I was recently having a conversation with my first female friend from IITR. Mentioning this is important because if and when she reads it, I want her to feel special knowing I remember she was the first one.
We were talking to each other after years and when we started, it never felt like we had not been in contact all this time. Maybe that’s how it is like with old friends. You just start off where you left.
She told me she was going to join IIMB and I was delighted to know this. In IITR, she probably had the time of her life because she chilled so much that studies never became a priority. I reminded her to make the most of this chance.
She asked me if I was enjoying London and I told her I am fortunate to be here. And then, she said something which has probably been told to me by different people in different ways.
She said ‘I knew you would do really well’.
I replied, ‘How did you? I was never among the brilliant ones’.
Then she said something which made me smile -
‘Whatever you wanted to do, you achieved it by fighting for it. I am going to borrow that same attitude for B-School’.
I am going to say that again, that it made me so happy and proud that she thought of me that way.
Everyone feels good to be reminded what they are good at. I am no different. And especially when you don’t hear it often.
At the same time, what I told her was equally true - I was never special in any way. I was quite an average guy, which I still am. And yet it never stopped me from achieving things which I myself never thought of.
I always believed in doing the right things, making the most of whatever limited things I was good at and maximising it all. And so far, it has turned out well for me.
And this, is what I hope you can learn from me.
You don’t always need to be gifted or be super intelligent to make it big in life. Of course, being all that will help but may still not be enough. What will help though, is your commitment to your work and dedication.
Sounds too cliche, I know. But it’s still true.
By doing the best you can, you give yourself the best chance to achieve the best you can.
Not cliche anymore now, right!
Before someone in the comments say, what have you even achieved to answer this?
I would want to tell them, not much actually.
My biggest achievements so far in life has been-
- Getting into an IIT, after taking a drop.
- Getting to work at Uber, before failing 7 consecutive interviews in college.
- And getting to work in London, which is a lucky opportunity that came my way and I am glad I made it count.
And I am relatively content with how I have done so far, and by that I don’t mean I am not hungry for more. Because I am, but not desperate.
All I mean is that I know my limitations, and being self aware has been more of a strength than weakness. Not being exceptional in anything particular has made me open to the opportunities that came my way, however different and challenging they were. I always tried to give the best I could and thankfully, I have done okay.
Let me reiterate, and even rephrase a little,
Instead of focusing on what you lack, try to make the most of what you have. And that might be all you need to achieve most of what you want.
-Anshul Sharma
