2024's Game-Changing Advice: From Freinds, Comics & CEOs
11 life-changing lessons from poets, philosophers, leaders and unexpected friends
You know what's funny about my job? It puts me in touch with the most diverse bunch of people you can imagine. And I have this "annoying habit" (their words, not mine!) of asking completely random questions after our interactions. Think stuff like "What went through your mind at the XY Summit?" or "What's your go-to coffee snack and why?" or simply "Hit me with one song that instantly charges you up!"
Sometimes people play along, sometimes they laugh it off, and yeah, sometimes they just ignore me. But I've kept at it – these weird, out-of-context questions have become my thing.
It's like those classic movies we all love – Forrest Gump, Dead Poets Society, Shawshank Redemption, or even our own Taare Zameen Par – they keep reminding us of life's simple truths we tend to forget.
So here's what I've learned in 2024, through random conversations, volunteering, and side projects:
The Universal Morning Advice — every entrepreneur and leader I know seems to swear by this one: "Wake up early in the morning, and everything else will fall into place."
The Two-Battle Rule — college friend Ketan, who switched from a corporate job to becoming a full-time stand-up comic in Gurgaon, dropped this wisdom bomb: Focus on just two things at a time. Whether it's balancing work and relationships, or comedy and a side gig – spreading yourself too thin just weakens your impact everywhere. Oh, and forget the 10,000-hour rule. Sometimes it's the hours you spend just thinking about something that bring the best ideas.
The Happiness Perspective — my ex-teammate and friend Priyanka, who found her calling as a yoga trainer in Rishikesh after a tough breakup, shared something profound: We often put happiness in a tiny box with strict parameters. She also made me realize – our parents are just as cool as us, just weighed down by responsibilities. They want to explore, meet people, and revisit old haunts just like we do.
A fine moment which I cherished in sands of river ganga at Rishikesh, watching lights shivering and smothering on the holy water. The Numbers Game — my friend and project mate, Himanshu, who's deep into Isha Yoga and Inner Engineering shared this: In the end, we're all just numbers on somebody’s excel datsheet. Simple but hits hard, right?
The Innocence Factor — Anurag Kashyap's take on creativity really stuck with me: "You don't need courage to do something extraordinary, you need innocence" (Translation of "Koi bhi cheez karne ke liye himmat nahi, innocence chahiye hoti hai"). We often trade our innocence for success, when it should be the other way around. I felt this personally when I met, Indian Singer and Rockstar, Arijit Singh for a work presentation.
Naval's Three Big Questions — Naval Ravikant dropped this wisdom in a podcast that made me rethink my priorities. He says it all comes down to three decisions:
i. What do you do?
ii. Who do you marry?
iii. Where do you live?
He also predicts that the future belongs to the self-employed. His advice? Start building your tribe around your passions and skills now. No bosses, just you and your network.
Read, my previous article on Building Your Tribe (BYT) on the same context…
The Perfectionist's Paradox — Jack Dorsey (former Twitter CEO) shared this gem about product development that works for pretty much everything in life: "Make every single detail perfect and limit the number of details." Talk about keeping it simple yet sophisticated!
The Anti-Formula — Gulzar Sahaab with his poetic wisdom: "Zindagi agar formula ban jaati toh sabse bore cheez hoti!" (Translation: "If life could be reduced to a formula, it would be the most boring thing ever!"). Sometimes the best life hack is not having one at all.
The Big Ask — Lakshmi Prartury (Founder, INK Talks and Ixoraa Media Foundation), my ex-boss, dropped this knowledge bomb after we wrapped up a major project: "No matter how big your ask is, just ask for it." Simple but powerful, right?
The Money Math — Here's what my friend Shubhabkar (IIMA grad who can multiply three numbers in 5 seconds and scaled up his dad's business) told me: "15% is a good long-term return, keep compounding." Sometimes the best advice is just good old math!
The Humble Path — poet & mentor, Anis Insan, who left his business to support an experimental community at Manav Chetna Vikas Kendra shared this wisdom: "Agar bada banna hai, toh keep ego aside and har chote se chota kaam bada hota hai" (Translation: "If you want to grow big, keep your ego aside and treat every small task as important.")
And of course, my dad's classic closing advice: "Finish calls faster and give less advice! 😄"
Looking back, all these random conversations and out-of-nowhere questions led to some pretty solid life lessons. Maybe there's something to this habit of mine after all! And speaking of habits, I'm sticking to my three personal rules:
Read less but re-read more
Drink water 5 times and more
Complain less and live more
What's your take on these? Got any weird questions for me?
Building your Tribe? Hit me on Linkedin with a note.
Until next time, keep seeking, keep growing, and never underestimate the power of finding your tribe.
With love and passion,
Karsh