I did my PG in Fashion from NIFT, New Delhi. I was neither good at Fashion, nor did it make me happy. I was sacked from my 2nd job in the garment industry for being demotivated & for demotivating other colleagues. Interestingly in 2014- the same organization invited me to inspire their entire team. This was the Rambo moment of my Career.
Lesson Learnt: – If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose
Almost no one took me seriously in my early 20s. Forget the clients- the girl I was dating then too convinced me to dump my quixotic dreams & prepare for Banking Exams.
‘Fashion to Passion’ is my story & the twin lessons learnt in my early story were:-
I entered the field of ‘Motivational Speaking & Corporate Training’ when it was the domain of Gentlemen in coats & ties. They talked stuff which was impressive but too complex to understand & certainly more difficult to implement.
I deeply & genuinely wanted to simplify things & solve problems no one even knew they had. I did it in my own way: – Sarcasm, Humour, Storytelling, a pair of jeans & most importantly a very incisive understanding of the real issues. And the ‘No Boring Gyaan’ concept super clicked!
Lesson Learnt: – Being funny is a serious business. Find your unique Genre. You might just get stares but since you’ll be different, you will travel faster.
I wanted to be a zero-tantrum guy (A motivational speaker who does not like to be treated like a son-in-law by his clients). This helped. Even today, I save my client’s money by travelling in Economy class & at the same time I try to give them a Business Class Event. This not only builds trust but creates beautiful friendships too.
All my content comes from personal experience & not from self-help books. I put in a lot of effort in answering all my emails & in talking long with my audiences. This gives me observations which no books or else can provide.
Lesson Learnt: – We need to look at how the world really works AND not just accept the way how we are told it works.
Between the years 2007 & 2014; I did some 100+ Events every single year across almost every state of India & abroad too. Sounds cool. But trust me it is v difficult to travel this much.
Catching up on sleep only during flights, doing sessions on Stress Management when I myself was extremely stressed. But ALL this was a game changer. I learnt most about my work while working. My own content during the Corporate Events finally hit my dream ratio i.e. 80% Spontaneity & 20% rehearsed. It was vice-versa when I had started.
Lesson Learnt: – Be super-biased towards ACTION. Only ‘Hoping’ drains your energy. Action creates energy. Then what looks like hard work from the outside, becomes play from the inside. Growth is incidental then.
My career found its choicest escape velocity near 2015. Lots of International Speaking engagements started happening. India’s Premium most Brands suddenly started wanting me. My Blogs & Social media found traction & I visibility. People I never knew started saying Hi! to me at airports & malls. The same people wanted to meet me for coffee who I would call multiple times a few years back & they would not pick my phone.
Three lessons Learnt: –
No rule is valid for every single situation in life. Except this rule.
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