10 Things You Shouldn't Miss In Your College Life

College life is one of the beautiful phase of an individual's life. It is the time we learn to be independent, it's the time we try different things, it's the time we make our own choices, it's the time we grow. There are many things we have in mind when we enter college life, there are many things we want to do but due to lack of proper planning we aren't able to do so. We join college to get education and skills that will help us excel in our corporate career. But not all things are not learned from books. We didn’t realise it then but after 3-4 years of college life when we are stuck in corporate world, we regret what we missed in our college days. "If and only if I could have" , types of statement rule our mind. But at that point we can’t do much and just carry with what we have(as we don’t have much spare time in our hand). Believe me, college time is the best time ( after you have selected your major) to try different things, to do what you want , to acquire new skills and more importantly to live the way you want.

So here are the 10 things you shouldn’t miss in your college life: 

1.  Make Some Real Friends:

Life is a long journey. In it you need some guys on whom you can rely on, friends you can trust blindly. And the college life is the best time to make some. In your college you will find many similar like-minded guys from different field, different area, different style and different beliefs. So it’s the perfect opportunity to befriend some really good friends who will be always there for you. By few I don’t mean 15-20 friends, five to six are enough. They will be the one who will be around you in college time, they will be the first one to support you in tough times in college and they will be the first one who could help you in your start-up (if you plan any in your college life)

2.  Join a College Society:

There are many societies in the college like Drama Society, Dance Society, Music Society, Debate Club, Sports Society, Marketing Society and many other ( based on your streams). You should definitely join one of the society as it will contribute to your overall growth. You will learn many new things , get some practical experience plus it will contribute to your overall growth. For example: If you are a introvert or if you have a fear of public speaking then joining one of the society will help you to overcome your shortcomings, as it will test you in certain situations, which will help you to overcome similar situations in your corporate life

3.   Organise the college fest:

A college’s fest catches eye balls of many. There are many things involved in organising the college fest , but they all can be summed up in a single word : “management”. It’s the art of managing different aspects. And this management skill is required not only in our corporate life but in our personal lives too. So, if you got a chance then you should definitely be a part of the team to organise the college fest. There are many things you can do like planning the event, marketing it via different means, you can be an anchor on the day of the event or you can get the sponsors/promoters for the event.

4.  Volunteer an event:

Here I don’t mean volunteering you college fest or a competition organised by your college society. Here I mean to volunteer an event organised by corporates for charity or any event organised for awareness by NGOs. We get so much from the nature/society around us and it’s our duty to give it back. As a college student, volunteering that event is the best way to learn about the practicality of that situation and a simple way for a student to contribute towards society. It will help to increase your self confidence and make you a better person. You can also volunteer a sports event or a marathon in your area.

5.     Upgrade Your Skills:

From time to time you should upgrade your skills. Upgrading your skills is kind of life long learning. And the college time is the best time to set it going. After you have selected your major, you know exactly in which direction, area you want to go. So according to your field you should constantly upgrade your skills as in real world, skills are the things which gets you a job and take you to a higher level. Bill Gates , Steve Jobs didn’t had the degree but they had the skills which got them the success. You can upgrade your skills either online or by getting involved in some part time jobs.

6.    Engage In New Experiences:

There are many things we want to try, there are many things we want to learn , there are many new experiences we want to indulge in but never gave them a try. If you have a list of this kind then, college time is the best time to fulfil it. If you want to learn swimming then just go and join swimming academy and get going. If you have a interest in playing guitar then go get a guitar and start learning. Want to travel? Then start by exploring your city. Visit all the important landmarks of your city and get going. Fulfil as much wishes you have as it will make you more flexible, a multi tasker and more importantly it will help you grow in much better way.

7.  Get Fit:

Getting fit doesn’t mean to get a six pack abs. It means to be healthy. Being healthy increases your life expectancy by 10-15 years. You should exercise regularly in order to be fit. You don’t want to be fatty or skinny in your late forties and walking on medicines. You want to be fit, eat what you want, drink what you want and most importantly live the way you want. It can be attained, if, you exercise regularly. And college time is the best time to set the motion. You can choose your own style for fitness. It can be yoga , gym , sport activity or any other thing which will help you to have a fit body.

8. Try different Outlets:

There’s nothing wrong in being foody. If you love food then you shouldn’t stop yourself from trying different things. What you should stop yourself is from visiting the same outlet again and again. If you have a love for eating then you should try different restaurants, different cuisines, different dishes and different preparation styles, as it might help you in long term on important days of your life. It will help you to find the best restaurant for your first date or a place for a treat to your parents from your first salary. So, try as many restaurants, dishes, cuisines as you can in your college time and find out which is the best one to bank on.

9.     Look for Online Earning Opportunities:

In college time you will have much spare time in your hands. Instead of wasting your time on useless apps and videos, you should utilise it effectively. You should look for good Online Earning Opportunities. There are many sites which pay you for online surveys or for listening music. Based on your interest you can google for similar online earning opportunities. If you aren’t able to find any then join Amazon’s affiliate marketing programme which pays you certain percent of sales directed via your link. It isn’t that important as a college guy to earn but  it feels good when you cover your own expenses.

10.  Road Trip:

Lastly, go on a road trip with your best friends. There are various perks linked to it. Road trip is the best way to enjoy the journey and to be close to the nature. It’s cheap. You are in best company to pass time with. On a road trip, you are more involved with each other rather than being engaged in phones. You can talk about endless topics without getting tired, plus you can take turns while driving. You will learn to move out from your comfort zone with persons you can rely on. You will learn to be free. And most importantly, memories of this trip will last forever. So go on a road trip with your friends and enjoy your time together like never before.

