articles won’t have happened. Joining the league of youngest CEO of Digital at Zee won’t have happened. Travelling around the globe won’t have happened. Speaking, mentoring and guiding 100s of entrepreneurs won’t have happened. And meeting 1000s beautiful people won’t have happened.

“Go where you are rare.” is a great sentence—being rare positions you as extraordinarily unique. It brings power to you. Things work differently. That ‘rare’ position allows you to discover, justify, explain, convince, and win over hundreds of people aiming to grab the spot you are enjoying. You’re in the spotlight.

If you have spotted that ‘rare’ position, the only word of precaution is don’t sit on it having full reliance on your talent alone to draw extraordinary results. Push your limits, empathy and desire to serve the cause. Keep honouring the purpose of you in that ‘rare’ person, and do more things to serve the people around you.

Impatience in your heart brings you alive
dreams in your eyes make you alive
Live like the free waves of wind
Learn to flow like the waves floating over the sea
Receive every moment in life with open arms
Every moment is a new beginning
surprise in your eyes keeps you alive
impatience in your heart keeps you alive

God Krishna Says,
“I am a friend of one and all. It is up to you whether you consider me as your father, mother, master, associate or friend.

For me, friendship comes first. I enjoyed my childhood with the cowherds of Vrindavan. I played with them like an ordinary boy. I went on to steal the butter from the house of the herdsmen.

I killed the Kaliya snake who was poisoning the Yamuna water and making the water undrinkable for cows and cowherds.

You would have read about my friendship with Sudama. He was my best friend. When Sudama arrived at my home, I could not control myself even for a moment. I ran barefoot to hug him. I treated him better than myself showering my complete compassion and equanimity.

During the war of Mahabharata, I was drawn to a peculiar situation. Kauravas’s blamed me for playing one-sided. I proposed they visit my place and whomsoever I see first when I will join whom I see first when I wake up in the morning.

You know that Duryodhan came first and sat on my head, assuming I would first look at him. Arjuna knew I would see one seated on my feet first. Arjuna was my ardent devotee. For him, I was the ultimate master ruler of his life.

You know that Draupadi used to call me “Sakha”, and I used to call her “Sakhi”. I always came to her rescue as she treated me as her ultimate friend, and I always protected her whenever she remembered me for help.

I live in the heart of everyone in the form of consciousness. Some people forget me, and some constantly keep me in their thoughts and hearts. I have guaranteed the rescue to all those who remember me for help. Even though you think of your individuality, you are never separate from me. You can only conquer me through love, and your love alone binds me to you. I am gladly conquered by those who have indomitable faith in me.”

Best friends forever
Whether its thick or thin
Hold the hand and walk together
Keeps the secret, holds the baton
Holds friendship above the prayer
Makes every life moment merrier
No conditions no infatuation
Just made to love without discrimination
Counsels you when you are wrong
Comforts you when you are down
Supports you when you’re about to fall

Dedicated to all my friends, who’s made me more wiser, better and merrier…

My two friends and I had dinner together. One of my friends asked: “So what do you think would happen on your death day?”

It was tough to answer.

Another friend replied: “Ishwar cannot give you the answer. If you permit, can I?”
“Sure.”
“The day you die, your bank account will be jammed with millions in your bank. The day Ishwar will die, certainly traffic will be jammed in the area.”

I know I am not so kind and generous that my death day would turn out like that. But, I could sense the motive of my friend behind why he said it.

If you look back at your early childhood and remind yourself to ask the question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
You’d have answered many things under the pretext that you’d not show that you are not here for a small bet.
Bring yourself back to the present, and you would say: “I wish, I Never grow up. Period.”
If you think that way, it’s because your life is not one chapter. To complete your life book, you will have to write many chapters. You would feel like being a blank piece of paper and always have a beginner’s mind.
Imagine yourself as a blank piece of paper. You can do many things – you can draw, write poetry, sketch a picture, make a paper boat, fly a paper plane, etc. etc.
And while you are on your flow to write your living story; from time to time:
– Assess your life to find out where you are.
– Decide what area to take action on and start gathering options.
– Keep prototyping your future self 5 – 10 years from now. Remember that there’s no failure, just continuous progress towards your destination.
– Choose to think and live in ways that focus on living your life as a hero does.
– Maintain a mindset of joyous life in which you learn, grow and have fun.
Live like a hero. Die as a hero does.

Your biggest goal is to live every moment of life feeling accomplished. You may call it differently – wealth, freedom, success, etc. You aim to earn money, time, relationship, spirituality and ability to pursue your geniuses. Your life is an adventure to do something every day which can get you closer to one of these things your heart desire.

I remember during the induction program of my first job the employer asked,”What do you think why you are hired for?” Everyone replied claiming their education, intelligence, excellence in specific skills, etc. The employer replied, “You are not hired for any of these, but our company has specific problems and we believe you are well-equipped with the skills, abilities, and interest to solve problems better than many others whom we interviewed for the job.”

This one statement makes it clear to me that to be relevant in any workplace, you need to understand market reality, you need to develop skills that reflect your abilities to deliver substantial value, and knowing the exact system through which you can apply your learning in the real world environment to achieve your life goals.

Know Yourself

Are you happy with whatever you have got in your life? Do you feel accomplished? Are you creating the income, impact, and success you deserve? If not, it is because you have not aligned your interests, skills, and abilities to strive to realize your potential and achieve greatness. You need to analyze and self-reflect to know your true potential and be aware mentally, physically and emotionally to achieve your greatness.

