DBD - AT - Book - 5.5×8.5 - PB - Low Resolution

Authored by
AMANDEEP THIND
Vishal B Malkan, Ajanta Behera, Atul Bhola,
Dr Sandesh Ganjoo, Dilip Patil, Dr C S Rao, Dr Seema Bansal,
Dr Chitra Rajan, G. Kumar, Jayaseelan Wilson, Dr Mani Das,
Maria Pontes, Megha Aggarwal, Dr Naseem Mariam,
Prashant Eknath Shelke, Preksha Singh, Dr Shubhangi Jain,
Sudeep Rudra, Arunima Sinha, Sundar D, Sushmita Sinha,
Varun Madiyal, Vimlesh Singh, Vinod Choudhary,
Zubin Minchindani
PENMAN BOOKS
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First Published by Penman Books 2022

Copyright © Amandeep Thind
All Rights Reserved.
Title: Destiny By Design

Price: ` 999 | £ 17
ISBN: 978-93-95269-25-4
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strategies outlined in this book may not be suitable for every individual, and
are not meant to provide individualized advice or recommendations.
The advice and strategies found within may not be suitable for every situation.
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Contents
Recommendations ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgement xiii
1. 90% Hard work 10% Destiny 1
by Amandeep Thind

2. It’s All About Perception 15
by Vishal B Malkan

3. Money - Your Friend or An Evil Force? 29
by Preksha Singh

4. Wealth Inside Out 41
by Zubin Mirchandani

5. Destiny by Design 55
by Dr. Sandesh Ganjoo Kaul

6. Lessons with Money and Finances:
Subsistence for Life 71
by Atul Bhola

7. Learning Through Trials and Errors 87
by Dr. Seema Bansal

vi Destiny By Design
8. Financial Abundance from Birth to Death

and Beyond 99
by Dr C S Rao

9. Connecting the Dots: Women’s Financial
Literacy and Economic Empowerment 111
by Chitra Rajan Ph.D.

10. My Struggle for Financial Freedom 123
by Dilip Patil

11. Fuel Your Finances 137
by G. Kumar

12. Why Personal Finance is Not Just About
Saving Money 149
by Arunima Sinha

13. Evolving Relationship with Money 161
by Vimlesh Singh

14. Evolving 173
by Dr. Mani Das

15. Finance is Controlled by Men but optimized
by Women 185
by Prashant Shelke

16. Value of Wealth Creation 197
by Maria Pontes

17. Money - The Ever Changing Taste in Life 211
by Megha Aggarwal

18. Ignite the Fire in You 223
by Sundar D

Contents vii
19. Serendipity and Gratitude Attracts

Wealth/Wellness 237
by Dr. Naseem Mariam

20. Transforming Lives, Money’s End Game 247
by Sudeep Rudra

21. Conquering Your Limiting Beliefs 259
by Dr Shubhangi Jain

22. Money is not Sweet Honey 271
by Vinod Choudhary

23. Learn to Earn 285
by Sushmita Sinha

24. Wings to Fly 299
by Varun Madiyal

25. Out of The Ashes 313
by Jayaseelan Wilson

26. Miles of Smiles 327
by Ajanta Behera

More Books by The Author 339
Recommendations
A book packed with experiential knowledge is the book
we all must read. “Destiny By Design”, co-authored by
Amandeep Thind, Vishal Malkan and 24 other authors, is
one of them.
Whenever we talk about financial terms, we have lines on
our forehead, lines of “where to invest this money so that
I can multiply it”. If this line concerns you too, then this
book is for you.
If you are at the beginning of your career and want to
grow smartly with minimum effort, this book is for you.
This book is packed with money tricks and smart work to
help you succeed financially.
—Srijan Bhardwaj
Serial Entrepreneur,
Finance and Crypto Enthusiast
Foreword
A
life!
s an employee and as a Business owner, I’ve seen Fi-
nancial independence plays a major part in human
Yes, I wasn’t born an entrepreneur, I was an employee for

10 years since my journey as an entrepreneur started, but
now I’m the one who amazes the world and helps them to
gain experiential knowledge.
My whole life, I’ve read many books, but the book that
enlightened me the most about financial independence
was “RICH DAD POOR DAD” by Robert Kiyosaki. I
received from this book was amazing. I still read this book
every now and then because every time, it fills me up with
more ideas and enthusiasm.
One thing that I always use thought about was “how my
money can make me more money, and how and where I
invest so that it multiplies and give me long-term financial
gain?”.
Answer to which I got after years of experience -
“Managing funds and investing them in the right place
xii Destiny By Design
and at the right time is the key to achieving your money

multiplication goal.”
There are a lot of books available in the market, but only a
few have the ability to modify your thinking process and
make you think about the aspects that the author wants
you to emphasise.
Destiny by Design is one of the best books which I’ve read
in terms of financial success.
All the authors have shared their journey of being
financially successful, starting from the lower income
group to achieving higher income. They have also shared
some amazing strategies and techniques which will
definitely help you in becoming financially independent.
This book will open your mind, and you’ll realise how
important is to choose a path where you get money and
have a greater state of mind and grow every day. It’s not
always about the big steps, but it’s about the tiny steps that
lead you to achieve your Goals.
Earning money isn’t hard if you know the right way.
—Richard Tan,
CEO - Success Resources
Acknowledgement
Destiny, we all have but with an edit button that only a
few are aware of. This edit button enables us to design our
destiny as we like!
The amazing feeling of having your friend who’s a finance
master joining your book as an author and your students
grow and shine in their element. It gives me immense joy
and pride in the work I do. None of this would be possible
without these 25 amazing Authors.
Preksha Singh, Zubin Mirchandani, Dr Sandesh Ganjoo,
Atul Bhola, Dr Seema Bansal, Dr C S Rao, Dr Chitra Rajan,
Dilip Patil, G. Kumar, Arunima Sinha, Vimlesh Singh,
Dr Mani Das, Prashant Eknath shelke, Maria Pontes,
Megha Aggarwal, Sundar D, Dr Naseem Mariam, Sudeep
Rudra, Dr Shubhangi Jain, Vinod Choudhary, Sushmita
Sinha, Varun Madiyal, Jayaseelan Wilson, Ajanta Behera
Writing a book about the story of your life is a surreal
process. I am grateful to all the authors and my team for
their ongoing support in bringing these stories to life.
xiv Destiny By Design
It is because of their efforts and encouragement that I

and the 25 authors have a legacy to pass on to my family,
where one didn’t exist before. To be the Number one Best
Selling Author is a dream for many of us.
Special thanks to my friend Vishal Malkan for joining in,
my family, who always supports and understands me, and
my amazing students and followers who never hold back
their love and blessings, which encouraged me to start
this project and complete it successfully.
When you love yourself more than things, simply become
lighter and easier. You won’t overthink and make as many
mountains out of molehills as you used to. Or beat yourself
up or drag yourself down over mistakes or temporary
setbacks.
—Amandeep Thind
October 2022
To access Amandeep Thind’s course, please visit
https://amandeepthind.com/
To be part of Amandeep Thind’s upcoming
masterclass on Public Speaking visit
https://speak2shine.com/
S T O RY O N E
90% Hard work

10% Destiny
90% Hard work 10% Destiny 3
I t was July of 1990, and I remember falling sick with a

high fever. To add to my challenges, we had no electricity
in our one room house for the entire day & night. As it was
the rainy season, it was pouring, leaving me surrounded
by mosquitoes. My mom was worried because I had never
had such a high temperature for many years before this
day.
After two days, when I came back to normal, I went to
school. It was second period when my biology teacher
Mrs. Banerjee came into class and announced a surprise
test. Obviously, I was the one who stood out of the line
and came first but from behind.
Mrs Banerjee called my name. As I went to her desk to
collect my test copy, she looked at me through her glasses
with hopelessness and said I should never think about
becoming a doctor or taking up medicine for my higher
studies. “You are a hopeless case” she said.
It was not only Biology which I failed, but I failed many
subjects during most exams. After failing exams after
exams and hearing remarks that I needed to work hard
(which I was already doing), I started losing faith in my
abilities. I started believing in those remarks that said I
am a dull, dumb boy, good for nothing. I thought I could
never become anything in my life, and I would be lucky if
I got a primary job somewhere.
4 Destiny By Design
I got conditioned into thinking I could not make a

difference in my life and my parents’ life. I worried I would
be a charity case to my loved ones during my earning days.
As I was deeply programmed to think that I could never
ever become a doctor, I reluctantly took up a Non-Medical
subject during my Senior Secondary (A Levels).
That Non-Medical experience for two years didn’t go
well for me. I was struggling all through my 11th & 12th
standards. It was a harrowing and agonising two years of
my life. I never understood most of the things they taught
me during that phase of my life.
It’s not that I didn’t study hard. I studied for thirteen to
fourteen hours a day, and sometimes my mother said
that I would murmur something related to my studies in
my sleep. I was promoted to 12th class from 11th with
a warning. Then during my 12th standard, after getting
some help and working harder, I somehow cleared my
exams, but I failed in one subject, Maths. To simply put it,
I had a Compartment in 12th Standard.
They give you two chances to clear your Compartment
as per the Indian school system. I got better marks in my
first attempt but still was below the passing marks. During
my final attempt, I decided to take some help from others
sitting in the same exam hall. I later realised in life that
it’s called Joint Venture when you bring a group of people
to work together with different expertise. Obviously, the
school didn’t like it, and they branded that activity as
cheating.
I took a re-exam, and somehow, I passed by doing joint

ventures.
I hope you realise by now that I did a few joint ventures
during my academic life to clear some of my exams.
After years of struggles with the education system I was
in, I somehow made it through graduation. Graduation
was a goal my parents set for me; they thought at least
one of their children should be well educated and earn a
handsome livelihood to escape poverty.
I did my graduation in Computers in 2001 and was
struggling to get a job. During the same time, while I was
doing my graduation, with the help of one of my cousins,
I relocated to Delhi from my village in Punjab to pursue
Ecommerce as well. Doing Ecommerce during the year
2000 in India was a sure-shot passport to a first-world
country like the USA, Canada, or UK. Coming from a
village in Punjab and making it to a first-world country
was a substantial prestigious achievement for most
Punjabi Indians. Most Indians were doing IT courses
from different centres, and there was a herd of Computer
centres across the country.
When I completed my Ecommerce, there was a recession,
and all dreams of going to a first-world country were
shattered.
I had no choice but to start applying for local jobs to
survive in the big capital city of Delhi. Every time I walked
into an interview, they would ask for my experience in
6 Destiny By Design
the IT field. How can one have experience without any

job being offered? I kept getting rejected interviews after
interviews.
When a few weeks passed without a job and income, my
situation started getting desperate. I realised that applying
for IT jobs wouldn’t help my cause. So, I started looking
into different avenues and other jobs in the market,
from hotel work to sales. During this search, I landed
on a newspaper article about India’s booming call centre
industry, which mentioned how India will become the
hub for western countries to outsource their jobs.
I started applying to numerous call centre companies.
Still, again, I got rejected, sometimes due to my lack
of experience or incompetence in speaking English,
sometimes due to my grammatical errors, and sometimes
because of my heavy Punjabi village accent.
After all the rejections from top international call centres,
I somehow got placed in one of the domestic call centres
selling membership for Radisson hotel. It was pure cold
calling from the yellow pages.
Working there helped me improve my communication
skills which later allowed me to join an international call
centre and scale my career to a managerial position.
Fast-forwarding to twenty years, I’m an international
public speaker, and a best-selling Amazon author, making
money through my passion for teaching. Living in a
million-pound house in London and uplifting others in
their journey of improving communication and public

