Twins

Twins are born.

From birth — they experience the same things.

They have the same parents, they get the same type of food, the same school, etc.

But still, their lives will be completely different. Why?

Because your life depends on your interpretation.

Two people can go through the same circumstances and the result will be completely different.

Because one person says “why me”— the other “how can I make it better?”

One is letting life happen to you and the other is taking charge.

When I hear, why me? — I know this person is going to suffer in life.

Because it’s victim question. You defeat yourself before even getting started.

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People glamorize the fancy decisions — move to a new city, get that job but in reality — the small day to day decision holds all the power.

Because depending on what you decide — it compounds and leads to life.

When you couldn’t get hold of someone — why me or what can I do now?

When you lost the lead — why me or what can I do now?

These minute mental interpretations are what will revolutionize your life in the long-run.

So, take a look at your interpretation.

Are you getting bitter over things or taking control?

Because at the end of the day — If you don’t change you (mind) nothing will change for you.

I urge you to think differently — More on this.

-Rafael Eliassen

Click here to read  why : "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know"

You are poor others are rich but why ?

Break or Study ?

 I used to take a break from studies every few hours during my JEE preparation days, and I think that helped me immensely.

Every three-four hours, I used to take a break to read a novel for thirty minutes. And I used to play Badminton every evening for two hours. Both these activities provided me with a channel to release my stress and re-energize myself so that I could continue studying with full concentration.

JEE preparation is very tough, but studying all the time will not help. It is important to take regular breaks in between to ensure that the preparation is more effective.

At the same time, it is important to ensure that the breaks do not supersede the study duration. There is a very big difference between taking small breaks every few hours of studying, and studying for a small duration every few hours of break.

-Rohan Jain

Clearing JEE is Sign of Success ?

You will suck at...........

I was very complacent about most academic things when I was younger. This is partly due to the fact that I have a fairly good analytical bent of mind, and that my parents nourished it the right way with books and CDs.

Due to this, I was usually well aware of the content of most subjects even before they were taught. I seldom put effort, and I did fairly well. I felt I was really cool.

I kept at this till I was in the 11th and started preparing for the IIT JEE. There were a couple of folks I knew, who took national level competitive examinations. There was one particular friend of mine, who used to score 100 marks lesser than me in a 500 mark examination. I felt even cooler.

Till one fine day, he scored higher, and higher, and higher. I could not believe it - he ended up qualifying for a selective All India classroom program; I didn’t. My coolness evaporated and I was brought back to ground in emphatic style.

I was perplexed at the time as to how this was happening, but I knew in my mind why it was. He worked hard - I didn’t; that made all the difference. I humbly got my act together and started studying. He deservedly got a higher rank than me in the JEE, but if it was not for my realisation - I wouldn’t have even qualified.

What’s my biggest life lesson? There’s no substitute for hard work. Nothing can beat it - nothing. You may be smart, talented, blessed - if you’ve got to make it, you’ve got to put in the hours. Anyone who claims otherwise is not your well wisher.

I have a quote in my room that constantly reminds of this learning, which is now deeply ingrained in my mind:

“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

-Aviral Bhatnagar 

Toffee at IIM ?

 The practice of offering toffees to the candidates was probably started to make the candidates feel more comfortable and to eliminate stress. It seems to have had the opposite effect.

I think the panelists have a lot of fun behind the back when they know that a simple action such as offering or not offering a toffee to the candidate can make him or her go into instant panic mode.

Let me make one thing clear: It is just a toffee and there is absolutely no hidden motive behind offering a toffee.

Among the five IIM interviews I had given (IIM A,B,C,L,K), I was offered a toffee or cookie only at IIMA and IIML. But I had converted the other three interviews as well. So offering a toffee or not to the candidate has nothing to do with how the interview went.

Interestingly, I was offered a cookie first at the end of my IIM Ahmedabad interview. As soon as I took the cookie, they also offered me a toffee. I hesitated, but then went for the toffee as well. The panelists started laughing and also offered me a cashew. Since I had a cookie in one hand and a toffee in the other, I couldn’t go for the cashew and politely declined.