Recess Time

In school days, recess time is the most jovial time we had. It's the time we chat freely with our friends, do whatever we want, run freely in the park, enjoy our food with our friends , and most importantly, we get the much needed break from back to back lectures we had since morning. Usually, most of us in this interval sit in our groups with our friends and share our food with them. Over the years all these groups have some stories among them, some interesting lunch time stories they share with their friends. This post is about some of the lunch time stories I share with my school friends. 

It all started here, at that fountain.

I joined my new school in April 2005. Initially until summer vacations I used to eat alone at that fountain. Sometimes I was joined by Punit and others. But for most part of that one and half month I used to be alone at lunch time. Though I didn't much feel like that as I had much entertainment around me. The one such was when we have to go to our classes after lunch. As we were still considered juniors, students upto class 5th have to form a line to return to our class after recess was over. Line had to be formed in that passage you see between those 2 shrubs. I don't know what problem that P.T. teacher had, all those students who form a line before time were punished. And Punit was one among those who were frequently punished. I don't know what he found fascinating in it. Despite being punished so many times, he still used to line up early to return to class and get punished for it. It lasted for few months for him until our group was formed.

Things changed soon after Prakarsh joined after summer vacations in July. As he was new and didn't know anyone he used to have lunch with me at that fountain. (As we both chose Sanskrit, he used to sit with me that period due to which he ended up having lunch with me). Soon, Punit became a regular companion and we used to have a good time in the lunch hours. But still, Punit had that tendency to line up quickly after finishing his lunch due to which he was repeatedly punished. Despite the fact that he was frequently punished, he had the ability to deceive everyone and move to and from from park to class without being noticed. Because of his this smart skill, sometimes we used to call him a Deceiver.

Akshansh who was impressed by Prakarsh's smartness wanted him to be a part his group and regularly persuaded us to join his group. We used to avoid him and run from him and gave him the name Sardar (one of the hindi book story character we had that time in school). After some days he came up with a proposal to make a new group. And this time we agreed. Our location was just few meters ahead of our previous landmark point. Me, Prakarsh, Punit, Akshansh, Swastik were initial members. Soon our group increased to 10 and we used to have a gala time together in lunch hours. More guys meant more variety in lunch. Each guy used to bring something which was loved by whole group, like Prakarsh's Pav Bhaji , Punit's pickle, Akshansh occasionally too used to bring something special, My pappads and special attraction used to treasure box(my mom used to give something secial and different like light snacks in this box which was loved by all). But the best attraction and huge fight was when one used to bring Maggie or Allu ki Sabji. These 2 things were group's favourite and one needs to get a ample quantity to ensure he has sufficient to eat. But that thing never used to happen. We used to jump on it like hungry wolves and due to it on some days that guy used to be left half hungry as his vegetable was over and other guys didn't have vegetable of his liking. But still we loved our group and enjoy our time together. One thing that use to keep us united was our love for cricket.

One day Akshansh brought Aalu in his lunch. We like mad guys jumped on it like always. I was about to have a bite from his lunch when I saw Prakarsh's reaction after eating it. His expressions weren't good and I resisted myself from having a bite. Akshansh's expression was also same as he was surprised that it tasted different from other days. Next day, he revealed that it actually was Aarbi ki Sabzi . That was enough to push us all as we wanted to beat him. It still remains one of the hilarious tail we have in our group "Aalu ki Sabzi kehke Aarbi khila di" . From that day onward when ever he used to bring Aalu ki Sabzi we used to confirm whether it's actually a Aalu ki Sabzi or not.

Like bad time , good time too has to end. Our good time lasted for 4 years. From mid 2009 , our group started to break. Our group guys started enjoying company of other guys and soon by mid 2010 we were back to group of 3. Prakarsh, Me and Akshansh.

2011 brought some changes in our everyday Recess Time. We were joined in by new guy Ajay Yadav, who was in the same section as Prakarsh and Akshansh. As Prakarsh was elected as the Vice Head Boy of the school, he was given duty in the canteen area. So, our long time Lunch Time Spot had to be shifted. What brought a significant change was that now everyday we use to buy something from canteen, all thanks to Ajay, who use to bring money to buy and share items with us. Mostly we would settle for O'YES - Cocktail Flavour, our all time favourite. 2 packets were enough for us, shared by 2 guys, costing only Rs 5/ packet. That was all together different time we had, different from one we used to have at our longtime space shared by the larger group. This small group at new space was having their own unique time together. But time wasn't on our side, as we didn't realise when that period came to an end and so our school life. Time ran so fast that we hardly realised we spent time together in those one and a half years. Somedays I wish we had more time together.

But life doesn't work on 'if and buts'. And now looking at those 7 years of Recess Time, I feel that, that was one of the beautiful times I had in my school days. Time with friends is always beautiful, but lunch time with them is even more.

And, finally after 12 years, we were back at the same spot, and this time without our lunch boxes, without school dresses, a bit older but with same affection and love. Me, Punit and Prakarsh.

MY STARTUP IDEA 2: Idea Selling Platform

Welcome to the second post in the series MY STARTUP IDEAS. As previously informed in this series I will share some of the business ideas I had, but due to some limitations wasn't able to pursue them. Last time I posted about my idea of STARTUP CONNECT . Do check it out , if you haven't. Coming to plan of this week, Idea Selling Platform, here it is:

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IDEA SELLING PLATFORM

BACKGROUND: Market is very competitive. Every company tries to outsmart other and increase their customer base. For this, companies spend millions of dollars on a project or on an advance technology . If their hard work pays off then they profit from it, if not then they scrap it and book the loss. But apart from these 2 cases there's a 3rd case too. There are some plans which looks fruitful but takes time. Market is very competitive and a company can't continue to invest enormously on it for a longer time. Due to it many good plans are scrapped or left like that unfinished, because of increasing cost or maybe due to increasing competition. This unfinished technology/progress/product continues to lie with them like that for years as a liability, as neither they are able to invest more in it nor able to find a solution. 