speaking.
Reflecting on those times, I realise my success had nothing
much to do with academic scores. Despite my hard work,
I got zero results during my academic years. I kept failing
my exams, and my teachers did not have much trust in my
abilities to create a bright future for myself.
Most schools and colleges follow the old syllabus and
boring teaching style, which doesn’t prepare you for the
real world. During my journey to being a public speaker,
I realised that the best way to teach someone is through
adding experiences to their life.
Experiential learning gives me results, and it is the same
for my top students. My brain operates better with new
knowledge when I have a purpose behind that learning.
Growing up in a one room house in Kolkata with illiterate
parents, where my father drove a taxi for his livelihood
was a challenging journey for my family and me. To add
to my challenges, I was discriminated against for being a
mixed child as my parents are from different backgrounds
with different religions and skin colours. It was a painful
experience to be treated differently and be told that I am
not pure enough as a human being.
When I started doing well in my call centre job after the
initial struggles with English flow and accent, I made
many sales, which helped me earn good incentives.
8 Destiny By Design
As I was always interested in improving myself, I signed

up for a course in 2004. While attending “Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People,” I met a guy who introduced me
to a book called “RICH DAD POOR DAD.”
Reading this book was an eye-opener for me. I realised
that school doesn’t teach us the skill of making money.
For the first time, I was introduced to the real meaning of
Assets and Liabilities.
I learned the power of having assets in life, not liabilities,
and that was when I started thinking about creating assets
in my life, unlike what my father did.
I was responsible for my financial literacy and couldn’t
rely on others to help me with my financial planning. Very
few top academics take up prestigious government jobs.
But what do the rest (95%) do with not much academic
background behind them, especially in a country like
India?
One thing that hit me very hard in this journey was that
the school education system. It was designed to create
slaves who would go into a job for 40-50 years of their
life to make others rich for a final pension, which is not
enough for a livelihood at the end of their career.
I realised that specialised education will be part of my life
for a long time.
During this phase of my life, I started doing things
differently when it came to making money. Whatever
extra time I got outside of my night shift call centre job,

I would invest in exploring new upcoming property
hubs in Delhi. While exploring upcoming contemporary
societies, I discovered some great projects in Gurgaon
(the extended part of Delhi city), which I recommended
to my cousin, who had the money to invest. He made a
few million rupees by investing in upcoming property
deals within a few months. It gave me the confidence that
this technique works and that the things I learnt can get
you actual results in life.
Then, I had the blessing to come to the United Kingdom
under a scholarship given to me by my cousin. In the
UK too, I kept exploring properties and other training
on finances. Then came another realisation on making
money: that all the big businesses are flourishing on OPM,
that is, other people’s money. They generate income, pay a
little percentage, and enjoy the rest themselves.
When I could pull out some money after a few years of
being in the UK, I started investing in properties because
properties excite me and give you passive long-term
income.
One invaluable learning I had in my life is:
Business people do all the expenses, and then they pay taxes,
People who are in jobs pay taxes first, and then they spend.
There’s no harm in doing jobs for a few years; it gives you
experience and exposure. Because jobs aren’t secure, it’s
10 Destiny By Design
an illusion we carry in our brains, and it’s not equipped

enough to provide you with the essence of real life.
But, after a few years of work, everyone should think
about scaling their own income in their own style.
I, too, worked a job for solid years of my life, but I knew I
didn’t want to do it for the long term. That’s how I started
stepping more into financial awareness topics. I read
several books, took more courses, and started investing in
new digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.
Aside from these investments, I mainly started investing
in properties because, you see, these all are investments
which will help you generate long-term income, not just
today and tomorrow, but for a minimum of thirty to forty
years.
Financial awareness is still a taboo topic people don’t want
to discuss. A father doesn’t teach his child about it. He just
says do a job, earn money, and live life. But what will you
do with that money? No one tells you until you get your
hands on it.
Running a business isn’t rocket science. Indeed, it takes
a lot of energy and resources to start and continue, but
here are three points that I read in a world-famous book
on business:
First, you have to look for a significant problem in the
market.
Second, you need to create a solution for it.
Third, you need to check these three-pointers

1. Interest and Passion - The problem you are solving
should be around your interest, and you should be
genuinely passionate about solving this problem.
2. Being in a lucrative business product - The solution
you create should bring you money
3. You should be a master of the product or services
you are providing and intend to make it better.
When you check all these points, real business starts
coming into your life.
I currently own a Specialised Education business that
solves the big fat problem of fear of public speaking, and
I’m passionate about it. It’s lucrative in nature, and I keep
on researching and learning, to add new skills, so that I
can help my clients better.
Apart from this sturdy income, I have invested in multiple
areas, including the stock market, currencies, properties,
precious metals, and a few more. Because I know about
it, I’ve gained knowledge and learned about every single
investment I made. That’s how I grew. I learned my lessons.
I sometimes lost a couple of thousands, but that’s part of
learning and growing.
If you are reading and haven’t yet reached your financial
goal, I highly recommend getting financially educated
because money can make more money and investing
today will give you fruits tomorrow!
Today, before I started writing this chapter, I bought a

new property and registered the other property I own as
an Airbnb. That’s how I generate REAL MONEY from
MONEY.
Meet Amandeep Thind
Amandeep Thind is an International Speaker, Trainer,

Author and a Life Coach. With over 15 years of experience,he
has developed simple yet powerful experiential techniques
that have touched more than a thousand lives. He is the
founder of the Brilliance Academy, an innovative and
impactful business created to help and inspire people to
live a passion-based life. He is the author of the books
“Secret of Winning”, “Rejection to Redirection”, “Speak
2 Shine”,“ Unstoppable Courage”, and “Unbreakable” .
In his passion-based journey, Amandeep has worked
with the World’s best personal development trainers and
thought leaders like T Harv Eker, Jordan Belfort, Robert
Kiyosaki, Les Brown; Dr John De Martini, Dan Lok, Joel
Bauer, Anthony Robbins & many more. He had been the
lead trainer for Tony Robbins, Unleash The Power Within
Preview across the UK, Europe, Australia and the Middle
East. Amandeep possesses the unique ability to bring out
the extraordinary for over a decade. Amandeep is a living
embodiment of creating transformation in the lives of the
people by helping them to find their voice and monetize

their knowledge or life experiences. Amandeep lives in
London with his wife and daughter. He is a loving father,
caring husband and a great family man.
You can connect with Amandeep Thind at:
https://linktr.ee/AManDeepThind
S T O RY T WO
It’s All About Perception

It’s All About Perception 17
T he rate of Colgate has gone up today,’ shared an elderly

man with his train mates. Travelling with dad in the
same compartment, on overhearing their conversation, I
wore a puzzled look. At 14, I wondered if the toothpaste
we used daily had a fluctuating price. After enquiring with
dad and my uncle, it dawned on me that those men on the
train were discussing the share price of Colgate, not the
toothpaste per se.
Interesting! Little did I realise then that that was an
informal introduction to my calling.
In the eighth grade then, travelling with dad to his office
became a routine activity. The summer break was on, and
I was looking to do more than merely whiling days away.
Over the weeks, their conversations on equity markets and
other stock trades piqued my interest considerably. It was
during this time when the news of the 1992 Securities Scam
(popularly known as the ‘Harshad Mehta Scam’) ruled the
news space. As a young kid, though I didn’t understand
much about what that scam entailed, I remember feeling
fascinated by stock trading and investing. There had to be
much more than met my eye.
Early on, my perception of stock trading was making
quick money.
Challenges or opportunities?
After two years when I completed schooling, as an

enthusiastic 16-year-old, I declared to my dad my interest
in wanting to be a stock trader. My zeal to master trading
was squashed by Dad’s apprehensions about an industry
(of stock trading and investing) that was infamous for its
volatility and instability.
While Dad stood his ground in dismissing my dream, I
found an opportunity to get admission to K. C. College
which was close to the Bombay Stock Exchange - my mecca
of dreams. The first day I entered that iconic building
was an experience that changed me fundamentally. It was
homecoming. This is where I belonged.
During the next five years of college (1995-2000), not a
day passed by when I didn’t visit this financial hub. Every
day, after pampering myself with a sneak peek of the main
ring, I’d visit my uncle who had his office on the same
premises. 40 then, he would trade in the markets using
technical raw charts. Simultaneously, he taught me a few
calculations too.
After a year of closely observing the movements in the
markets, I started to journal the open, high, low, and
closing prices of certain stocks. Over a period of time
when I believed I’d gathered enough data, I mustered the
courage to talk to dad again. He had the same stance. This
time though, I countered his vehemence with my newly
acquired knowledge. After a number of hours filled with
arguments and counter-replies, Dad gave in. I won. He
gave me ten thousand rupees on a condition. “This is all

you will get. If you lose this capital, you’ll walk away from
this volatile market and take up a ‘steady’ 9-to-5 job.”
Done deal.
Overenthusiastic about this new endeavour, I started
trading using the simple tricks I had learned from my
uncle. A few wrong moves and I lost every penny of
that capital. Alas! Did this challenge mark the end of
my dreams? Far from that. I grabbed this opportunity to
practice paper trading (mock trading done on paper).
After a while, I arranged a small capital and started to trade
again. For the next two years in college, I traded well. My
friends trusted in my acumen and gave me their monies
to trade. By the time I had completed my graduation, I’d
made a whopping two lakh rupees!
My joy was short-lived. In the dot-com bubble, I lost it all.
Yet again.
While all perceived me to be a failure (claiming they
were right about trading being equivalent to gambling),
my perception was - if can understand the science of the
market, I’ll master the math of trading.
We live. We learn.
The loss of all finances weighed less on my conscience
than the loss of my friends’ faith in my abilities to be a
wise trader. It hurt hard and bad. Was it the end of my
dream run? Not yet.
After this incident, I played along with destiny’s plan.