During my IIM Lucknow interview, I was offered a cookie at the beginning of the interview. As soon as I put the cookie in my mouth, the panelists started asking the interview questions. There was a long awkward pause after the question, when they were waiting for me to answer and I was trying to chew my cookie as fast as possible without making any chewing noise.

-Rohan Jain

Ever since I was a kid, my parents taught me the importance of..........

 Ever since I was a kid, my parents taught me the importance of education in life. While I had been a class topper from my first grade itself, my parents ensured I didn’t get satisfied just with my performance in school. I started appearing for national competitive examinations from my fifth grade, and started evaluating myself on a national level instead of just focusing on my school grades. I spent more time reading science books that helped me prepare for these national exams, than I spent reading my school books. As a result, I have never been afraid of competitions and exams. JEE, IIT, CAT, IIM - I had heard these terms way back when I was a kid.

Even as a child, I used to read English novels. When I was in my first grade, I used to read Amar Chitra Kathas, but I migrated to reading proper fiction novels from my fifth grade. I have two cupboards filled with books at my home, and I still keep adding to the collection. This helped me not just improve my language skills, but also exposed me to the world outside.

My parents also taught me that while education is the most important factor in life, extra-curricular activities are also important. I used to play sports quite frequently, and had also enrolled for music lessons.

As a kid, I was given a pocket money of Rs 5/- per day, which I used to buy snacks at school. My school canteen used to sell samosas for Rs 2/-, veg puffs for Rs 3/- and burgers for Rs 5/-. My biggest dilemma used to be whether I should buy a combination of 1 veg puff and 1 samosa, or go for 1 burger instead. Sometimes, I used to save so that I could buy two burgers the next day, as I really loved those burgers. I learned the importance of money and savings quite early on.

The first time I was given a cell phone was in Class 10th, because I had started going for my JEE coaching classes then. It was my mom’s old flip phone, which I used only when I needed to call my parents to inform them about my whereabouts. There was nothing else one could do on that phone anyway. As a result, mobile phones had never been a distraction for me.

Once, a stray dog had given birth to two cute puppies near our house, and had left them. My parents had allowed me to adopt those two puppies. I had named them Blackie and Brownie, because of their colour. I used to play with them and feed them everyday. I still miss them sometimes. I learned to be kind towards animals, especially stray animals, quite early on.

My parents ensured my all-round development right from my childhood days. Am I happy with the way my parents brought me up? Frankly, I don’t think it could have been done any better.

-Rohan Jain

Poor people are stuck looking for a fancy solution.

 Shiny Object Syndrome.

Poor people are stuck looking for a fancy solution. For some, it’s the new business idea they have been waiting for. For others, it’s getting their promotion or the new online course they found.

However, whatever solution they believe is the secret to getting rich, won’t make them rich. Because there is no one solution.

Money is a puzzle that requires multiple pieces to solve. Most people try to fix the puzzle by only looking for one piece.

According to them, it’s their one idea/promotion/course that's keeping them poor.

If you think like this, let me break your bubble, there are multiple things that keep you poor.

• You never jump. Money is the swimming you learn only by jumping in. Most people don’t start a business. Don’t save. Don’t invest. Don’t learn.
• You play to your weakness. You can make money in any industry. Yet, you didn’t pick a job/business according to your strengths.
• You make your work hell. What happens when you drive a car in the wrong gear? You stress out. Most people never find their working style.
• You are ignorant. Most people don’t have the humility to ask/learn from people who are already succeeding. If you could only imitate what the rich do, won’t you become rich?

I can list many more reasons but that’s not the point.

The point is to make you look at the bigger picture. To make you see that there are more than one obstacle and more than one solution.

If money is a painting, don’t see just the painting but also the painter, the brush, the paint and the skills which made it.

-Rafael Eliassen

While clearing JEE is definitely not a clear sign of success in life................

 When I had started my JEE preparation, there were a few students who used to perform exceptionally well in the mock tests. By the time of actual JEE, the set of high performing students had completely changed. Those two years of JEE studies were enough to prove that you don’t need to be a high performer from the beginning to succeed in life. JEE preparation taught me that life is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to consistently work hard to finally succeed in life.