MY IDEA: To tackle it my idea was to provide a platform where these companies can sell their product/ideas to others at a minimum guaranteed price. What will they do is that after registration, they will list their product/technology on sale, describe their progress, reason for scrapping it, i.e. it will include full update on the product they were working on.  Companies can either sell it or involve in partnerships.The process will be a time based auction on our site. After the auction, one with the highest bid will be called on for product viewing. If the person likes it then the order will be processed, if not then the next person with the highest bid will be called upon. This process will continue until the product is sold. If not sold then the first to bid on this project has to but it. If the first bidder has placed further bids then he has to buy it at the last price quoted by him in the auction.

All the products/technology/progress will be uploaded on our platform only after scrutiny by our executives. It is we who will decide what will be the best minimum price for this project. We will provide full assistance from registration of product to its transfer. For it we will charge 0.2% to 2.5% of the amount from both parties ( rate inversely related to price) . 

For Example: 

Let us suppose that Tata Motors had idea of launching flying cars in  the market. They felt that due to increasing traffic in developing countries it will be the next big thing in the market. They worked on it for 5 years, spending $240 million on it but still weren't able to get the right technology for it. With increasing competition they decided to leave it for a while and work on current market problem. The progress was left like that and continued to lie like that for 3-4 years. Tata Motors wasn't able to find time and finances to work on it. As it's a liability and working on it again will require a fresh start due to change in market, and chances of success are unknown. Now they want to scrap it. It is where we come in. We will provide a platform through which they can offer their this technological progress for sale. Interested parties will place their bids in the auction. One with the highest bid ( Maruti Suzuki) will be called upon. If they like, the order will be processed at the given price, if not then next best bidder will be called upon. If Maruti Suzuki is the only bidder then they no matter what, they have to buy it at the given rate.

Benefits: 

1) This will help companies to cover the cost incurred and cover the liabilities. 

2) An unfinished product will become a finished product and customers will get a better product.
3) Efficient utilisation of resources.
4) Benefit to economy as there will be a physical moment of funds which will be utilised for further investment thus increasing money supply in economy along with employment which will further lead to an increase in consumption. 

Problems:

1) Our initial investments will be high as it will involve regular maintenance of site, getting companies on board and payment of regular fixed salaries to professionals( people who will verify different products before auction goes live)

2) Companies prefer to maintain confidentiality, so they don’t prefer to disclose their progresses on an open platform. Plus, they also prefer to rely on their regular contacts than new one. So settling of this new platform will take time.

3) You need to have some knowledge or contacts to know where to start from as without that it will be a problem and you will end up in no men's land.

Reason for not selecting: 

1) Getting companies on board will take time plus I didn't know where to begin.

2) Making this platform requires a highly tech person.

3) Employment of team for Scrutiny of technology requires a highly qualified person and it also requires payment of fixed salary, which in the beginning will be a problem. It can be put under funding issue.

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So, this was my idea and problems I faced while developing it. If you like it then you can go ahead and make it a reality. It doesn't matter whose idea it is. What matters is idea is shared and worked on to make it a reality. If you believe that this idea has a potential then do work on it to make it a success. Best of Luck.

Cricketing Days

In India, Cricket is not just a game , it's a religion. First game kids get to know is cricket. Cricket is in soul of cricket lovers. In cricket, every other day new records are set. These records are properly recorded in journals. We can cross them any time we want and can see them anywhere in the world(videos). But, there are some records which are never recorded, records which have no physical evidence, records that lasts only in our memory, records that are set by amateurs like us everyday in Gully Cricket. 

Yes, the Gully Cricket, the game we all have been playing since childhood in parks, lawns, terrace, streets, backway etc. Every time we play we set a kind of our records, some memorable ones while some embarrassing ones. This article is all about some of the cricket records and memories I share with my friends. These records aren't recorded in any journal, no one can cross check it, these records lasts only in our memories. As you read it, you will find it a bit relatable, you might remember some of your forgotten records, you might miss your cricketing friends too, memories of your cricketing days will come afresh in your mind.

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First question we all ask other players is What's Your Highest Score? Honestly, I don't remember my highest score. In order to get more games and to ensure each player bats ( in one on one game) overs per batsman were fixed, and mostly it was 1 Over per Batsman. Most part of my gully cricket career was occupied by this rule. So I don't know what's my highest score. I don't even know whether I have a genuine 50 to my name or not.  By the way do you remember your highest score? 

Next question arises is, okay then what's the most runs you have scored of an over? As I am not a great batsman like Jethalal Champaklal Gada , who scored 48 of an over, I couldn't score that much. I managed only half of it. To know how I scored it, I have to take you to the day I scored those runs.  It was February 2016, last college semester. Me and my friends were trying to get as many games as we can before our college life ends. It was one such day. As we were around 6-7 guys and park was really big we were again playing one on one. One over per batsman was fixed. Vikram batted first and smashed 26 runs of an over ( I guess his highest too). I was next. He told me that ball is really good and you can easily smash boundaries. If you have played gully cricket, you know that we don't have any off side or on side boundary. We just have a straight boundary which we have to hit with perfection. Parks provide a bit liberty while playing straight shots. We have a larger V to score runs. Same was the case that day. I had a greater area in my V on leg side, which was an added bonus. I smashed the first ball for a six. It was timed so perfectly that it landed on the transformer in the park and created the loud thunder sound. Such was the impact that for a second everything seemed quiet. Transformer had a double layer of protection. Luckily ball landed in the outer part and we recovered the ball without the fear of getting a shock. Next 2 balls were also smashed easily for a Four and a Six. Fourth delivery was again bowled my legs and this time timing was even better, and so was the impact on transformer. Ball landed exactly in central protection box and couldn't be recovered. A good ball was martyred that day. Other ball which we had didn't have much bounce. On fifth delivery I could only score a double. On last ball I needed a boundary for a victory. Ball was in slot, I smashed it with my full power but such a poor was the bounce of the ball that it didn't even cover half the distance towards boundary and was easily caught. Dismissed on the last ball after scoring most runs of an  over, 24 runs, which is still my highest. New ball benefited me and Vikram as other guys who were good batsman weren't able to score much with this ball. 