Use the attached template to know your dreams and what you need in order to leverage your geniuses. Instead of settling for a life of mediocrity, take your first step today to craft a life of limitless abundance.

When did you last watch a toddler’s first attempt to walk? I did it a few days ago. What I observed was that when the child was learning how to walk and fell several times, he never thought to himself, “Maybe this isn’t for me.” He kept trying and the beautiful thing was that the people around were encouraging and appreciating the child for his efforts and didn’t point their finger at him for the fall.

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

I find social validation the greatest enemy. You look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval and setting up yourself for disaster. You’re born a whole and complete man. It cannot come from someone else. You have to know who you are. You have to keep constantly trying like Edison without being worried about the fall much.

The only thing you have is that nobody else has control of your life, your job, your day, your heart, or your spirit. You are the only one in control of all of that. You have to love your journey without being too much worried about the destination.

Life is not a dress rehearsal. Today is the only guarantee you get.

Rabindranath Tagore met with a man in search of true love.

The man asked: “Whether true love exists?”

Rabindranath Tagore asked him to follow him. He took the man to farmland where a lady labourer was working. Living in scarce poverty used her stola to hang her newly born baby on the pipal tree. Her face and body were wet with sweat.

Rabindranath said: “This is true love. A mother has used her stola to hang her child so that the baby can rest comfortably under pipal shadow, and she continues working hard to feed the baby. What you see on her face is not an ordinary sweat but nector drops — I call it Shrambindu.”

Do you feel anger, bitterness, resentment and other negative feelings because someone or something happened in your life?
You are not alone — It’s just that people often don’t like to admit it, but holding grudges is common for people to respond to their feelings when they’ve been wronged.

During my workshops with students, I ask them to write their grudges on paper. Once they finish writing all their grudges, I ask them to put them in the fire and see it burning. The spark lit on their face is unmissable.

Try it yourself whenever you feel angry, bitter, sad, mad, worried, or exhausted. It works!!!

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2.15, the God Krishna says, “That person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both situation is certainly eligible for liberation.”

A diseased person happily consumes the bitter medicine with the hope that it will help him get cured. A person opts for a painful surgery to get removed the specific organ/object from his body to live better. Likewise, the distressful situation should be considered as the pathway to happiness. This understanding alone can bring so much of comfort and happiness in everyone’s life.

Our whole life has become a kind of struggle to possess material objects that can please our senses and provide illusory comforts. Every moment we are into the war like situation to accumulate material objects that can bring pleasure.

That big car, house, comfort, lavish lifestyle, etc. More we get habitual of these more distressed we become. And once we are trapped into the net, it’s never ending situation. Recently, I was told by a son of billionaire that he wants to buy a studio apartment and wish to live a simple and ordinary life.

The true happiness comes with the realization that nothing is permanent. The happiness of being millionaire is only until you live in the society of poor people. You move to a society of billionaires and then your’s being a millionaire will be a painful experience. Your state of happiness changes based on the lens from which you look at life.

The liberation is felt only when you put in use your material possession for the right purpose. When your capacities and capabilities are used for helping the needy ones. You choose to live life within the necessities rather than being surrounded with self-pleasing objects and comforts. You are bound to suffer the biggest distress – the complete waste of life in trying to gain the pleasure while swimming against the flow of the river.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter2.13 God Krishna explains, “Embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.”

What we see ourselves is the composition of the body and the spirit. Our body constantly keeps changing – the death of childhood causes adulthood, the death of adulthood causes elderhood, and so on so forth. It’s said there are 8.4 million species on our planet, and every spirit travels through all these yonis, including the time spent in heaven and hell. Spirit beneath us remains the same, only the physical appearance changes.

The one who understands this self-destructing nature of our physical body never suffers the bewilderment.

Birth and death are not our righteousness – it’s of our physical body. Our soul is immortal and keeps changing its physical form as we change the old and outdated clothes. If we keep our attachment to the clothes we wear, we will never be able to replace them.

Before you build a solid business, you need to build it on a solid opportunity (a.k.a idea) while going through your best experiences, biggest frustration, and everyday challenges people are facing. Take clues from the work you are doing right now or something that you think needs to be done differently.

Once you get the idea, survey the people you think will benefit the most and ask, “Where is the opportunity?”

Identify it, then go back to the drawing board and construct a solution to the frustration found in a group of customers.

Acts the way the customer needs it to act, not the Entrepreneur.

“How will my business look to the customer?”

“How will my business stand out from all the rest?”

Within the customer is a continuing parade of changing wants, begging to be satisfied. Find out what those wants are and what they will be in the future.

Lead Yourself by taking up the responsibility of your own work and your own deed delivering what you commit you will.

Lead Your Team by communicating clearly, aligning members with your goals, and understanding their desires and goals well.
Lead your family by having respect, clear communication, avoiding criticism, stopping being judgemental, listening to your family members, expressing love and appreciation, and frequently bringing together family members to celebrate joys, milestones, and celebrations.
Lead your community by setting goals for it, taking responsibility and getting it done, and involving stakeholders.
Lead your country by having a balanced view of righteousness, wealth and actions.
Lead Your Industry by spreading your message outside your wall in a way that it inspires people. For this to happen, you need to stop micromanaging, start learning and build profound connections with people who matter to you and your industry.