There were times in those two years when I had been extremely frustrated, either because of the increasing stress or because of the difficulty in managing multiple things together. Many of my friends decided to quit in between. JEE preparation taught me to believe in myself and never quit in between. Everything will eventually sort itself out.

JEE preparation is the time when there are multiple distractions in life. The school life is about to end, and there are farewell parties. It is also the time when you start becoming mature enough to go out for movies or outings with friends. It is not easy to say no to such distractions, but JEE preparation taught me to always keep my goal in mind, and never get distracted from my ambitions.

While my teachers and mentors had helped me a lot by explaining the concepts to me, most of my JEE preparation had been through self-study. I had coaching classes only once a week for three hours. The rest of the week was spent on self-study. JEE preparation taught me that while there might be mentors to guide you in life, you have to completely own your goals. You, and you alone, are finally responsible for your performance.

The JEE preparation time was extremely stressful. However, I found a medium to release my stress through badminton. I used to play for a couple of hours every evening, and that helped me relax my mind. JEE preparation taught me that however busy you are, it is important to maintain at least one hobby that you really enjoy. A hobby not just relaxes your mind, but also helps you perform better in life.

I really respect the students who have cleared JEE, because they have gone through two intense years of struggle. While clearing JEE is definitely not a clear sign of success in life, it surely imparts immense learning to the candidates undergoing that journey.

-Rohan Jain

Do IITs Take Only Very Intelligent People ?

Few Points About UPSC CSE

 

1. You must gather complete information of the civil services before you decide to prepare for it. Most people know only a few post like SP, DM or Commissioner in civil services. They don’t know about 90% of the posts that are held by civil servants in India.
2. You have to work with many corrupt officers and politicians in government. You must know how to deal with them and you should not complain of corruption after joining the service.
3. It is a fact that no one can make you corrupt unless you choose to be corrupt. Most civil servants are corrupt by choice though they often blame others for their corruption.
4. The jobs of civil servants are transferable in nature. You can be transferred from one place to another by government any time. Be ready for it.
5. If your spouse is working in corporate or in a profession other than government, you may have to sacrifice your family life to a great extent as you may not be able to get posting in the place of your spouse’s posting.
6. You must be willing to work in any part of India and not only in your own state. You must also be willing to be posted in small towns and cities.
7. You have to always work under the politicians who are the head of the ministries and departments. Be ready for it.
8. All promotions in government services are based on seniority cum fitness. Don’t blame the government later that it does not recognize your merit and hard work.
9. The average age of civil servants probationers is around 27 years. It means an average aspirant takes around 4-5 years after his graduation to get selected in civil services. Be ready to devote long time for CSE preparation.
10. Luck plays an important role in civil services since all the papers of CSE (Mains) are subjective. The more number of attempt you take, the better are your chances of success.
11. Only about 1000 of the 5, 00,000 candidates who appear in the exam are selected. Hence your chances of selection is just 0.2%. Getting into Civil services is extremely tough.
12. It would be a good idea to have a backup plan if you are preparing for CSE. You must have a fall back options in case you fail to get into civil services after you are 32/33 years old.
13. It takes extensive study to prepare for civil services. It would be quite difficult for anyone to work in a corporate sector and also succeed in getting good rank in CSE. It is better to quit your corporate job for giving your 100% for the CSE preparation.
14. It would be a good idea to simultaneously do a higher study like M Tech, M Phil or PhD while preparing for CSE. This would give you financial independence and also provide you a good backup option.

-Dr.Awdhesh Singh, Ex-IRS, IIT

This might hurt, but it's better that you know

No one has the answers to your pressing life questions.

No one can help you.

No one has the fix you need.

No one will come save you.

And if someone does, and tells you things that sound like answers, they will lead you down the wrong path, not because they have any ill intent, but because they are not you.

When it comes to figuring out who you are and where you want to go, you're on your own.

If "on your own" sounds sad to you, one day it won't be.