One thing led to the other and in 2004, as the divine plan
would have it, much to my parents’ disagreements and
disappointments (yet again), I stepped back into stock
trading.
This time I was hellbent on learning more before
committing any more blunders. But there was too much
data, and all of it was too complex. Those were the days
when Fundamental analysts ruled the markets. Even after
studying, attending seminars, and doing whatever it took
to master Fundamentals, I couldn’t grasp much of it. I also
realised that though Technical analysts coexisted, they
were given a step-down treatment.
As always, I refused to follow the herd. I chose to master
this much-ridiculed style of trading. Learning Technical
Analysis from the trading guru, Dr. C. K. Narayan, was
one of the most enriching experiences of my life.
I kept learning and upgrading myself. Eventually, in 2008,
I accurately predicted the market crash. That was the
turning point of my life.
Birth of a novel dream. A new reality.
Amidst all these happenings, my parents had convinced
me to marry my now wife, Meghana. A lawyer by
education, she was one of the many who believed stock
trading was a gamble. No way was she going to marry a
gambler! However, as fate would have it, not only did she
marry me, but she also left her law practice to become a
full-time trader. How come?
To make my life simpler, I created a simplified version of
stock trading. When I taught her these simple tools and
strategies, she was convinced they were highly effective.
Together we realised, that probably there were many
like us who had the passion to trade but were lost in
the convoluted and complex processes of trading. It was
time to share this newfound creation with the world.
Malkansview was thus born.
My perception of trading to earn quick bucks had now
metamorphosised into something beyond my little
cocoon. Meghana and I were eager to share with the
world this simple and easy-to-understand knowledge I’d
designed of Technical Analysis.
Fundamental versus Technical - bridging the gap.
One of the fundamental differences between Fundamen-
tal Analysis and Technical Analysis is that the former
delves into Cause, while the latter is all about Effect.
Studying the fundamentals involves a detailed study of a
company’s financial statements – balance sheets, profit,
and loss statements, ratios like earnings per share ratio,
price-earnings ratio, debt equity ratio, and return on
equity ratio. To understand all these complex concepts,
one has to be financially literate.
This isn’t all. In Fundamentals, one also ought to consider
the company’s management, its sector, its corporate
actions, global markets, competitors, oil price, dollar

prices, government policies, interest rates, the geo-
political situation in the country, and much more.
The irony of analysing this kind of voluminous data
is - even after a thorough study of all these factors, one
cannot accurately predict how the market will move next.
News channels, tips, calamities, political crises… the list
is endless. How will we ever know how the market will
behave?
In this scenario, obsolescence is another aspect to
consider. Data and skills aside, by the time a layman
successfully deciphers these humungous data points, the
market changes, making the derived conclusions obsolete.
The scene is quite the opposite in Technical Analysis. In
this style of trading, it’s a given that the price of any trade
is derived by taking into consideration all these factors.
Hence, all that technical analysts have to monitor closely
is the price of any stock.
Prices move in three different directions - up, down, and/or
sideways. When the price of a stock is moving up, it depicts
the fundamentals of that company are performing well.
When the price is going down, it’s obvious the company
isn’t doing well. This basic and fundamental logic is all we
need to know when trading using technical analysis. If the
price is right for trading, every why, how, what, when, and
where, about the company is redundant knowledge to us,
because all aspects of any company are encapsulated in
that one factor - the price of a share. Studying price is akin

to the backdoor study of fundamentals.
My perception of mastering anything in life is - keep it
simple.
AnyBody Can Trade (ABCT)
With all gusto and sincerity, when Malkansview launched
ABCT, throughout the country, it was a huge hit. It was
much bigger than we had anticipated. We travelled far
and wide to spread our knowledge of technical analysis.
We had simplified it to an extent that even a 10-year-old
could follow our tools and strategies. It used to be a 2-day
ground event. The pandemic wiped it all off. We were on
ground zero. Where to, from here?
The biggest challenge can become our boldest opportunity,
only if we perceive it in that manner. During the two-year
forced sabbatical, we transformed our office into a state-
of-the-art studio. We also upgraded ourselves by learning
many other aspects of trading by enrolling in innumerable
online courses.
When the world started opening up again, we hosted
ABCT - now, a 3-day live online event. With over three
thousand participants taking part in AnyBody Can Trade,
it turned out to be the largest online stock training event
in Asia. There’s been no looking back, ever since.
The perception that Technical Analysis was a lower
version of Fundamental Analysis was thus broken.
80% Psychology. 20% Strategy.

The nature of any stock market will always be volatile. No
one can alter this fundamental truth. It’ll be a foolish task
to even try. This is predominantly why we never misled
our students to believe otherwise. Instead, we taught them
how to better manage risks, curb losses, and exit trades at
the right time.
All these factors apart, what was also apparent during
our personal journeys as traders and that of our students
was the fact that our mindsets played a crucial role while
selecting trades. With each loss, the next trade was taken
in a fit of fear. With each profit, many of them went
haywire selecting the wrong trades. Greed, frustration,
anger, helplessness, and many such dense emotions ruled
our psyches while trading or investing. There had to be a
method to this madness.
Meghana went all in to find a solution to this menace (if I
can call it so). She devoured every bit of information she
could lay her eyes and hands on. Eventually, she went to
the US to get trained by the best in the field of mindset
development. A certified High Performance coach, she
handles the mindset aspect of trading.
We’re the only stock training institute in the country that
has dedicated sessions to master the mind to better trading
habits. After having trained over four lakh students
around the world and with over a million followers across
various social media platforms, our testimonials are proof
that we’re on the right path.
The perception that stock trading is all about mastering

strategies alone is a myth. One that we successfully
nullified.
The path ahead…
Over fifteen years in the field of stock training, and over
twenty-six in the field of stock trading, we’re committed
to changing the way India trades.
In the US, over 50% of the population is into stock trading
and investing. That figure in India ranges between 4-5%.
This stark variation is saddening. Given these minuscule
figures, our goals may seem unachievable, and our targets
may seem daunting, but at Malkansview, we keep doing
whatever it takes to get closer to our dreams. Nothing is
impossible to achieve.
We firmly believe:
• Money management should be introduced in
schools.
• Children should be taught how to make money work
for them, rather than it being a one-way trip of
hardships.
• While hard work has its virtuous space, young kids
must be taught how to work smartly.
• They must be taught the concept of passive income
and should be encouraged to have multiple sources
of them.
• It’s time for a mindset revolution. Instead of being

bombarded with negative affirmations about how
tough it is to make money, they must be taught
how to replace such limiting beliefs with positive
paradigms.
• Last but not the least, kids must be taught what it
truly means to be worthy of abundance in life.
Our journey has been filled with breakthroughs (instead
of breakdowns), learnings (instead of mistakes), and
thrilling endeavours (instead of scary instances). We
want the youth of the country to learn from our mistakes,
know how to invest wisely, earn exponentially, and grow
holistically. This is when they’ll lead balanced lives. When
all these factors fall in place, India will match the trading
statistics of most of the first world countries. For this to
become a reality, we’ll do whatever it takes. After all, that’s
the Malkansview slogan.
Meet Vishal B Malkan
Vishal is one of the top coaches and authors in the areas

of stock trading, training, and personal transformation.
His journey began at 16. For the next many years, he
experienced the highs & lows of stock trading, before
achieving success as a trader.
During that process, he learnt various theories,
approaches and concepts only to realise that it need not
be this complex. That’s when he made it his personal
mission to simplify trading strategies and tools to help the
common man trade easily. His systems are so simple that
even a 10-year-old child can understand them. That’s how
Malkansview was born.
For over 27 years as a trader and 15 years as a trainer, he has
trained over four lakh students through various webinars,
seminars and live events. This has also earned him over a
million followers across social media platforms.
His book, #Cashtags, co-authored (with his wife, Meghana
V Malkan), is a bestseller. His motivational journey has
inspired thousands to take charge of their destiny and do

whatever it takes to make a better life for themselves.
Vishal’s passion and natural leadership skills have helped
propel him into a successful trainer, coach and role model,
motivating thousands to become stock traders and many
others to have a regular passive income.
Here’s his book #Cashtags: http://www.malkanbook.com
S T O RY T H R E E
Money - Your Friend or

An Evil Force?
Money - Your Friend or An Evil Force? 31
T he conditioning that I have grown up with is that

money can’t make you happy. I am sure you would
have also come across the same if you have grown up in
India.
There is nothing wrong with that. It’s just the way it is.
Money is the root cause of all problems and it’s evil to be
wanting money. I believed the same for a very long time.
Getting a Government job and earning a respectable life is
what my family wanted me to do. Again, there is nothing
wrong with that. Our parents did not have the kind of risk
appetite today’s generation is willing to take.
Our parents and their parents had to struggle with just
meeting ends in the pre and post-industrial revolution
era. Little money may have been enough to satisfy their
needs.
It was enough for me also till I turned 18. I grew up in
a small Industrial town in Uttar Pradesh. All I had ever
dreamt of was to qualify for the IIT exam. I spent many
nervous and sleepless nights working towards that.
But destiny had other plans. Ultimately, I could not clear
that exam and did not want to join anywhere else. But
fortunately, I managed my way into the Maths (Hons.)
course of Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. I don’t know
how it happened because my dad was sure my marks were
worthless. Anyhow, lucky me.
But step into a city like Delhi for the first time when you
turn 18, BOOM …something happens.
For everything you do, money is required. At some point,
I felt that even to breathe, money is needed. No jokes.
With little pocket money at hand and no courage to ask
for more from parents, it was a painful life of compromise
on every front.
It seemed that my life was a lie. I had people around me
doing so well academically and doing well in the money
and fashion department too. Whereas, studies was the
only department my life had.
Anyhow, I also managed to open those other departments
in my life too later on. But much later.
Those were the days when seeds of money sensibilities got
sown. A fancy car, fancy life, fancy vacations and fancy
home seemed like a far-fetched dream but something I
had started dreaming of.
How do I get there was the biggest question. The MBA
course seemed like the shortest way and easiest way to get
there. I prepared for the same. Got into a premier college.
But thanks to the Goldman crisis of 2008, I ended up
jobless. The idea of me having money seemed even more
far-fetched at this point. It became a mirage.
Amidst all this mayhem, marriage happened too.
With little knowledge and hardcore conditioning, the
only saving we could imagine was buying a home with a
heavy home loan. We were happy. However, the happiness

was until kids started coming and we felt tight around
cash. We felt that in the next 2-4 years, we would need
a truckload of cash to get them admitted into schools.
Getting a bigger salary package for my husband seemed
like the obvious choice while I run a part-time business
and take care of the kids.
I was in my late 20s and still with the extra liquidity; all we
did was invest in another house, close to school.
Again, we were very happy to get some measly rental
income from the 1st home and move into our 2nd home.
We were quite dependent on our job and business to live
comfortably.
Now the thought of putting aside cash for college funds
started bothering us and this was not very long back; it
was just 3-4 years back. We started small mutual fund
SIPs. The deeper we went into it, the more we started
realizing that it’s a bit too late to be building wealth and
sufficient funds for the type of college we are looking at.
Or we need to pump in a lot of money.
But I feel better late than never.
I so wish when I was in my 20s, someone would have told
me -
1. Invest your earnings in Mutual Fund SIPs to start
with. Start from as low as Rs. 500 p.m and gradually
increase.
2. Take professional advice and build a good Stocks

portfolio.
If we had done that, we would not have needed to
depend on our jobs or business for liquidity. We
would be having a much better corpus now.
Yes, I know a lot of you might be wondering, there
are no jobs. How the hell would one get that Rs.
500 to invest? You could always volunteer to do
some odd jobs for your neighbors, teaching their
kids, babysitting, dog walking or some other part-
time gig you are comfortable with.
3. Take professional advice and build a good Stocks
portfolio. Invest a little every month just like SIP
and do not try to time the market. It may work
sometimes but may bomb at many others.
4. Do not buy a house with a home loan as your 1st
investment. Try and stay at a place which is
comfortable but not too fancy or expensive. Buy a
house only when you have sufficient cash to do so.
Renting is a good option until then.
5. Buy good health insurance policies for yourself and
your family. I know the premiums seem like a waste
of money when you are young but they will come
handy in times of medical emergencies and you
will feel blessed to have them. Health is true wealth
and we often realize this only when we need good
health and do not have it or have to pay through

