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A friend of mine is super-wealthy. And he has created all his wealth in the last decade or so through smart investing. But when I met him recently, he seemed quite dissatisfied with his life. He said, “If I look at my last 5 years, what did I do? There is nothing I...
Worrying does NOT cause all anxiety. In fact, there are two types of anxiety and they have different solutions. One type of anxiety is caused by worrying (i.e., thinking negatively about the future). When our ‘thinking brain’ (especially, the prefrontal cortex) starts...
4-Hr work week -- is not real. It is a fantasy that sells. Please don't blame yourself for working 8 or more hrs every day. That is what real life is. You are doing nothing wrong. You are not a ‘corporate slave.’ You are not missing out on a fabulous life, living on...
In my first job with the police, one of my bosses would constantly find fault with me and haul me over coals for some mistake or the other. Almost every letter from him would warn me of disciplinary action. And very sadly, this fault-finding boss was a very upright...
During my IPS training, we were excitedly waiting for the weapons training, imagining how we would be gloriously firing and hitting targets in the firing range. However, here is how the real training happens. First, you are taught the different parts of the weapon....
In my life, I have never craved anything as desperately as I craved admission into IIT. Yet, once I heard my IITJEE rank, I felt absolutely nothing. No euphoria, no joy, no sadness - I just felt totally blank. Sure it was a relief, but I did not celebrate for even 5...
One of my best managers at McKinsey announced on day-1 of the client engagement, “Guys, let us aim to make it a 9 to 5 engagement – I mean 9 to 5 pm, not 5 am!” We had never been able to do that on any engagement – least of all, on a super-intense, two-week due...
Going to the gym is painful. Preparing for an exam is painful. Doing the hard thing is painful. But here is the problem – the choice is not between pain and joy, but between 'pain now' vs. 'pain later.' Instead of preparing for an upcoming exam, we can surely slack...
Today, I lead a 10-member team at HabitStrong. Many years ago, I headed a team of 3,500 people when I was the Trivandrum City Police commissioner. So which responsibility was harder? Naturally, running the City Police, right? Nope. Even though I had a team of 3,500...
When I first thought of quitting my job, what troubled me the most was not the loss of salary but the loss of ‘business card.’ Till then, had someone asked me what I did for a living, I always had a good answer – “I work with a private equity fund.” Even prior to...
During our induction training at McKinsey, a senior director once walked into our training room. To emphasize the importance of brevity in writing, he said, “When God gave his commandments to Moses, he needed only ten bullet points. And you are not even God! Why do...
A video game maker would love it if you spend 12 hrs a day playing their game. A social media company would love it if you check their app every five minutes. They don't care if you are miserable. They don't care if your mental health is failing. They are not on your...
Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you build better habits in yours.