Rajan’s Linkedin posts

Why Challenge Keeps Your Body and Mind Young

A few years ago, when I used to go running in the University Stadium in Trivandrum, I would often see a former Chief Minister doing his daily walk. And he was in his early nineties. I have seen many Kerala politicians extremely active in their 80s. So much so that...

Work-Life Balance: Slacking Off or Sustainable Success?

For some people (especially entrepreneurs), work-life balance has become a toxic phrase -- symbolizing sloth, not taking responsibility, and doing the minimum necessary work. For others, it is a war cry against corporate slavery -- intolerable work conditions, long...

The Power of Small Actions

Every time you innocuously glance at your WhatsApp or Instagram, you are building a habit. Every gratifying action builds a habit -- no exceptions. I had already known this from psychology. But the Buddhist meditation master (Nyanaponika Thera) says: "Repeated...

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Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you build better habits in yours.

What freedom feels like

When I left my last job to do a startup, a new reality hit me – no more Car Club pickups, business class flights, expensive hotels, or unlimited travel budget. On the next flight, when I walked into the economy section, it felt a bit weird. But pretty soon, I got used...

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What makes us special is our convictions

In early 2009, I attended a townhall at McKinsey. This was just a few months after Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, and the US was still in the midst of a horrible recession. The partners running the meeting assured us that all was well – in fact, McKinsey did not lay off...

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The ethics behind profit

Once, while driving in Trivandrum City, I saw a shop with a big banner: 'Margin-free shop’. Presumably, they don't keep any profit margin. On seeing that, you almost get the feeling that 'profit' is a dirty word. In fact, my daughter even asked, "What’s wrong with a...

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RDX or Detonator?

If you set fire to a lump of RDX, it does not explode - it just burns harmlessly. To unleash its killer explosive power, all you have to do is - hook it to a detonator (a thin pencil-like explosive device). Similarly, to achieve our life goals, we often already have...

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2 AM Warriors

In IIT hostels, most of us were 2 am warriors. We would be routinely awake till 2 or 3 am, and the canteen would be crowded after midnight. That may sound heroic, but hear out the rest of the story before you decide. Since the night was infinitely long (in our mind),...

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The Price Of Freedom

If someone does a 6 hour Netflix binge and feels great about it even a week or month later, then in my opinion, he is doing ok. Maybe, he should do more of that. I may not agree with his choice, but I don’t have the right to judge his choices just as he can’t judge...

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Rajan shares insights from his own life journey to help you build better habits in yours.