our nose for it; by then, it might be too late.
6. A side hustle should be pursued outside of your
job to give extra cushion and help you with a 2nd
income. Job is only to get you going for the first
few years. You should have a reliable 2nd income.
This will help you in case of a job loss and also give
you some extra liquidity to invest.
7. Investing should be done early in life. Time is of
the essence when it comes to investing. There is
nothing more valuable than time.
The sooner you start, the better it is as the power
of compounding works well with time. I have
personally seen people in their late 30s & 40s
regretting not starting early enough.
8. Get out of the mindset that money can’t buy
happiness. Money is just a means to an end. It can
help you lead a comfortable life which in turn will
bring happiness. A penny saved is a penny earned
but do not save at the cost of your happiness.
Balance is key here.
9. Insurance is not an investment.
Never fall prey to the strongly worded ads stating
guaranteed returns on insurance plans. They are
attractive but expensive and limited. Insurance is
only meant to cover the risk.
10. First, invest and then spend the remaining amount

of money. Often, people save first and then invest.
This is the wrong way to go about it. Invest first
and save the remaining amount.
11. Money may not be the ultimate source of happiness
but it can truncate your happiness in life if you
don’t have enough. Let’s get real. When you have
a limited source of income, what are the things
you compromise the most on? Health, education,
and investments. You tend to invest less in gym
memberships or a personal trainer. You try to Do
It Yourself (DIY) and most of the time give up as
no one is looking. Most dangerously, you put off
investing. It goes like, we will do once we have
done this or will do when I get my bonus or will
do when my salary becomes like that. It’s never
ending. Believe me; I am guilty on all the above
counts. It’s a first-hand account of what you can
look forward to if you are in your 20s.
My diet coach says, your body is your only home
till the end of your life. We take so much care of
our homes made of bricks and cement. We lose it
if anybody lays a finger on it. But consider this,
scribbling on walls can be repainted, broken
furniture can be repaired or replaced. Can you ever
replace your body? Even if you are ready to pay
billions of dollars, this is the one thing that no one
can buy. And yet, people are least bothered about
their health and their body. This sentence from my

diet coach stuck with me and forces me out of my
bed every morning at 5. It’s hard sometimes but I
remind myself again and again. Yes, I have a diet
coach. Don’t judge me for this. I just feel it saves
me a lot of effort and time. You can too.
You are also not able to train yourself in the areas
required, say public speaking, etiquettes, mindset
or any other area. I am such a risk taker that I had
been running my business without any direction,
or any mentor until it became too much and I was
almost on the verge of closing it all down. I used to
feel coaches are for someone else and not me. MBA
is a good enough degree to help you do business.
So I used to think until I brought on a mentor
for myself. It transformed me in a short span of 2
years. So all those fans of DIYs please take note.
12. Wanting money is not evil. It’s actually a blessing
for you and your family. But make sure you don’t
adopt illegal means or harm others in your quest
for money. If you do that, your wealth and fortune
will surely fly away from you someday. It’s the
energy thing. I reserve this discussion for my next
book.
13. Invest in your health. Your body is the only
irreplaceable home you have till the end of your
life.
14. Real-life learning starts only after you finish your

education. Continue your journey of learning even
after college. You can do this by reading books
and magazines, listening to podcasts, attending
seminars and workshops, YouTube videos, online
courses, or actual mentors; choose any mode. You
will not believe how learning from different experts
can benefit you. The least that will surely happen is
that you will have more money to go around with.
Is motivation enough?
Now you must be wondering how to make it a habit
and regular. Well, I try to fit in at least 20 mins. of
reading into my schedule every day. I read books
that I can learn from and not fiction. I subscribe to
audiobooks which I listen to during my commute
instead of the noisy radio stations. Wonderful
utilization of time, I must tell you. This is my way
of doing it. Yours could be more creative.
15. I see a lot of young couples sparring and warring
and working in absolutely opposite directions.
Why not work as a team? Rather than blaming
your partners for a less than satisfactory life, take
charge. Speak to your better halves and make them
a partner in your quest for building a wonderful
and wholesome life. No one will say no to the
possibility of a prosperous future.
These may seem like just 12-pointers but this is my learning

and an honest first-hand account of my last 18 years of
living independently. These are the lessons I learned the
hard way. I missed a mentor, a senior to guide me. So I
decided to co-author this book and help our readers.
So guys, start investing, start learning and make your
better halves a part of your team. Beg, borrow but don’t
steal..hehehe. Start investing as early as possible. Even if
you are 15 and reading this, you can start your investment
journey today.
Meet Preksha Singh
Preksha Singh is the founder of Cosmolance Tech

Pvt Ltd, a leading technology company in India. She is
also the mother of two young children. Preksha has an
MBA degree with majors in finance from Fore School of
Management and a Maths degree from Lady Shri Ram
College, New Delhi.
Preksha is a health conscious and a disciplined individual
who loves working out in the gym and participating in
outdoor sports. She is a lifelong learner and an explorer
at heart, and loves traveling to new places. She is also a
confident and outgoing person.
S T O RY F O U R
Wealth Inside Out

Wealth Inside Out 43
A fter considerable experience in business, corporate,

market, and personal finance, I have outlined my top
discoveries in finance below:
1. Mind-Limiting Beliefs
At an early age, I witnessed my parents arguing about
fiscal matters, especially when my father became ill or
when his business venture faltered. However, despite
certain financial constraints, my life was one of relative
ease and comfort. I attended a top private school and lived
in an affluent neighbourhood. Yet, the relative financial
constraints in my own house compared with the abundance
around me, despite belonging to the same social strata
and community, were striking. One consequence was
that I became fascinated and even obsessed with self-
development while barely out of primary school. Despite
practising yoga and meditation, studying self-help and
leadership books, and subsequently obtaining a prestigious
MBA in Toronto in 2010, my relationship with money was
not what I wanted it to be. I would even call it dismal.
I had been too constrained by my subconscious belief
system about money. I realised that I had limiting beliefs
about money, not because of the reality of my childhood,
but rather because of my perception of the reality of my
childhood. I perceived scarcity, where money was difficult
to make, rich people had bad intentions and may have
indulged in objectionable activities. I realised that my

outside world was a reflection of my inside world, and that
my subconscious belief system largely determined my
inside world. How could I consciously strive for wealth
in the real world when the very idea of money was tarred
by my internalised negative beliefs? Given these internal
conflicts, I prevented myself from obtaining my financial
goals.
Admittedly, a belief is neither good nor bad, but simply
something we believe to be true, and our beliefs are
repeatedly reinforced over time. This is why people have
such a hard time overcoming their limiting beliefs. When
our perceptions of a real-life experience is skewered
from reality, we form distorted beliefs, and these limiting
perceptions are constantly reinforced over time and affect
our attitudes toward money. Limiting beliefs can affect
all our behaviours, but are mostly centred around money
issues, inner confidence, public speaking, relationships,
ability to trust, etc. Beliefs often stem from our childhood
experiences as influenced by our parents, because at
a young age our unconscious views are not solidified.
Limiting beliefs also form in the aftermath of a deeply
emotional or traumatic experience, such as the loss of
a parent, a car crash, bankruptcy, or even liquidation of
assets.
Limiting Beliefs Case:
It is not only limiting money beliefs that can undermine
our business and financial acumen. Many chronic
business, financial, and relationship issues stem from

limiting beliefs about trust. Take my client Roshni (not
her real name) for example: her business was not going
well, and she formed poor professional relationships
with her co-workers despite giving them her all. Upon
looking deeper into her situation, I found that Roshni had
a parent who demonstrated in her infancy that, as a girl
child, she was not welcome, and then was subsequently
abandoned. As a self-defence mechanism, Roshni labelled
trust as ‘bad’ in her subconscious, to prevent the pain of
trust from recurring. The innate biological trust between
child and parent had been broken. The simple belief: “I
trust my parents” was transformed into “trust is bad.”
Roshni subsequently reinforced this belief every time she
encountered a situation where trust was needed. She was
not even able to borrow a tiny sum of money as a child
without encountering an immediate “No.” To collaborate
in business became a definite “No-No.” Trust was bad
and counter-productive, and this belief was constantly
reinforced. Her business relationships were continuously
undermined by lack of trust, not on a conscious level,
but on an unconscious level. I succeeded in neutralising
Roshni’s limiting belief through a methodology that was
initially inspired by the work of Morty Lefkoe- a man I
learned greatly from in the 90’s and 00’s. I have outlined
it below:
1. Take responsibility for your actions and don’t
blame others for the situations you find yourself
in. Through our initial struggles and resistance

throughout we can learn and overcome our
problems.
2. Identify your limiting beliefs by looking at the
recurring behavioural patterns that interfere with
your goals. Identify your negative beliefs, and
accordingly come up with specific limiting belief
phrases, such as: “Money never comes easily” or
“I will never have enough money,” which are often
associated with the early influences of childhood.
Write down both the belief and context for each
situation you confront. Say the belief out loud.
If you instinctively feel it to be true (it can be
confirmed by a conditioned reflex, like a cough in
my case), then you have the belief.
3. Try to go back and identify the exact situation where
the belief was formed (if you can’t remember the
exact circumstance, think of a situation around the
same time or in the same environment). Though
the belief you have may be a valid interpretation of
the situation, if your friends were to watch a movie
of this childhood event, would any other possible
interpretations be conceivable? For example, “Just
because mom feels money doesn’t come easily
doesn’t mean it won’t come easily for me” or “Just
because I don’t have enough money now doesn’t
mean that I won’t ever have enough money.”
4. Could one of these other interpretations be valid-

in fact, as valid as the original interpretation?
If so, your original interpretation is only one of
several interpretations you could have had. In fact,
no situation has a specific meaning until you give
it one.
5. Envisage a third-person telling you an alternate
interpretation. Once it is clear that there are other
valid interpretations, and you cannot claim your
own interpretation is the only one possible, trace
the original scenario like a film playing in your
mind. Another person (perhaps an old friend
or family member) will join the same scenario
however this time see, hear, and feel it when they
inform you of other interpretations instead of the
one you previously saw.
6. Voice the initial belief out loud and try to deter-
mine whether it rings true on a gut level, or if the
words fall flat now.
Karmically, your beliefs are there to be learned from.
Before neutralising limiting money beliefs, try to
improve on them. Limiting beliefs concerning money
can hinder financial success, but it is important to know
that other limiting beliefs concerning trust, business, and
entrepreneurship can also. Therefore, carefully analyze
them and then neutralise them.
2. Choosing The Right Career

After spending many years working for financial service
institutions and over a decade coaching corporate leaders,
it is clear to me that many corporate employees have not
yet found their optimal careers. Gallup research found
that actively engaged employees account for just 32-36%
of the workforce in the US, and only 20% worldwide.
Moreover, disengaged employees - those who categorise
their work experiences as miserable - make up 13-
17% of all employees. Awareness of one’s distinct sense
of purpose and the ability to thoroughly pursue it is a
precursor to overall success, as well as financial success.
A career is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is important to
make the right choices to ensure one’s long-term financial
wellbeing. Being self-aware, and in this context self-aware
about one’s career choices, is the strongest predictor of
overall success, according to a Cornell study. Conversely,
going with what is easily accessible, or merely convenient,
will diminish our chances of professional and financial
success. It is important to gain deeper knowledge and
understanding of a profession before specialising in it.
Specialisation will bring us a higher value on the open
market and allow us to offer tailored products or services.
However, many specialise in topics that are not best for
them, preferring to choose what others think is best
for them. One must choose to specialise based on the
awareness of oneself and one’s goals, even if this requires
considerably more time, commitment, and effort.