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Now to talk about bowling records, in gully cricket no one remembers the number of wickets that have taken in their career. It's difficult to make a note of it. But some days we do remember some records we made while bowling. It might be number of wickets we took that day or best spell we had on a day, or better the hat-trick we took. Have you got a Hat-trick in your career? Do you remember it? In my case, twice I got the hat-trick in my gully cricket career and on both the occasions I converted it into a Four On Four, and in both the games my team ended up on a losing side. This is kind of a embarrassing record. Honestly on both days I got the feeling that I was Lasith Malinga (Malinga took Four Wickets of Four Balls in 2007 World Cup vs South Africa and still landed up on losing side) I got the same feeling when despite my hat-trick , my team couldn't win the match.

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The Day I Pulled Off An M.S.

M.S. Dhoni changed the way we looked onto wicket keeping job in Gully Cricket. From a boring job it became a more excited job to be a wicketkeeper. We can now idolise and imitate our hero via wicket keeping. I was too happy to be a keeper in my later part of my Gully Cricket Career. On many days I imitated him, took a sharp catch, a running backward catch and some stumping. One day I got so excited for a stumping that in order to stump like MS in a splash  I bruised my finger. (Usually in gully cricket we don't have proper stumps, we use  big stones as wickets.) Finally after some days I got the chance to redeem myself. I got my fastest and smartest stumping. That day, Rahul was on strike. He missed the straight ball and ball passed just over the stumps. He was just inside the crease. But I don't know how he suddenly lost his balance. I quickly seized the opportunity and stumped him while his foot was in air. We didn't have a third umpire for it. It can't be cross checked. As I was so confident , he accepted his wicket and walked off. I know it's difficult to believe it. But much can't be done about it. As mentioned earlier, these records can't be proved. They just last in our memories.

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My Gully Cricket Friends

It won't be fair if this post ends like this, end without mentioning my Gully Cricket Friends. So this part is for them. I have many cricketing memories with them which made college life more joyful. Mayank Sharma, a good batsman, whenever he was on strike, there were only two possibilities either he will be dismissed for a duck (mostly first ball duck), or will score big and remain not out in his allotted one over. There was no third possibility. As I am a spin bowler, I tend to copy Ashwin a lot. Same was the case in my college days. Me vs Mayank was always an interesting contest. I personally viewed it as Maxwell vs Ashwin ( which was at its prime at that time). I don't know who won the battle, but I clearly remember the day he smashed 2 sixes of my over. It was first time in years that I  was smashed for 2 sixes in an over and that too big ones. I was furious at that point and bowled the remaining deliveries at a great pace which prevented him from scoring more runs. Mayank vs Me was the most exciting battle and will continue to remain a one if he we chanced upon playing together in the future.

Another Interesting battle was between Vikram Sharma and Himanshu Chhabra. The Two ball challenge they had was more interesting. I don't remember how it started. But whenever Vikram was bowling to Himanshu, they had their two ball challenge on. This meant that Vikram will dismiss Himanshu in First 2 balls. What was more interesting that mostly he was able to dismiss him within 2 balls. There was a time that Vikram had won 4 consecutive 2 ball challenge. On Fifth occasion they again  had their challenge on. Himanshu comfortably smashed the first ball for six. Instead of negotiating the second ball safely, he again went for the heap and was clean bowled thus losing 5th 2 ball challenge on the trot. Though he redeemed himself in the next game by smashing 16 runs of his over, but 2 ball challenge still remains highlight of their contest.

Rahul Gupta was considered an underdog. Initially he didn't have much confidence in his bowling and used to skip it. On his very first day in bowling he was smashed for 22 runs in an over by Himanshu. With time his bowling improved and he became a genuine wicket taker. He became a wicket taker not because of his good bowling but due to his ability to be smashed. Most batters were dismissed while playing big shots to him. Either they end up hitting ball outside the park or caught inside the boundary line. Whatever the reason be, he was getting wickets and that too in a heap, which increased his confidence in bowling. Despite his loose bowling he dismissed Mayank most times for a Golden Duck. At that time in our group I was the leading wicket taker, but soon Rahul overtook me and remained the highest wicket taker till our regular play ended. He doesn't know that he still holds that record.

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A Cricket Injury

In cricket, you can't avoid an injury. At some point or another we sustain a certain kind of injury. I too wasn't able to avoid it. I was in school, possibly in 4th or 5th Standard. I was Playing with my friends in our Gully , at that time we used to play in a team of Two. Me and Mohit mostly used to be in the same team. We used to deal in singles and doubles and build a good partnership. That day I was dismissed early. As I had nothing to do, I decided to be his runner. He refused my offer, but as I was reluctant, he had to agree to allow me as his runner. As our gully was narrow, there was not much space to stand on his right side. On the very first ball he swung his bat missing the ball and hitting me on my forehead , just above my left eye. It happened at a such a speed that I felt a kind of lightning above my left eye. Suddenly a lot of sweat started to flow down my left face. My friends were looking at me in horror. I didn't understand why. Sweat was flowing at a great speed. When I touched it I realised that it was blood which was flowing down my left face. After passing through initial horror they took me to my home, holding me from both sides, fearing that I might faint. It wasn't a serious injury and no stitches were required. After clearing my blood when my Mom took me out to doctor whose clinic was just outside my Gully, while waiting outside doctor's clinic you won't believe what I did. I was searching for the ball that was lost in all these things.

