A friend of mine asked me this. Today.
To be honest, I don't preach; that's something we get all around us, the stuff that says believe in yourself and so on and so forth.
What I give, is life advice. I've been lucky to learn lessons in life others learn a bit too late, after the damage has been done.
How? After all, I'm the same as everyone else.
The answer is: by looking at the bigger picture, being critical and being realistic.
Sounds heavy? It is, actually.
Let's see what I mean.
Sometimes in my life, I pause, sit in a brightly illuminated room, gaze at nowhere in particular and see my life going on as a movie. I become a spectator to my own life. It is then that I realise where I've been wrong, where I lack and what needs to improve.
Whenever I have to take a decision, a major one, I usually sit back and after weighing all the pros and cons, think about the effect it'll have on my life ten years from now. I look at the big picture. It has helped me evolve more than anything else. It has helped me simplify complex situations, mental, emotional and academic.
And finally, I always remind myself that everything I choose to do, every small thing about me, my habits, my company, will affect no one but myself. And I often wonder how I want myself to be, and what I'll have to be now to become how I want to ten years later.
Believe me, it's wonderful how this works. It made me value life more, enjoy every little moment, take decisions with ease, and recognize myself.
It's made me what I am today.
And I hope it helps others be what they want to, tomorrow.
Arnav Raman