The Tyranny of Chasing Goals

Why are some goals harder than others? Why do certain skills feel forever out of reach? Why do some long-awaited milestones shower only fleeting happiness? Why does not competing for feel liberating at times? How do people reach a level of performance that seems divine? First, The Mind Games Take a few moments to think…

A Longing for Belonging

The anxiety with which you search for a hometown delicacy in a new land is the same with which you look for familiar people and places when you visit your place of upbringing. In either case, you are slightly disappointed. When you move out, things also move on. A Story of Belonging I left my…

Codifying Quality of Life

Couple of years ago, I wrote an article reflecting on the decision to move back home to India after a decade in the U.S. I mentioned an approach to understanding quality of life in terms of quality of your thoughts and left it there, not having enough vocabulary to outline the specifics. This is a…

Personal Takeaways from Dr. Kapil Gupta’s Book “Direct Truth”

Things I have internalized from prior experience that were helpful to understand the book - The Creator's Paradox How do ideas originate? As a creator, can you think of the last time an original idea flashed in the inner eye of your mind? It must have felt like a spontaneous spark out of nowhere. Are…

A rant and a wishlist for ed-tech in India

(This article was “written in public”. After a skeleton draft was posted on LinkedIn and Twitter seeking feedback, the attributed responses below were used to further refine and add to the key takeaways.) The term “Ed Tech” feels like an oxymoron in India, an attempt to change the cover of a book when the book itself needs a replacement. Most…

The Unsolicited Fortunes – Fifty Things I Am Grateful For

The word in Pali language for gratitude is kataññutā. The word consists of two parts: kata, which means that which has been done, especially to oneself; and annuta means knowing or recognizing. I am likely missing yet another fifty but doing this exercise revealed the many things that are easy to take for granted. — The…

One with the Divine – The Power of Being in the Present

Can an eye ever see itself? Can a leg ever kick itself? Ever seen a hand that grabs itself, or perhaps, a tooth that takes a bite at itself? If you are “it” then you cannot exist out of what you are. So tell me how can you be defined by the thoughts alone that…

Ten Life Lessons I Picked Up In This Decade

Life lessons emerge from a deep-rooted underlying shortcoming. Such situations often require extended experiential learning from mentors that lasts years. If done right, life lessons create such a paradigm shift that the learnings become an integral part of your identity. As we get close to turning the page on this decade, sharing a personal retrospective…

Work Principles and Belief Systems — Two Sides of the Same Coin

At certain points in our careers, we all have struggled to bring our true selves into our interactions at work. In those moments when we overcome this struggle, we can fully align our actions with our hearts. This is crucial to building an authentic presence and a sense of belonging with the community at work.…

To Return or Not to Return (to India), That is the Question!

3 years ago, my family moved back home to India after a decade long stay in the U.S. I often hear questions from friends and co-workers about the move and the experience. For some in the U.S., the dilemma can be overbearing — while India is home we long to return, U.S. offers the prospect of a…