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MEMORIES ARE LIKE THE HOUSE OF ANTS,

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ARE HIDDEN INSIDE IT…!

BUT.,

WHEN 1 COMES OUT OF IT, ALL OTHERS COME ONE AFTER ANOTHER.

   - Unknown

Same is the case with this post. Initially I planned to share 3-4 stories, but like house of ants, one memory brought another and there was no stoppage to it. There are many more memories and writing them will reveal more. So, halfheartedly I end my post here. But you do share your cricketing memories with us in Comment section. What's your highest score? What's the most you have scored of an over? Share freely. Don't worry as no one will ask you to prove it. We will believe what you say.

A Motivational Story

"Motivational Story" whenever we hear/read these words we expect what story would be like. Main protagonist must be from a poor family or he/she lost one of their parents at an early age. Started from rags, a school/college dropout , started his own business and built a huge empire in 30-40 years. These stories though sound appealing, but can they provide actual motivation?

Usually in these stories it takes years for a business to be a success. In the current era where technology is at our fingertips, where food is delivered from any restaurant within 45 minutes, do we have that much patience to wait for that long to get what our protagonist achieved in his story? Things aren't always what it seems. These motivational stories don't inform us about the problems faced by the protagonist at that time, how long it lasted and how he overcame it. In reality when things aren't going in our way, we feel dejected and lose our path to success. So how to  know that we are on a right path? How do we know we are successful? How to remain motivated? And most importantly,  how to define success? 

Like most motivational stories , you must be expecting that this will be a similar story  in which people with hard-work become billionaires, set up a big enterprise and are counted in elite category. I don't know whether you will be happy or dejected to know that this story isn't like that. This is a  story of a common guy who wasn't good in studies, faced criticism , family lost hope on him, no college admission , no goals.This is a story about how he turned his life. This is story of his 6 year journey towards success. 

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To start with I met this guy Raghu (name changed as he asked me to not reveal his identity) in 7th class in school. He failed twice due to which he ended up in my section. From beginning he didn't have much interest in studies due to which he was regularly scolded by teachers and bullied by some guys for poor progress. But he didn't care and there wasn't much change in his attitude. Generally guys who are poor in studies are usually good in other things like sports, music, dance, arts etc. But he was equally bad in all these things. He was average in all the fields. Even if he had any other talent he didn't showcase in his school life. He was from a well-to-do family and didn't have any pressure which could also be a reason for his this indifferent behaviour towards studies. As he was a nice guy, we were good together but I never truly called him a friend. For me was always a good classmate.

Time passed by and thanks to CCE , he was able to clear class 10th without much difficulty. As still, he wasn't good in studies he opted for Commerce which is an easier option than Science ( there was no Arts at that time in my school). But here too he faced trouble and was forced to change school as school didn't allow him to progress to 12th as school didn't want to spoil its Class 12 result. After he cleared Class 12th from different school with mere 70% , he didn't have many options. School life is like a shell. Until you are in it you don't have to worry about anything else. Once you get out of it, real game starts. You have to decide your major, get into a college , set goals and make a career. Most of us are not clear regarding our choices at that stage.

Same thing was with this guy. He didn't know his next step.  He wasn't able to get admission in any regular college (due to his score). His didn't have any special interest or talent.  He didn't have any goals at that time. As his father was a lawyer, so a chance of entering into family business wasn't there. He had nothing in front. He got an admission in open learning and was left on his own to find what he wanted in life.

At that time his parents were highly disappointed and didn't have much hope from him. Seeing his indifferent behaviour they were considering about sending him to their village in Punjab, thinking that possibly seeing his cousins work he might too get involved in some manual work like household work or work in farms. This is what they think will be his future. This was what it hurt him the most and he decided to take control of his life. As he was enrolled in Open Learning he had ample time in his hands. He decided to invest in himself. He decided to learn Web Designing (in September 2013). His family didn't know much about it but were happy that at least he was doing something. He worked hard ( for the first time in his life) and finally after seven months he had work in his hand. He started working as a freelancer. He was getting projects and was paid well. He was able to cover his expenses.

Time passed by and in next one year he earned a good reputation as a web developer on freelancer.com , got his own office (on rent) and earned well. But suddenly business dried up due to new ways of web development, clients were demanding the latest ways to design their site. As he was good in Wordpress , his orders reduced  and so the pay per order. Though initially he was worried  about it but he took it as an opportunity to start something new. He searched for a while and finally came up with mind boggling idea of Virtual Office Assistant. As he has his own office he decided to use it for this purpose. He made his own website and through some old contacts that he made via web development started getting clients for virtual office. He provides assistance to startups for registration process and allows them to use his office until they get their own office. Currently, this is his primary source of income, and he no longer works on web development. It is here he feels he found his niche.

Apart from these things in last 6 years he has also done Cabin Crew course , which he didn't pursue as he didn't find it appealing. He also took Franchise of Indian Post which he ran for sometime along with virtual office but it didn't pay him much. He left his college studies mid way with the hope of returning to it at a later stage. But with his success at his work he found it difficult. He is currently without any college degree but happy and  successful at what he is doing.

