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3 questions I ask every successful person I meet

1. What do you do in your free time?
2. What tasks/activities make you forget about time?
3. What problems do you enjoy solving the most?

First, who do I find successful?

Anyone who is in control of their life.
Anyone who owns their time, peace, and work more than others controlling their time, peace, or work.

As you will notice, this definition isn't about money, title, or fame.
By this definition, many people who might not be called successful on paper will actually be successful in my eyes.

Second, here are my responses (not that you asked, haha)

1. What do I love doing during my free time?
   Read books, browse Twitter, write, think, make some plans or the other, haha.
   And 30-minute IG reels - every other day or so.
2. What tasks/activities make me forget about time?
   Making Excel sheet models, playing tennis, travelling, and browsing Twitter.
3. What problems do you enjoy solving the most?
   Anything related to psychology or human behaviour, and planning or organizing.

Questions for you now:

1. How far are you from this definition of success?
2. Which of these 3 questions is the hardest for you to answer today?

Book I read this week

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Re-read "Steal Like an Artist" by Justin Kleon.
This is one of my favourite books - it is a very powerful read, not just for creative professionals but I would argue for everyone!
Simple life approaches that translate into powerful actions.
As I start work on an interesting project (announcement soon), this book is serving as a guiding light.

Please pick it up. You won't regret it.

Build An Epic Career

Colleges are inviting me to deliver talks on career - and buying copies of my latest book in thousands :)
Reviews are pouring in on social media - from 20-year-old struggling students to 40-year-old professionals going through a mid-life crisis - describing how this book felt like a warm hug.
The last chapter is what moved most people - I wrote it with all my love :))

Build An Epic Career - in English, in Hindi​

Question of the week

How was the first month of 2025?

• Met expectations
• Exceeded expectations
• Below expectations

(and see the results of others, too)

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Results of last week's question

Interesting. Younger folks and older folks seem to know themselves more than the ones in the middle. As we age, our relationship with ourselves seems to get clearer. Good sign!
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​My response?​
4.5 or higher. I am very self-aware.

3-2-1
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3 pics from last week

Us, doing what we love doing - watching tennis :))

At IIT BHU for a talk - the students were so sweet; they came in the morning to say goodbye :))

Such a lovely heartwarming sight :))
This is "Off the shelf" in Hitech City, Hyderabad.

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2 quotes I wish to share

Your first step isn’t special because it’s the best.
Your first step is special because it’s the start.

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If you think you will end up as a failure, isn’t it better to fail doing what you truly wanted to do?

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1 new thing I learnt this week

Humans share 79% of their DNA with seals and 50% with cucumbers!
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🎙️ My top content from last week
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📹 YouTube:​ Car buying options - explained​

📱 Instagram: 25 career advice​

🐥 Twitter: Education: Who is at fault?​

🎧 Podcast: Not awesome at anything​
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You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.​
​(Sardiyaan khatam bhi ho jaane ki kasam)

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