Choosing the right career for oneself gives one a much
better chance to achieve financial freedom and security.
It was the summer of 2011 in London, and after attending
a top MBA program in Canada, I had to decide the next
step. The default plan was to get a job in consulting, but
was this the best thing for me personally? After spending
hundreds of thousands of dollars on education, shouldn’t
I be getting into something that I really loved, was great
at, and would give me the lifestyle I really wanted? The
answer was a resounding YES! I bet on myself and jumped
into a coach training course considered the gold standard
in such courses. The deep awareness of myself and what I
wanted allowed me to make such a decision, even though
it was off the beaten path, and an outstanding consulting
job was waiting for me.
Thus, it became clear to me that passion, excellence, and
a desired lifestyle are equally important determinants in
finding a purpose in life. In my case, I embraced coaching
and speaking with real conviction. I was so passionate
about what I was choosing that I would even consider
doing it for free. I was not just good, but great at coaching,
and I consider relationship management and coaching
part of my DNA. Coaching is my ideal lifestyle choice,
providing me with real opportunities for maximal growth,
flexible working hours, mobility, and the opportunity to
work in different cities.
Passion, excellence, and a desired lifestyle must all be

aligned for your career to be aligned with your own sense
of purpose. All three are needed, but individually they
are never enough and will not lead to sustained success.
For instance, many often make career decisions based
on lifestyle alone. Talented people get seduced by a nice
career package, even though they’ve allowed themselves to
become sidetracked, basically trading their time for money
and ending up back at the status quo 2-3 years later. If you
are serious about your career, do not sell your time for
money in a field irrelevant to your purpose. Passion must
be complemented by talent and excellence in the chosen
field, and this, combined with lifestyle compatibility, will
ensure a successful career and brighter financial future.
3. Invest Only in What You Won’t Need Access

To - Stay The Course
It was 2007, and I had just made a substantial investment
that would give me a huge payoff down the road. I was
sure of success and thrilled about the future until the
great financial crash intervened. Although I had invested
defensively, my equity shares nonetheless plummeted.
Though I knew enough to stay the course, since the worst
thing in such a situation would be to panic and liquidate,
some unexpected expenses meant I was forced to sell some
of my shares near the low. Though I got most things right
in terms of my investment choices, I didn’t have enough
of a buffer, and my hours of research and risk taking were
put in jeopardy due to my selling at a loss and incurring

unforeseen fees.
It is important to have liquid assets to pay unexpected
expenses, and to enable the pursuit of opportunistic
investments. It is integral to financial success to hold
investments for their term or thereafter to get the best
possible return. This means forward planning and
adequate liquidity.
After considerable effort and a determined pursuit of
financial knowledge, I was able to shape my personal,
business, corporate, and market finance in the right
direction. Having beliefs that are in accordance with your
goals, choosing the right career, and staying the course in
investments are three of my most important learnings.
References
Lefkoe, M.(2003). Re-create your life. DMI publishing
Meet Zubin Mirchandani
Zubin is an award winning Self Leadership Coach with

15years of deep and qualified experience in Coaching,
Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Banking. After
spending 20+ years in Canada and the UK, Zubin has
come back to India in 2012, is based in Mumbai and
Coaches senior leaders, entrepreneurs, high performing
individuals and celebrities across the world daily. Zubin
specializes in the competencies of Verbal Communication,
Executive Presence, Emotional Intelligence, Cross
Cultural Communication, and Women in Leadership.
With international work experience in Canada, UK, HK,
India, etc, and with clients in over 40 countries, Zubin
brings a strong track record of behavioural change and
strategic process enhancements. He urges leaders in
all disciplines to lead from within and not from on top.
Zubin runs a Coach Training Academy in Mumbai for
both new and developed coaches. Zubin is the recipient of
the 2019 Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Award, runs
a programme with Dr. Goldsmith- Coach of President
Obama and Dr. Jim Kim, and launched his book “How
Women Rise” in India.
You can connect with Zubin Mirchandani at:
zubin@eminentsteps.com
Eminentsteps.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zmirchandani
S T O RY F I V E
Destiny by Design
Destiny by Design 57
“It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”
—William Ernest Henley.
L iving the life of a millennial is not easy, and that is the

cohort wherein I belong.
Hi, I am an independent and confident woman. But hey,
confidence is intangible, so let me tell you the qualities
that I have enabled in me to crown myself with the
coveted adjective. I practise self-love, I know what I want
and, more importantly, what I do not. I step outside my
comfort zone to achieve what I want; I have set healthy
boundaries; I own my actions and am not scared of asking
for help. But wait a minute, I was not always like that. Let
me rewind my life a bit for all of you.
Scene 1
I was born in a middle-class family. My father was a
professor in education and psychology, and my mother
was a homemaker. My parents had a son and a daughter
before my birth, but my brother left for the other realm at
the age of eighteen, and it was 4 years after his demise that
I was born on 1st of January. My parents considered me
their New Year’s gift. I was never a demanding child, and

all my needs were met perfectly. Belonging to a community
of Kashmiri pandits, the entire stress of my parents was
on quality education. I still remember my father telling
me vehemently, while putting across the importance of
education, to beg, borrow or steal for my education. So,
all I ever remember is studying, studying, and studying.
During this time, we had to shift our base from Kashmir
to Jammu due to insurgency. That is when our hardships
began with living in a one room accommodation, suffering
relentless heat, and losing all our possessions overnight.
However, my parents did not accept defeat, and we started
afresh again. Yes, I was not allowed to budge my focus
from education. They compromised on many aspects, but
I was put in the best school. My dad had this vision of
seeing me as a doctor and making a life for myself.
Despite all the hardships and a paradigm shift in our lives,
all I still remember is studying. I made my parents proud
and did my MBBS, MS. Now I am an Associate Professor
in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, working in a Medical
College. That is what my parents and I had always dreamt
of. But, in all this, there was something that was never
ever emphasised, which I now understand should be an
integral part of our upbringing: things such as personality
development, the importance of money in life, and the act
of setting yourself up for independence; independence
from financial worries, independence from the clutches
that are holding you back.
Life is not an accident; we all have a destiny to fulfil

ourselves. For what it is worth, it is never too late to be
whatever or whoever we want to be.
Scene 2: Renaissance in my life

I am married to this amazing paediatrician, who keeps
pushing me to bring out the best version of myself all the
time. This is when my actual independence began. Again,
I studied a lot, but Eureka! Not my academic books, but
non-fiction personality development books. My God,
I witnessed a sea change in myself. Good books battle-
proofed my hope. I understood the importance of money,
time freedom, and overall, the importance of being an
independent woman.
Now I can disseminate my knowledge and wish that my
chapter can bring about a change in at least one person
who comes across these lines.
Before I begin to share my views about what and how
to achieve financial freedom, let us go through a list of
excuses why people do not become successful.
1. Expectations of others decide and influence their
career choices.
2. The habit of saying to themselves that money isn’t
important.
3. Even the thought of failure makes them scared to do
anything.
4. Their advisors are unsuccessful people.

5. They constantly argue for their limitations.
6. Problems and not solutions are the focus.
7. A 9-5 job is the only way of life for them.
8. Time is not valuable for them.
9. They lack self-discipline.
10. They are prolific savers and don’t believe in invest-
ing.
11. They don’t have any financial goals.
12. They spend more than they earn.
13. They believe that luck makes people rich.
14. Rather than learning from the rich, they criticise
them.
You need to remember, your excuses are seducers, your
fears are lies, and your doubts are thieves. We need to take
charge of our lives and be accountable and responsible for
the same. Now that we know what mindset is stopping us
from being rich, let us go on and understand the art and
science of financial freedom.
Financial freedom:
The overall ancient wisdom says, money is the harbinger of
doom, and too much money is not required, as there is no
endpoint where one will stop. Yes, they are right, but only
for the souls who do not have a purpose in their life and
who care for no one other than themselves. Now, one would
think, for gaining wealth, we have to follow unscrupulous
ways of achieving it. No, my dear friends. Wealth is the
product of a person’s ability to think and learn. Learning
must go on, so that you remove the ‘L’ out of it, and then
you start Earning. Wealth neither is, nor was ever evil.
It is just the nature of people who were associated with
it that brought this good luck charm notoriety. To define
financial freedom is not too difficult. It means generating
income passively for having a financial cushion to afford a
certain lifestyle plus a nest egg for retirement or freedom
to pursue any career without the need to earn a certain
salary. Now, the biggest question is, how do I do it?
A good life is the biggest enemy of a great life. No one can
snatch away the power of humans to dream. Some will
remain in the fantasy world, while others will go on and
take steps to fulfil their destiny. To understand this line,
we need to understand the mentality of people around us.
There are basically two strata of people.
Type I people
Type II people.
Everyone finds a way to fulfil the basic needs of adequate

food, clothes, etc. Type I people do dream but believe in
the ancient couplet: cut your coat according to your cloth.
They believe they are meant for a meagre life and cannot
outgrow their fears. They always lead a life of compromise.
Then come the second strata of people, the type II tribe,
who believe if you want a long coat, who is stopping you
from getting a lengthier piece of cloth. They will try to
find alternative means of achieving a higher income to
align with their dreams, and finally fulfil them.
Now let us come to it one by one, how we can do this:
We millennials are a different tribe altogether. We believe
in a hustle bustle and are out there to highlight ourselves
as achievers, even if it means putting ourselves in debt. We
millennials are the most debt-ridden tribe. The first and
foremost rule for attaining financial freedom is clearing
all our debts and then planning investment. Debt out and
income in should be our number one priority.
Look out for a side hustle to supplement your existing

income. The more the merrier. It can be anything related
to your passion, or you can learn a new skill side by side,
a new strategy, a new path where your efforts can be
monetised and channelised into fulfilling your destiny.
Passive income, there are N number of means of achieving
it. You just need to research it and choose your own path.
Passive income is where your income is least dependent
on your efforts, but it is still coming from somewhere
unabated.
First invest and then spend what is left. This is the rule of
thumb. This is the best example of delayed gratification.
But the entire process should be made easier and faster, so
that you do not have to wait a lifetime for fulfilling your
desires.
Invest in multiple instruments, mutual funds, shares,
virtual currency, religiously every single month, and
diversify them according to your risk appetite. The fixed
deposits are of no use as per my discretion, and I would
strongly advise against it. Taking inflation into account,
they are merely an eyewash. The rule of investment says,
one hundred minus age in years as percentage, must into
equity and rest into debt instruments . The key to attaining
success in this arena is to show complete discipline, which
is repetitive every single month. Failing to plan is planning
to fail.
If all the above information seems overwhelming, I cannot

emphasise enough the importance of a mentor, a guide,
whose brain you can pick to sail through. But the decision
to put your finances in order and have control over them
must come from none other than you. If you delay this
one particularly important decision, you are definitely in
for nothing more than a mediocre life.
All these have helped me build a good corpus for my
family and I am an active decision maker in all financial
deliberations. Being a woman does not, by any means,
make you less efficient for taking financial decisions.
Independence from stress is also one of the important
pillars of achieving success.
Many people die at 30, only to be buried later at 80. This
is the best quote I have ever heard. At the first glance, I
mistook it as a typographic error, but the deep essence
of thought in this made me believe that at least I am not
going to die at 30. I will not only de-stress myself, but also
millions who come across my way.
As is rightly said, the smallest implementations are always
worth more than the greatest of intentions. The seed for
any success story is always being in the action zone.
Take control of your situations and live in the present
moment. The situations are temporary, but the mark they
leave on you can change your perspective for life forever.
Face your present poignantly, and expect the future has
the biggest bounties in store for you.
Obstacles are nothing more than lists designed to measure

how seriously you want the reward your ambitions seek.
When one door closes for you, God opens hundreds of doors
for you. The irony is that we keep looking at the closed door
and cannot see the other paths which can liberate us, and
we give up too soon. If we continue to remove the obstacles
by treading through alternate paths and thinking out of the
box, we are sure shot on the path to success.
Failure is growth in wolf ’s garbs. Each failure teaches us
how to outgrow our fears, inefficiency, ignorance, and
disbelief. Persistence and improvement in what we do,
and not repeating the things which led to failure at the
first hand, is the key to success.
Focus on your destination:

Our destination is financial freedom. So, is it going to
happen overnight? No, never. So, what is the way? Break
your goal into smaller fractions, which can be achieved
one by one, slowly, and steadily progressing to our final
goal. We should be aligned in our intent and actions, for
what we are doing. The only way to do that is to love the
journey that leads to your destination. By doing this, you
will hit milestones as a consequence, and arrive at your
destination by default. Each milestone needs a celebration,
and we should enjoy each and every bit of it. Only then
would we be content with our lives. Remember, every
professional was once an amateur and every master was
once a beginner.
Time Management
This is one of the most precious commodities I have learned
to bullet proof. The biggest excuse I used to have when
anyone would tell me about some opportunity was that I
do not have time for it. Then suddenly, out of nowhere
came enlightenment in the form of a mentor: our time
on this earth is limited, and we must do unlimited things
to make our journey on this planet worthwhile. Each and
every second of our lives counts and can contribute to
this mammoth task. The only way out is to take charge of
your life and strictly follow the time schedule you have set
for yourself. I made a change and am seeing phenomenal
results in me, and the aura around me. So can you. So,
what are you waiting for? Fix your story of the day, and
the results will be visible around you. You will definitely
feel proud of yourself, the way I am.
In short, the formula to achieve financial freedom is a

balance between offloading debt, creating a side hustle
and investment to generate passive income, and hitting
the sweet red spot as depicted in the above figure.
And finally, I hope that I live a life that I love and am
proud of. Any point in time where I am not living that
life, I believe that I will have the strength and resilience to
start all over again. It is not over until I win.
Work on yourself and live a life of SIGNIFICANCE and
not MEDIOCRITY.
Meet Dr. Sandesh Ganjoo Kaul
Dr. Sandesh Ganjoo Kaul is a member of the Kashmiri

Pandit diaspora. Brought up amongst the perils of
insurgency in Kashmir and having suffered in her own
country for the want of attention, she has conquered her
fears and dejections and come up to the level that she is
at right now. She is a trained and an efficient obstetrician
and gynaecologist presently working as an associate
professor in a medical college. Having super specialised
in Infertility and Artificial Reproduction Techniques,
she has been able to touch a million lives because of her
expertise.
Owing to her effective communication skills and empathy
that she shows towards her patients, she commands a huge
following, love, and respect from them. A resolute teacher,
teaching both graduate and post graduate doctors, she is
a favourite among her students who respect her for the
person she is. She has presented papers at various national
and international conferences and moderated various
scientific sessions in her own field. She is an avid reader,
a fitness enthusiast, and a marathon runner. Having

achieved whatever, she had ever aimed for, she refuses to
halt and is on the verge of starting a new innings in her life
by means of her new founded passion in public speaking
and authoring life coaching books.
She is writing her first chapter, “Destiny by Design” for
this book in which she has tried to showcase her story
and has given her success formula for achieving freedom
both financially and literally, and earnestly yearns to find
a place in the hearts of masses and firmly believes that
even if a single person gets inspired to follow her success
mantra, the purpose of writing this chapter would be
achieved.
You can connect with Dr. Sandesh Ganjoo Kaul at:
drsandeshganjoo@hotmail.com
https://instagram.com/sandesh.kindoflife?r=nametag
https://www.facebook.com/sandesh.ganjoo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWUOVJs1-
TwAiGcFF4qTxZg
S T O RY S I X
Lessons with Money and

Finances: Subsistence
for Life
Lessons with Money and Finances: Subsistence for Life 73
Golden childhood days with a pinch of

financial stress
“When I was young, I thought that money was
the most important thing in life; now that I am old
I know that it is.”
—Oscar Wilde
I was born to a family with humble backgrounds in the

eastern part of the Capital City of Delhi, as a third
son to highly educated parents. Father was a Master of
Commerce degree holder (with a conservative mindset)
and Mother was a Bachelor of Arts holder (with a liberal
mindset).
The early part of my childhood was filled with fun,
playing around with friends, enjoying watching a black
and white television at the neighbour’s house (as we could
not afford one), and playing different outdoor sports. I
still cherish the happiness of owning very few toys. I can
clearly remember from my fond childhood memories
that I used to own only a few toys, a double-decker bus
and a Master of the Universe Series toy, compared to the
huge collection of toys our children today have.
This can be very well related to a famous saying “Present
generations always lead a better life than the past
generations.”
My father, despite being highly educated, could not

leverage his education to a great extent. Lacking a
vision of the future, he was earning a limited salary only
sufficient to sustain the basic amenities of life, i.e. food
(Roti), clothes (Kapda) and shelter (Makan- which was
actually laid on the foundation of the great sacrifice of all
my mother’s gold ornaments, to provide us with a shelter
over our heads!). Though we were blessed to have a roof
over our heads, the downtrodden state of our two room
house always posed various challenges, such as a leaking
roof, rainwater logging, and shedding of plaster from
walls. This could not be fixed, as we had to keep afloat
with the other important priorities of educating all three
siblings, while sustaining other basic needs. On many
occasions, the dearth of money really used to pinch me
hard, where it was difficult to even afford fresh books (I
can still recollect that I always used to get second-hand
books at a very reasonable price). I could never afford
a Pilot Pen, and instead used a fountain pen, even for a
period of three years during the upper primary standard.
I still remember, starting from a very young age of ten
years, that I used to bind my own books to save money
from the stationer.
My earliest encounter with money, which I can still
remember, was the 1-rupee coin, which I used to get from
my grandmother (Nani), mother, or father, obviously after
pleading with them.
The blessings of the almighty and teachers helped keep

the optimism of a great future alive.
My initial financial struggles in life inculcated a strong
importance for money, and, therefore, saving came as an
early habit. During my secondary school days, commuting
to school by bus, or on my feet, made me commit to the
resolution that I need to save money to own a bicycle.
With this strong determination, I started saving every
penny out of my pocket money by cutting down on all
my childhood cravings. This habit helped me successfully
save Rs. 1000, with which I bought my first dream vehicle:
a bicycle. This first vehicle was an immense joy, which I
never experienced again, even when I got my new car in
2012.
Investment in education can change the whole

landscape of a family
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. -
Benjamin Franklin
It is wisely said that “If you give a man a fish, you feed
him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for
a lifetime.” Today when I look back, I want to offer my
heartiest gratitude to my father, who fulfilled one of my
deepest wishes of studying in a premium private school,
at a time when his financial situation was not allowing
him to collect funds to pay the initial fee deposit. He
had just come out of a long two and a half year period of
joblessness and almost exhausted all his savings.
Similarly, my father also spent a good amount of his

savings to impart modern computer education to my elder
sister, which later proved an asset for our family. It helped
her secure a job at an early age to support my father in
monthly family expenses, while funding the education
bills of my brother and I. This paved the path for the
financial wellbeing of all of us, with cascading benefits for
the whole family in the future.
Bumpy Roads in Pursuit of Career

At the early age of 17, post completion of school education,
my father’s pulling back of financial support for funding
higher education left me in a financial blackout. With zero
money in my pocket and no clue of “what to do next in
life”, my elder sister proved to be a saviour who funded the
enrolment fee with the company secretary course. I am
grateful to my sister for offering help at a critical turning
point in my life. I later managed to pay back this money out
of the earnings from small assignments of bookbinding
and door-to-door marketing during the summer holidays.
College life co-existed with a lot of slogs, alongside the
struggles of earning to support my education. I was very
glad that I was able to support myself financially while in
college.
This course of struggle helped me put across a solid
foundation to face strong uphill tasks, and put across
a plan for achieving targeted marks. Lack of financial
support required me to carry out most of my studies on a

self-study pattern, and thus, inculcated a habit of finding
solutions to tough problems.
Finances and Education System

When I look back at my graduation years, it passes a sense
of pride through me. I did extremely well in managing
every penny spent on my education, on a self-sufficient
and self-reliant basis, where I earned my monthly fee and
pocket money out of home tuition. Though the earnings
out of home tuition were sufficient to fund my education,
it always kept me hand to mouth and on my toes in
managing my personal finances.
Therefore, with a vision of securing future earning
capacity, I opted for an international finance qualification,
i.e. ACCA from the UK, for which I even borrowed
money from my brother to fund the course fee. I had an
objective of achieving mastery in the subject of money
and finances, and achieving an internationally recognized
spectrum of financial education. Along with this journey
came many hurdles, such as non-availability of study
materials, coaches, and tuition support, lack of funds to
finance the study, difficulties in managing time to study,
along with the pressures of earning, and attending to a
demanding job. However, as it is rightly said, once you
decide upon something, the whole universe conspires to
make you successful. This Journey taught me the concepts
of exploration, overcoming unknown and unchartered

challenges, adaptation to learn new concepts, self-study,
and on top of it all, to have faith in yourself and the
almighty that sails you through the tough times. Then
destiny arrived, with the publication of all successful
candidates in February 2006, Financial Times, London
edition, with my roll-number in the list of finalists. It
gave me a moment to cherish for a lifetime. Today, I am
very proud of my laurels and achievement of the highest
finance qualification of my lifetime.
Vicious circle of debt, a trap difficult to

overcome
“Never spend your money before you have it”
—Thomas Jefferson
I supported my family finances when we faced the
challenge of getting an alliance for my elder sister. It was
a daunting task to even hold a normal Indian wedding
due to limited financial capacity, even by planning all
bookings and arrangements within the limited allocation
of budget. This challenge taught me to keep my emotions
at bay while managing the emotional expectations of
people during Indian wedding ceremonies.
Apart from the support for routine household expenses
and occasional ceremonial liabilities, I took charge of the
additional responsibility for the repayment of home loan
instalments. I am proud that my parents have never faced
any instances where we had to look up to someone outside

the family for financial help. This experience taught me
to keep a check on monthly expenses early in life, and
inculcated the sense of saving money for bad times.
Safeguard your capital, by investing only in ventures, by
handing over your money only to wise men, who know
how to handle money”- Richest Man in Babylone”
In 2006, I made a blunder by using one of my credit cards
to borrow a huge amount for onward lending to a dear
friend. This was made on the pretext of a promise to
pay me back in a year. Without confirming his financial
background and ability to repay the money, this decision
caused me a huge loss on accumulated credit card debt,
along with a cascading interest thereon, which I had to
repay out of my limited salary for a period of almost one
and half years.
I successfully managed all my marriage expenses without
the need to borrow funds from any friends, relatives,
or banks. This could be achieved by advance planning,
saving a good chunk of money for this specific purpose,
and ensuring strict control on expenses so that the overall
expenses do not over-spill my budgetary allocations.
Post marriage finances and the comfort zone