He now lives a settled life where he is not only able to cover his expenses but is also able to finance his trip. He is happy with what he is doing. Isn't this the settled and balance life we all want. Isn't this short term  success (with the hope of making it big) we all want? Isn't this kind of story we look on to, to get motivation in adverse situations? What's your take on it? Do you find his story bit motivating?
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Some takeaways from his story:

1) Don't be dejected when things aren't going in your way
2) Keep looking for opportunities as you never know when and where you will find your niche
3) Your school result won't define your future. It's upon you how you make your future.
4) There will always be endless opportunities in market. You just have to find one best for you.
5) There should be a burning fire inside you. It will keep you motivated.

Do mention in comment whether you find it motivating or not and if yes then what are your takeaways from this story.

MY STARTUP IDEA 1 : STARTUP CONNECT

Hello Folks,

Welcome to the series MY STARTUP IDEA. In this series I will share startup ideas I found interesting, the one's I researched about, ones on which I worked for some time but due to some limitations ( lack of proper team, no tech person in team for creating an APP and website, and most importantly, unable to answer the most important question 'How will we make money?") wasn't able to launch them.  As, no idea is unique and what good an idea if it isn't shared, that's why in coming posts I will try to share my startup idea in best possible way. If you like it then you are allowed to work on it and make this idea a reality.  

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STARTUP CONNECT

1. Originally this idea was shared with me by my friend in 2015. In 2017 I started working on it. Plan was to make a platform where entrepreneurs, budding entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs can come together and interact. In simple terms it was basically a kind of social networking site like Facebook for like-minded people , a place where they will share the project they are working on or idea they have. Any other person who has the same idea, thought or working on the same project will contact that person. In this way 2 capable persons can start their venture together. Also, here you will meet successful Indian entrepreneurs from whom you can take advice for your startup.

P.S. : No idea is unique. Two different persons in different part of the country with different mindset , different culture , different style, different beliefs can have same idea. So don't be afraid of sharing your idea with others. More you share , more you get to know about it. Someone can steal your idea but not your research, knowledge and understanding of that topic. SO BE BRAVE AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH PEOPLE.

2. There will be a forum where people can chat, discuss things, have a debate on feasibility of the idea. Also here ( specially for budding and aspiring entrepreneurs) various news/articles will be posted regarding changes in the start-up culture in India.

 3. Also, on this website there will be a Product offering page. What happens is that people get so excited and carried away by their project is that they think that it will be next big thing in market. They start working on it blindly, raise capital either through their savings , from family or from loans. They  spend million of dollars on their project, and if it didn’t work, they end up loosing all their money and live a life below standard level of living. What the mistake they commit is that they feel customers will buy the product they are offering. Instead of making a product which customers want, they are preparing a product they think customer will buy. In simple terms they are trying to create a demand for a product about which customer has no knowledge and need.

To counter this, idea was to make a product offering page, a technology/artificial platform through which people can prepare their product digitally/ a dummy  and offer it for sale on their platform, and get the reviews of others on it, regarding whether they will buy it or not, and if yes then at what price.  If the response is positive then they can go ahead with it, if it isn’t then they will get a chance to replan it. (This page will be an open page. Anyone can access it. No registration will be required. So you can share it with your family and friends, and get a large sample for your idea.)

For example: If I am offering a smart phone for first time, what I will do is that I will make rectangle shape (size of phone) , tell the features ( basic one include that it will have big screen, no need to press same button again for SMS, you can view videos in it), show them how it will appear and how easy it will be to carry it. In simple terms before making a actual product I am transferring the mental image or blue print I have in my mind to customer's mind. If they feel excited and liked my idea then I will go ahead with it. If not then I will work on the suggestions and make the necessary improvement on it. So, before making an actual product I am checking the demand of that product. If I feel insecure that my design might get stole, for that I will get it patented to make sure right lies with me.

PROBLEMS WITH THE IDEA:

1. It requires a person with good knowledge of app and website development. I wasn't able to find anyone in my network for this work.
2. Some sites are already doing part of this work, but they are foreign sites. We don't have a specific site for Indian Startups, providing insight on real problems in India on which startups can work on.
3. Major issue is the fear among people that idea will be stolen due to which they won't come on board.
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So, this was my idea and problems I faced while developing it. If you like it then you can go ahead and make it a reality. It doesn't matter whose idea it is. What matters is idea is shared and worked on to make it a reality. If you truly believe in this idea and feel that you can make it a reality then do work on it and make it a success.

Destiny: Every Love Story Has 2 Angles

Destiny: Every Love Story has 2 Angles is an e-book self published by me in 2016. This book is available on Play Store And Amazon Kindle. This post includes book's summary, Prologue and Chapter 1 of the book. If you like it, then do buy the book.

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense , Drama

Summary:

Is everyone in life given a second chance? If you are given a one then which choice will you choose again? What will you do or better to say what will you undo?
Tasha lost her 3 years memory in an accident. Now it's only her ex-boyfriend who can help her to bring it back. But will he agree to do so? What will happen when Tasha recovers? With National Security in sight, this story is a romantic drama with a suspense.

Prologue:

In life is everything written or it happens like that only. The turns we pass through, were they there to happen or are they driven by our own actions. Are our action driven by our own self or there’s some other external force? Is there anything called destiny? Do you believe in destiny? Do I?

In life why sometimes, someone becomes so important to us that our whole life is changed. We all have heard of Love at First Sight, but many a times we don’t even know what a person would become after years of knowing or years of unknowing. All we are left in the end are memories. And memories............. Memories are too strange, sometimes they make us cry and sometimes they bring back smile on our face.

We have often heard others saying,” Everything happens for good. You are destined towards something else” If things happens for good then why it’s impact fall on us. Why this regret, pain and guilt exist. WHYYY??? Is destiny really there? Did it play its role that time? Will it play its role again in uniting us? Was that really a Destiny? .......... Lost in all these thoughts was Sam (Samar) when his phone rang....

