It was dark. The rain poured like there was no tomorrow. The river, like an angry wife, displayed its tantrums in full flow.
A lone candle cut through the darkness.
The Coracle Man sat in his filthy hut on the riverbank. As he had always done for the past 35 years, he awaited patiently for passengers to ferry across the bank.
I was always am a restless guy.
Always in search of better, more and self-gratifying stuff. Like most of you might know already, that is a never-ending search.
Last few months, I have been reading (actually trying to read, rather) Thoreau, esp Walden. And I stumbled upon Richard Proenneke few days back and have managed to read 2 books and watch few videos about him.
I should admit, I truly admire Proenneke now – his craftsmanship, work ethic, simplicity, self-sufficiency and his ability to break free from societal confirmity. Importantly, being at peace with himself all the while, nonchalantly.
People will say nice things about you (your startup).
People will say bad things about you.
At times, no one will ever say anything about you.
You will make mistakes.
Things will be up. Things will be down. (Actually, that’s better than things being average).
Just have a thick skin through your journey!
It’s a daunting journey!
One that probably has no destination.
How the heck do you march ahead then?
One step at a time!
Resilience keeps you from being pushed backwards.
Drive moves you forward.
Courtesy: Founders at work article
A lot of people ask me this one question.
“What is your opinion on turning your hobby into a business? You turned your photography interest into a business. Do you like it this way?”
At the end of every month, when its time to pay the office rent, I always think of Sameer (Morpheus).
And thank him silently in my mind!
In January, when we were looking for an office space, I was very enthusiastic about getting a nice posh space for ourselves. After all, we already had 6 figure revenues. Also, we would get 5 lakhs from the Morpheus fund.
“We deserve a good space”, I used to think – altruistically!
Once upon a time, there lived a simpleton!
He came from a far-off village and his education was so-so. Teachers at his modest Government school would often say, “you only know to eat, why do you even come to school”. Somehow he struggled through to complete 8th standard – the equivalent of a degree in his village.
Now that education was ‘done with’, his father reminded him of his family duties – getting any job that would help reduce the family’s burden.
Just like every ‘educated person’ in his village, he too set off to that paradise called Hangalore in search of a career. High hopes and a smile on face.
I am sick of salesmen who only bother about the sale.
The insurance guy who sells his policy and disappears. The bank agent who stalked you for a deposit and went missing after getting your signature. The telephone service provider who charges you for a “Hello tune” that you never opted for and wont refund you. The door-to-door salesman who doesn’t understand his own product, but is desperate to sell it to every house out there.
I hate them all.
To them, a sale is the end of a transaction.
A discussion I had with friends triggered this post!
To them, what I did after quitting my job appears cool.
It’s cool to be able to say that you run your own company! Right?
That you neither have a boss nor an appraisal every year!
That you are the master of your own destiny!
And there are no more Monday blues!!
Yup. I think it is awesome to say yes to those questions. However, beneath the cool exterior, there’s a different beast. There’s reality to boot!