of a corporate job
If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to
sell things you need - Warren Buffett
With the availability of a reasonably good disposable

income and better spending power, as a normal outcome, I
fell prey to ‘retail therapy’, which is nothing but impulsive
buying of things that may not be a requirement at present.
Marriage brought along expenses that never existed in
my imagination before. With the welcoming of a child in
the family, it was natural to experience a sudden increase
in expenses to arrange modern amenities, best comfort
levels, best schooling, birthday parties, etc. All these
significantly added to the monthly expense budget.
Recreation and multiple travel excursions, both domestic
and international once or twice a year, became a regular
feature of our lifestyle, which not only drained out the
income, but left savings available for investments.
Peer pressure eventually lands a person into a vicious circle
of overspending, and to support a luxurious lifestyle. This
requires us to remain hooked up to a fixed salary income
and an employee mindset, with limiting belief systems,
stuck with corporate jobs.
Introduction to formal financial literacy and

personal development
“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep,
you will work until you die”
—Warren Buffett
Though I had been a regular investor in financial products
such as mutual funds, ULIPs, and insurance since 2006,
I got introduced to the concepts of financial literacy,

i.e. goal-based investment strategies to achieve financial
independence, value investing, and the eighth wonder of
compounding, quite late in life.
My perspective and understanding of money and personal
finances saw a paradigm shift, when I delved deep into
the concept of investing, by reading multiple books on the
subject of money and investing.
“Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend
what is left after saving.”
—Warren Buffett
One of the most important aspects of investing is that
one needs to set aside emotions of greed and fear, as
emotions of greed and fear lead to decisions that are taken
in haste. Therefore, defining a GOAL, design plan, and
implementing it with a regular periodic review is critical
to achieving financial independence goals.
For an investor, it is very important to have clarity in
life, i.e., one should know one’s happiness quotient. It is
wisely said that material things don’t bring happiness. It
is important to pursue a hobby, spend quality time with
kids, take up a sport, read and write, etc.
Being creative is the mantra to unlocking happiness.
Money and happiness

If money is your hope for independence, you will never
have it. The only real security that a man will have in this
world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. -

Henry Ford
The anxiety of identifying ways to multiply the options
to grow wealth and be happier has put me on a path to
explore the ways to prosperity. This search introduced
me to the concept of personal development to increase
my ability to earn, by acquiring new skills and becoming
wiser.
“It is only after you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone
that you begin to change, grow and transform.”
With this pursuit in mind, I have been working with
different coaches to better understand the art of
communication, story crafting, investing, emotional
mastery, self-love, and gratitude to align my passion
and enjoyment with work to achieve IKIGAI, and then
achieve exponential growth and financial independence
as an outcome of success.
Meet Atul Bhola
Atul Bhola is a dynamic results-oriented finance

professional with over 16 years of cross-functional
experience in senior finance positions with large
corporates in the financial services sector.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Hons) from
the University of Delhi, and an associate member of The
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA,
U.K.) and The Chartered Institute of Management
Accountant (CIMA, U.K.).
Atul comes from a very humble family; however, he has
overcome great difficulties in life by embracing a vision
of a prosperous future coupled with an attitude of grit and
perseverance to overcome difficulties of all magnitudes
and achieve his goals. He leads his team by example, and
loves mentoring people by dint of his knowledge, skill,
and experience to handle and achieve difficult challenges
with great ease and flexibility both at work and at home.
He is an avid reader and passionate learner, a spiritual
enthusiast, who practices regular meditation to experience
the power of higher consciousness within him to embrace

the concept of difficulties in life with extraordinary ease.
He is an explorer and likes traveling to different cities and
countries while capturing captivating moments with his
camera and relaxing to a variety of music. Atul Bhola is a
dynamic results-oriented finance professional with over
16 years of cross-functional experience in senior finance
positions with large corporates in the financial services
sector.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Hons) from
the University of Delhi, and an associate member of The
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA,
U.K.) and The Chartered Institute of Management
Accountant (CIMA, U.K.).
Atul comes from a very humble family; however, he has
overcome great difficulties in life by embracing a vision
of a prosperous future coupled with an attitude of grit and
perseverance to overcome difficulties of all magnitudes
and achieve his goals. He leads his team by example, and
loves mentoring people by dint of his knowledge, skill,
and experience to handle and achieve difficult challenges
with great ease and flexibility both at work and at home.
He is an avid reader and passionate learner, a spiritual
enthusiast, who practices regular meditation to experience
the power of higher consciousness within him to embrace
the concept of difficulties in life with extraordinary ease.
He is an explorer and likes traveling to different cities and
countries while capturing captivating moments with his

camera and relaxing to a variety of music.
You can connect with Atul Bhola at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/atul-bhola-7846b85
https://www.facebook.com/atul.bhola.10
S T O RY S E V E N
Learning Through
Trials and Errors
Learning Through Trials and Errors 89
F inancial freedom for me is a combination of pursuing

my passion with flexible working hours and living
within a budget. I have learned several life-changing
lessons during this journey. I want to share these lessons
with the readers in the hope that you find them useful.
Lesson 1: Financial Independence is a choice

The story starts in Lucknow, India. I have seen my uncles
work from paycheck to paycheck and struggle to pay bills.
All around me, I have seen the daily struggles of people
who do not have adequate financial resources. While
businesses go through ups and downs, the same is true
with jobs. Job security wasn’t great then. A person could
lose a job at any time. This could be because of a merger,
being fired, not getting along with team members, or a
toxic environment. I wanted to avoid all this for myself,
when I grew up.
Being financially independent is an individual choice,
and requires a lot of focus, discipline, and consistency
throughout one’s life. My parents are successful
businesspeople, and despite not being well educated,
they always focused on their children’s education. My
education was the investment we made for a future, where
I could be financially independent. During my third year
of Bachelor of Dental Surgery, my first clinical posting was
in the Department of Orthodontics. I started visualizing

my life as an Orthodontist and worked towards this goal
from that day onwards. It was a dream come true when
I got accepted for the Masters course in the Department
of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics at King
George’s Medical University.
My father’s business went through tough times when I was
in college. Sometime during my college days, I came to
know that he had incurred huge losses, and as a result, a
huge financial crisis struck our family. Everyone in our
family contributed in their own way. With the money I
received during my postgraduate, as a stipend, I was able
to help my family.
Lesson 2: Your environment will influence you

Environment and behaviour both have an important
role in how a person manages his finances. It is hard to
change the behaviour of a person, and the environment
has a long-lasting impression. Even ordinary folks can
be financially independent, though they may not have
adequate financial intelligence.
In my growing years, sometimes I used to go to my father’s
shop to give him his lunch. While he was having his
lunch, I used to sit and observe closely how he interacted
with the people around him and managed his business.
During those days, he always had stories to share about
how he works, the art of saving money, and living within
your means. He always encouraged working for oneself,

instead of working for someone else. This was something
ingrained in my brain. We are all a product of our
upbringings, and there is no one way to achieve financial
independence.
Fast forward to years later, when I was shifting to a new
city, Mumbai, with Sandeep, my husband. There came a
lot of learning, along with multiple changes taking place
in my life. We both have our own approaches to managing
our finances, and to this day I believe there is no one right
or one wrong way.
I believe having financial independence gives you multi-
ple advantages. Some of these are as follows:
1. One can cut down on working hours
2. One can do community service
3. One gets time to meet friends and family
4. One can say no to work they don’t want to do

5. One can take days off for vacation with friends and
family
Lesson 3: Lifelong Learning is an Investment

Those initial years in Mumbai involved a lot of travelling
for me, since I was working as a consulting orthodontist
with different clinics. I distinctly remember this one
sunny, tiring day when I was waiting for a local train
and huge crowds of people were running towards their
destinations. I was standing close to a book stall, and saw

a magazine named “The Intelligent Investor,” which now
goes by the name “Outlook Money”. On the cover page
of that magazine, it had the title “How to buy a house”. I
picked up that magazine and, on my journey from Vashi
to Charni Road, read that book from cover to cover.
Then I read it again. I wouldn’t know until a few years
later how impactful that article had been. Some other
books which helped me during my journey and made
me the person I am today are “Millionaire Next Door”
by Thomas J. Stanley, “Creative Visualization” by Shakti
Gawain, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and “Influence”
by Dr Robert B. Cialdini. The learnings from these books
are eternal and can be applied in all spheres of your life,
irrespective of who you are and where you come from.
Buying a house was a decision that required a lot of
deliberation, since no one knows when the right time
is to buy one. At the time of purchasing our house, we
were supposed to make a payment of 10,000 in cash to
the broker, but there was a limit during those days on the
withdrawal amount from the ATM. This confirmed my
experiences from childhood, that we need to be better
prepared ourselves.
After doing some years of visiting practice and travelling
around, I realized I was not very happy professionally
and I wanted to set up my own Orthodontic clinic. I
also remembered my father’s wisdom - “Be in control of
your own business”. One of my criteria was that the clinic

should be close to my residence, because I wanted to
avoid Mumbai commuting. I was fortunate, and I got the
premises for my clinic in the same building.
One issue in our education system is that our schools
and colleges don’t teach us how to manage money or
our personal finances. Being from a business family and
having gone through tumultuous times, I was very lucky
to know the value of every single rupee. Without financial
education and putting in the hard work at a younger age,
it becomes difficult to realize the value of money.
Lesson 4: Manage your own money and be wise

with debt
I have read the stories of several big personalities, like
sportsmen and film stars, becoming bankrupt, broken,
and betrayed when they gave their money to others to
manage. If you have your finances in place and they are
under your control, you are more confident. Your self-
esteem is high, and you don’t need to ask anyone when
you need to use them.
People with financial independence must regularly
analyse their:
1. Income
2. Spending
3. Investments
There are many instances of people giving all their

investment control to their children or partners or
managers at some point in their life. Then things go awry
when their personal relationships go downhill. Adding
their name to your accounts is fine, but do not give full
control of your money to someone else.
Coming to the topic of debts. Despite my savings, there
were loans involved in buying our house and clinic, but
we repaid them before time and got rid of debt. It is good
to learn the art of debt management to get yourself free
at the earliest stage in life. Also, think of your expenses.
Every time you make a purchase, ask yourself, do you
really need to buy what you are planning to buy? Using
a credit card these days is the norm, not the exception. If
not paid on time, it makes you fall into debt. These days,
it takes just a click of a button or swipe of a card to make
a purchase, which is invisible to you right now, as there is
no friction in spending money.
Saving is important for our future safety, which gives us
financial independence and flexibility in our working
hours to pursue our passion and live our life on our own
terms.
Lesson 5: Be prepared for emergencies