Chapter: 1

Today is the happiest day of my life. I feel like I am in the 7th sky. Finally, a dream has turned into reality. A wish has been fulfilled. In the beginning I don’t know why but I was feeling a bit nervous. Though it wasn’t the first time I was doing this. I was confident about what to say but still some nervousness was there. Might be because I didn’t want to disappoint her. I was eagerly waiting for her at the cafe.

We met for the first time in our school days and since then she has been there in my life. I know everything about her. Her likes- dislikes, her preferences, her interests, her past.....her ex... As far I know they were going good, infact at its very best but then something happened which destroyed her completely and forced them to fall apart. She never discussed properly about what went wrong between them and I never forced her to do so. She was hurt, badly hurt. I could see tears in her eyes, pain in her voice. She was having a difficult time to recover. I tried hard to keep her jolly. It was bit difficult and took time but slowly and steadily she is back to normal now. She has recovered. But I don’t know when, in our those days together, I fall for her. TRULY, DEEPLY, MADLY. 

Three months ago I proposed her for the first time, but she refused saying that she needs some time. And I gave her, her time to think, her time to make her mind, her time to decide, as she now means world to me, so she has all the time in the world to take her decision. But today I was again proposing her. Restlessness was getting better of me. I feel that time has finally arrived. I was eagerly waiting for her arrival and finally she did after 15 long minutes which felt like an eternity to me. She was perfectly dressed in White top and Denims and was looking extremely gorgeous in that outfit. She was looking around to see where I was seated. And then she noticed it. She smiled and waved to me. I too waved back with a smile.

“Hi”

“Hi”

“You are looking gorgeous” I said almost getting lost in her

“Thanks” she replied with a shy smile. “You too looking smart”

“Thanks but not as much as you.” I winked. She was just mesmerising me and getting over me.

She blushed. “OK.OK.” she replied to stop me. She knew that I can go on and on like this.

“So how was your day” I continued the conversation after she settled herself, and we placed our orders.

“It was nice. Nothing as such great happened. Tell me how was yours?”

“Mine was fantastic. Enjoying the off, relaxing at home.” I said completely feeling the joy of the leave.

“Today, you were on a leave?? YOU OKAY??” she said sounding concerned. I like her this concerning nature.
“Yes, I am perfectly all right.” I replied confidently to assure her
“Then, why an off?” she asked
“Just like that yaar. I wasn’t in any mood to go for work today.”
“Ohhh...Anything special today” she asked in a teasing way
I flaunted a bit as she caught me on a wrong foot
“Yes absolutely, today there is something special.” I replied playfully
“What’s that? What’s that?” she asked getting excited.
“Today I was to meet you. And meeting you is no less than special” I replied smilingly and winked her.
“Shut up Jeh” she said smiling at it as our orders arrived.
“So what was the important thing you wanted to discuss?” she asked while taking a sip from her favourite Oreo Shake.
Listening to it my heartbeat increased.
“What’s so hurry? We have plenty of time. First let’s have our food, then we can talk about it there.” I said pointing towards the lawn besides the cafe.
“OK” she replied

Then over the course of our evening breakfast we discussed all the things in the world like newly released movies, sports, politics, how the currency devaluation was affecting her company, our hobbies, novels, our parents, families, and our favourite MR. SHAH RUKH KHAN.

I just love to spend time with her. She makes me feel alive. With her time passes away quickly. Every passing hour seems like a minute only. After we settled our bill, we moved towards the lawn. It was still evening. Weather has turned cloudy. Strong wind was blowing around and Sun was about to set. Nature too was building the mood for me. We were walking bare foot over the grass. Silence was filling the gap between us. I was trying to gain more strength to say it. The feeling of it and the strong breeze were giving me shivers.

“Jeh, You OKAY?” she enquired as this was weird for her from my side.

“Yes, I am good, just trying to gain more strength to say what I want to.”
“Ok. Take your time.” She said with a smile as we continued walking on the grass.
After a moment I stopped, turned towards her, took her hands in mine and looked straight into her eyes and said...........

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If you liked these 2 parts, then do buy this ebook on Play Store ( Destiny) or on Amazon Kindle (Destiny) 

To Quit or Not To Quit

Life is a long journey. In it we face many obstacles. Often when time is getting tough or things aren't going in our way. We feel dejected. We don't know what to do. We can't see the road ahead. At that juncture we face one of the toughest choices, whether to continue or not. 

Mostly in these situations people tend to quit. After fighting a battle for long when time for reaping the fruits is near they will quit. They will give millions of reason for leaving, for not continuing on but not even one to continue. Though sometimes quitting is do required but only after you have weighed your options properly. Without that, just because things aren't going in your way or someone said something to you , you shouldn't quit. 

There's a famous quote 'When time gets tough, tough gets going'. To get going in these adverse situations all you require is to find the one simple reason for holding on, the one reason for which you got into the journey. One thing that pushed you towards this thing. Just hold on to that. And don't quit , as you never know when you will find the things you were looking for.  Just for the sake of your comfort or your non-willingness to move from your stable state, you shouldn't quit to compromise on your goals, dreams and desires. You should be persistent.

Dan Brown had to wait for 5 years to get the success as an author he always wanted. He published 3 novels between 1998 and 2001. All doing average business. Though he was dejected. But he continued to work on his career as a writer. And finally his fourth novel in 2003 created the sensation and gave him the success he always wanted. Not only did his fourth novel turned to be an International best seller but it also pushed the sales of his previous books making each an International Bestseller. In this scenario we clearly saw that in the time of adversity he didn't quit. He was persistent and finally  got the much deserved success. 

Another example under this scenario is of You-tubers. They don't get success overnight. They have to regularly upload good content,  promote it , get the subscribers and views on their channel and finally after 2-3(atleast) they get the success they were looking for. In all this period they are persistent and continuously pushed towards their goal , and don't quit. So, in times of adversities, we should take inspiration from them.