You will soon come to see that it in fact means your life is in the very best hands

-Dushka Zapata

Read More : Life Problems 

Since you have asked for the differences, I would mention both positive and negative differences:

• I had expected IIMA to be very similar to my undergrad college IITK, in terms of the curriculum. I could not have been more wrong. The case based curriculum followed by the IIMs are completely different from the lectures that we have at IITs. IIMs require regular studies and preparation before every class. I don't remember ever speaking in any class in my undergrad, while one cannot survive in IIMs without participating in the classes.

• I had also expected the kind of students to be similar to those in IITs. But the students are very different. The students at IITs are very similar because of their similar backgrounds. But at the IIMs, students come from varying backgrounds and with varying experience, making it a very wholesome learning experience.

• I knew IIMA has a tough and hectic academic curriculum, but frankly I had not expected it to be so damn tough!

• Slightly on the negative side, I have seen many free riders here, which was unexpected. Everyone is extremely smart, but some of them still choose to not put in that much effort, hoping that others would do the work. This was a bit sad but then one gets used to all this, because there are also many people who are ready to put in insane amount of effort. Overall, it's more of a balance.

I'm almost done with my first year at IIMA, but I have not regretted my decision to join IIMA even once. The curriculum and challenges that students face here are what make them stand out in the future. The learning that I get everyday from my peers is just amazing, and makes my stay here very exciting.

-Rohan Jain, IIT-IIM

{This was written when Rohan was studying at IIM about 8 years ago}

I was a college student when I started my first successful business.

 I was a college student when I started my first successful business.

Before this success I had failed in two previous deals. Those small failures didn't stop me, I was passionately persistent in achieving my dream.

Yes, that was good!

But wait. On the other hand throughout my life, I’ve also experienced this same determination in achieving other goals that have made me experience painful lessons.

Same determination?

Now, this is a powerful lesson, so stay with me. I will answer your question, “What commonly accepted aspect of everyday life can actually hinder our growth?”

Let’s talk about this commonly accepted aspect of life: Persistence.

We celebrate persistence as a ‘key’ trait that leads to success in life.

Agreed?

Ok then, let me share my personal experience in dealing with this “positive” trait. Some people say that our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses.

I agree. Let me prove it.

Persistence has ALSO been my greatest weakness when it becomes stubbornness. Believe me, it has been extremely difficult for me to differentiate between persistence and stubbornness.

Is there a difference?

My persistence has been amazing when it gets me through problems and hard times. But my stubbornness, on the other hand, just gets me into trouble!

Persistence is characterized by "will power."

Stubborn is characterized by "won't power."

What's the key? Blindness!

When we’re BLINDLY immersed pursuing a goal, stubbornness looks a lot like persistence. This is probably one of the biggest weaknesses I identify when I coach entrepreneurs.

Here’s a famous example:

Thomas Alva Edison.

Edison is famous for his persistence in inventing many inventions, including the light bulb. In fact, he is widely known for his famous persistence quote:

“I have not failed, I just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

But the genius of Edison was ALSO a victim of this extraordinary strength that made him so successful. Edison was incredibly stubborn while defending his direct-current (DC) electric power vs his employee's Nicola Tesla's alternating-current (AC) system.

Yes, Tesla worked for Edison! Tesla discovered AC power while at Edison's lab, yet Edison stubbornly ignored Tesla’s findings.

This mistake eventually brought down Edison’s partnership with J.P Morgan, who later took over Tesla's alternating-current (AC) patents to create the monstrous General Electric Co.

Blindness brought Edison down!

Blindness has almost brought me down in the past, so today I know what will hinder my growth: Stubbornness.

So remember this critical life-lesson, how do you know if you’re dealing with persistence or stubbornness?

HUMILITY.

We must continually eliminate our blindness by having both feet on the ground, founded on unshakable humility.

If you struggle with pride… Be careful!

ALWAYS ask for guidance. ALWAYS search for mentorship. Pay for it if needed. Don't be stubborn thinking that you know it all.

Surround yourself with experienced people and NEVER undervalue their knowledge and previous experience. Once you are on the right path… then, and only then, never give up!

-Hector Quintanilla