At times, people will also cite examples of billionaires like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg  and many similar personalities, how they quit their studies and became successful. From these examples they will defend how beneficial it is to quit. In their opinion, those guys became successful just because they took the brave decision to quit. So they should too follow the suit in order to be successful. But one thing they don't understand is this can't be so. If a thing worked for someone it didn't mean that it will work for you too. You have to make your own way. You have to take your decision to quit or not.

We do understand that at time quitting becomes necessary. When you genuinely know you are in a wrong position and there's no way out, at that time quitting is do required. But you can't quit like that. Before quitting your current position  you have to weigh your options. You need to know where you stand and what are your back up options. What is opportunity cost involved in quitting your current state (it maybe the money you invested, time and energy invested in that work)?

So when you face a dilemma whether to quit or not , then:

1. Write out all back up options you have on a piece of paper
2. Note down the plus points and negative points each situation will provide. (also here, note down your reasons for quitting)
3. Note down the monetary cost incurred and the cost that will be incurred in selecting a particular option 
4. Note down the opportunity cost involved i.e. cost of not selecting other option and investment forgone (in case of quitting)
5. Finally, go for an option which weigh out other and looks more lucrative

Remember, money is not everything. It is the last thing that matters here. You can cover what you lost in money, but not time. So, go for the option which provides greater benefit to you, even if it involves quitting. You can comfortably decide to quit now as you now have a back up plan which  looks to be more attractive and beneficial than your existing plan. But without proper planning and backup plan, you shouldn't quit. You should have something in reserve to work on.

To quit or not to quit is your choice, but before quitting, ask yourself  , what keeps you going? Why did you begin what you were doing? Will you regret giving up? Or by giving up are you freeing up your options? If you don’t think the investment will be worth the reward, it might be time to throw in the towel. But if you think you’ll be rewarded for sticking with the project then it may be worth continuing

In the end, I just want to say, don't limit yourself. Challenge your limits as it could be a difference between where you are and where you could be. Challenge yourself and always have that hunger to achieve more, as being satisfied kills the zeal for progress. Like it's said in royal stag's Ad, jo haasil ho gya woh kya large, small milate jao, large bnate jao. It's your life make it large. So, keep pushing yourself and at important juncture(if you face this situation), make a wise choice TO QUIT OR NOT TO QUIT.

Can Fake Motivational Stories Actually Inspire You?

In this modern era, where technology is at our fingertips, we all are in some way or another linked with various social networking apps/sites. With the speed with which the messages , videos , quotes and stories are shared , it is difficult to judge whether the story is real or not. Though action is being taken by government to ensure no fake news is shared via this medium. But what about the fake motivational stories that are being shared openly on these sites? Some people comment that they actually feel inspired by these stories. How can these stories which are just created by someone for fun can inspire you? Or is that only a moment's inspiration, which is lost with time?

One such fake story on these sites is of Colonel Sanders, Founder Of KFC. On various social networking sites, the fake story of how Colonel Sanders founded KFC at age of 80 after losing his family, job and having nothing at the age of 60 was shared by many without actually cross checking it.. It was felt as if each kind of crisis was implicated in his life. Though in actual he became famous at the age of 35, as he supplied cheap boiled chicken at the time of Great Depression. His family troubles in trending story were all lies and this whole thing was a cooked-up story. Surprisingly, despite comments regarding this being a fake story, many people still found it inspiring. How can it still be inspiring when subconsciously know that story isn't true?

In today's era with technology at our disposal, we can cross-check each and everything shared with us. So, how can a such a story inspire someone? We new generation want everything at a quick pace. Whether it's a message , food, life partner, money or success. We want everything at a lightning pace. In the fake KFC story, he attained success at the age of 80. For such a generation, do we have that patience to wait for that long ( if not 80 then 50-60).? Even if we do get success at that age, what will be its benefit? We won't be able to enjoy it. It's only our descendants who will benefit from it. So what's the use of success at such a later levels? How can a story of so many failures and success in end years inspire someone? 

If it was early 90s era or an era without technology, these kind of motivational stories might inspire some as they won't be able to cross check it and their subconscious mind will accept it as true. But what about today's era? When we know that a story is not true, how can we remain motivated by it? In these kind of messages, they just tell a story but not the journey of that person, they don't inform  us about each day trouble/feeling person has gone through. ( which won't be possible as they are fake stories). So how can you accept it when you know you won't be able to check your progress, won't be able to match your feelings and way to bounce back from that.

Even if we do get motivated, with so many distractions at our disposal, can we remain on track towards that goal? Many start the journey but not all survive till the end. Why do people lose track after some time? Do they lose faith or do they forget the story they read? Or do they get the sense of reality and dismiss the fictional things they deemed as true? When faced with adversities, what will be your choice? Will you fight it or instead of fighting it, will you think it as good as person in the story faced same thing and after years he became successful? Will you fight in your way or will you look for the ways adopted by that person? What will you choose?

A simple thing we all want is a settled life. A life in which we are able to cover our expenses, can go for holidays and  can go out with friends and family on any day of the week. This is what we look for in these stories. But is it hard to get these things? I don't think so. All you require is hard-work, commitment and a bit patience. Is it hard to have them, as we look for them in these fake stories? At times, it might feel that you lack luck as nothing is going your way. Always remember Luck is a junction where Your Preparation meets Opportunity. So, just improve the level of your preparation, and you will have all you have dreamed of because you create your own destiny.

In the end I will say don't fall for these fake stories as in long run they will just demotivate you. Just believe in yourself. Have Faith. BE BRAVE. BE WISE. BE STRONG.