Financial independence actually gives one peace of
mind and confidence. You know that even if something
unexpected is going to happen, you will somehow be able
to manage them. It basically protects you from unforeseen

emergencies.
This reminds me of an incident that happened during
World War II. When German tanks were needed desper-
ately on the front lines, none of them worked. Out of 104
tanks, only 20 were operable. Historian William Craig
wrote that during the weeks of inactivity behind the front
lines, field mice had nested inside the vehicle and eaten
away the insulation covering the electrical systems. Ger-
mans had the most sophisticated equipment in the world,
but they were defeated by mice. There are various stories
like this in different forms and languages, but the message
remains the same: What is going to happen at any given
moment depends on some events that are almost impossi-
ble to predict. There are going to be unprecedented events
for which we won’t be prepared. Case in point is a pan-
demic like COVID-19.
While making financial decisions, we should be reason-
able and realistic. Being emotional during this important
decision-making process will not be helpful. One good
way to minimize future regret is diversifying the portfolio.
Take more risks when you are young, as you can handle
roller coasters better, compared to when you are old. A
strong focus on personal savings and continuous learning
prepares us to handle the future well. Savers will still be in
a better condition, even if the market is wiped out.
There are few issues which do crop up when you want to

be financially independent at an early age.
1. You don’t enjoy your existing lifestyle
2. You lack social connections because you are focused
on your career
3. There are risks of achieving early retirement, as
no one can predict how much you need or what
amount will be enough for your life.
The ability to do what you want with your time is priceless.
With time in hand, you can spend quality unstructured
time with your family. Control on your time is the biggest
thing which money provides. Life expectancy across the
world has increased, so how much is going to be enough
is always going to be a question. We could be good in
what we are doing, but managing our finances requires
a disciplined and thoughtful decision making. How we
all think depends on our goals, different experiences,
uncertainty, behaviour of risk taking, and opportunities
used.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the life lessons.
Lesson 1: Financial Independence is a choice.
Lesson 2: Your environment will influence you.
Lesson 3: Lifelong Learning is an Investment.
Lesson 4: Manage your own money and be wise with debt.
Lesson 5: Be prepared for emergencies.
Meet Dr. Seema Bansal
Dr. Seema Bansal is a Consulting Orthodontist, currently

runs her orthodontic clinic in Mumbai. She has over 20
years of experience and is a caring orthodontist who
prides herself on having excellent communications with
her patients.
Her business family background and the management
of her own Orthodontic clinic has given her key insights
on how to successfully manage one’s finances through a
process of trials and errors. She is blessed with two lovely
kids and being herself academically driven is thoroughly
involved in their academic pursuits.
She is passionate about her work and has a strong belief in
being financially independent and having flexible working
hours.
S T O RY E I G H T
Financial Abundance
from Birth to Death and
Beyond
Financial Abundance from Birth to Death and Beyond 101
B efore the complete understanding and awareness

of financial abundance, let me tell you the simple
classifications of the abundance of wealth which will clear
the clouds of memory. There are basically three types of
1. Material wealth
2. Intellectual wealth
3. Spiritual wealth
Now let me explain to you what is material wealth, which
is all around us. For example, table, chairs, sofas, house,
cars, aeroplane, big ship, the rocket, all these are physical
things that can be seen and felt with our senses. The more
we possess them, the more will be our wealth and the
more abundance we will show to the world.
The next one is intellectual wealth; this is individual
property, it belongs to the individual who is processing
it. Every individual born on the planet earth is gifted
with unique intelligence or skill to make the world a
better place to live. All University degrees and skills like,
public speaking skills and writing skills are meant to make
a financial abundance. We can see some of the richest
individuals in the world who would not have any financial
degree but had created a lot of abundance because of
their intellectual wealth. Good examples include Henry
Ford who started Ford Cars and Ford Foundation, Bill
Gates of Microsoft, and the Steve Jobs founder of Apple.
None of them has University degrees but are successful in

making lots of wealth with their intellectual property. Let
us not forget about the present prime Minister of India,
Sri Narendra Modi Ji, reflects on his abundant intellectual
wealth. He and his team had self-created a niche to get into
a commanding position in this ancient land of abundant
wisdom. These are a few examples to prove that whoever
has intellectual wealth will have sufficient material wealth.
Intellectual wealth begets material wealth.
The last form of wealth is spiritual wealth. It entails having
sufficient intellectual and material wealth. The greatest
people are the spiritual pioneers. Well known in India
are Sadhus, Sadh gurus and Sanyasi, making more than
sufficient wealth which is better or more sufficient than
intellectual and material wealth In the western world,
Vatican city is headed by the most religious person, Pope
who heads the state with ambassadors representing his
highness in all major countries in the world. Do we need
to discuss the material and intellectual wealth the citizens
of the Vatican contributed to the development of this
present world?
Let me tell you more about the classification of wealth
which is much simpler to remember and apply. They are:
1. Poor class,
2. Middle class
3. Rich class
This classification may not be found in conventional test

books. It is derived and designed with one’s life experience
not yet proven with any scientific papers nor discussed on
any major platforms. To better understand this concept,
we need the background of the societies which are formed
and nourished with different abundant ideas or depriving
situations. American society is founded and nourished
with the ideas of abundant opportunities, which had
made an uncountable number of wealthy persons born
on that land and also attracted more people looking for
better opportunities from across the globe.
The first one, the poor class is one who needs to work
for his daily bread on daily basis. Few dichotomies are
contradicting financial abundance. A few examples
include: Some communities are willing to go to bed on
empty stomach without food but not without alcohol,
especially the country-made or homemade alcohol known
as liquor. Sometimes poor beggars die leaving behind
pieces of currency notes, the abundant value of which is
never noticed by the dead soul or the persons cohabiting
with the deceased.
The second one, the middle class will have enough
savings to sustain the difficult time for approximately six
months. So in other words, they have enough savings that
may last a quarter to half a year for a family. The best
examples are the first-generation workforce working from
nine in the morning to five in the evening. Most of them
are government employees in developing societies. This
is probably the reason why so much corruption is ruing

the society despite being extremely spiritual customs
practitioners. We have seen these types of families and
individuals just sustained the harsh pandemic situation
preceding a couple of years. ( as intended)
Last but not least is the rich class. This class includes those
who do not work at all for their daily bread and living;
they work to make more and more wealth. Those who
belong to the rich class are many in developed societies
and visibly few in developing societies. Please look around
and name a few for yourself. So we need to understand
into which category we fall, and accordingly, we need to
plan and invest in self-development to make ourselves a
position by understanding self and planning our future
ahead into financial abundance.
Birthing abundance
Let’s talk and understand the laws applied during the initial
days of our existence, few natural truths or laws about
Financial Abundance. From the time of our conception as
a single cell ovum from mother to sperm from father to the
birth of our life, initial ten lunar months. This is basically
from the time of conception to the time of coming into
the world, then where in the womb of the mother is called
the full abundant life, where everything is looked after,
all the need and where we are also well protected from
harm. Is it not the wonders of nature, are the universe’s
value of abundance reflected so glaringly in every ones

birth and life? You have much abundance and what do we
think about?
By just understanding how we are born, from conception
to birth, can every one of us pull the train of thoughts
about the event of the abundance of life which we have
become even before we enter the world of reality?
When we are very young, money or financial abundance
for every one of us is reflected in the form of a handful of
coins or fulfillment of small needs which we have. Their
fulfillment was a great joy; the joy that’s so great which
cannot be bought with millions of rupees or dollars. As
we grow in age, maturity and in power, we realize that
all the financial abundance is just our thoughts which are
working in synchronicity with oneself and the universe
with other abundance likes. We can have material
abundance, intellectual abundance and leadership skills
which are expressed during a time of crisis.
Basically, coming from a middle-class background in the
sense that we can only survive without going to work for
not more than six months, and being the firstborn male
child from a rural slum, I got showered with excessive
parental love and foresightedness. I was put in a very
rich environment where I was bullied around by my
colleagues to feel a lot of pressure trying to do the routine
work in humiliation. A few learnings in my school were
leadership skills, thought in the form of cleanliness and
cleaning. Learning to make and keep the environment

in and around one’s growth was an exceptionally great
ideology intended by the school management. As a social
inclusion, the school teaches every one us to clean our
bathrooms, recreation ground, and playground and even
give and receive clothes from dhobi.
This work is basically teamwork where the leader is
selected within the team. I was bullied for many reasons
which include the color of my skin, my small physical size,
and not affording rich materialistic clothes and shoes. By
nature, I was bestowed the natural leadership and a leader
of choice to get the small jobs done at a tender age. As time
passed, my belief strengthened; I was the only team leader;
none of the teammates come to do the work or help me
out. I was doing this work; this type of learning cleanliness
personally for almost 8th, 9th and 10th. It was in the 10th
class that I came to know and perceived to have abundant
thoughts of leadership. Yes, as the leader, I realized and
supposed to get the work done by being an example and
doing the work but here I am left as a nominated letter to
do all the work and in return getting humiliated mentally
and getting punished physically for not completing the
work in time. So, any work which was left needs to be
completed sacrificing the games time on weekdays and
sleeping time on Sundays. The last work I was allotted as
a leader was in the midterm of 10th grade and was taking
the accountant from the dhobi. So before the actual thing,
I went to the warden and told him the entire scenario
being present in the rightest thinking environment,

especially the judges of the institution. The judge warden
after hearing my story was furious, convinced of the bad
intentions of my team and bending the known on how
this good rule is been misused in maintaining cleanliness
and maintenance of teamwork and comradeship. All the
team-mates are called for bullying me in the name of
leadership. My entire teammates were made to lineup in
front of the hostel stadium and I was alone standing next
to the warden; the proud moment saying that I have a
leadership born in me; the abundant thinking ability.
Financial abundance thinking still continued in my 11th
and 12th class and the physical training of moneylesness
continue to have its toll on me. When in college, I knew
with a student’s College ID card, we can open any number
of saving bank accounts from any nationalized banks in
India. To open an account, we need to deposit a minimum
of Rs 200 in those days. This was 1986 to 1988. From the
physical lack of having sufficient money to becoming
financially abundant or getting the requirements fulfilled
with whatever money I had. I developed an idea in the
form of using the new technique of saving the surplus
money by opening accounts so that I need to maintain a
minimum amount in every savings account. In the time
of crisis, I just canceled the account so I can get money in
hand to tide over the crisis.
Yes, it was simply the grace of God and the efforts of my
parents when I got into medical college. I had abundant of
thoughts; still the poverty of physical money persisted. So

we had big-sized books as part of the medical curriculum
which is to be covered with special covers which is the
status symbol in those days. Dot an idea of making use
of these covers to save money. which are to be covered in
regular period. So whenever I had a little bit of surplus
money, I used to put it under the covers of the books and
it was so popular during the time of my medical schooling
that most of my friends used to search the books removing
the cover and taking the amount the needed. My only
condition was that you need to replace the amount which
is taken, and this rule also applies to me. This thinking
developed into financial abundance as one day after
learning public speaking as a skill and slowly getting into
the art of making money, almost one-third of my total
revenue is not from the regular salary but from money
generated on my speaking skill. Financial abundance is
basically an art and a skill that needs to be learned and
graded up.
When I look backward and connect the broken dots, it
reflects the abundance of life full of all that is needed to
survive. Continue to do good to others; it will lead to
abundance in the future.
Meet Dr C S Rao
Chinta Srinivasa Rao as the full name not liked by me

yet loved by my parents. Born to the high school educated
parents from a rural background in Andhra Pradesh.
With all the odds against me, became medical professional
and landed in Indian Army as a young doctor. During the
stay in uniformed services had the access to the highest
luxury physically and emotionally and the life changing
opportunity to handle poverty in the form of migrant
Nepali laborers in the Indo-China boarder. Its here that
my name was shortened and sweetened as Dr. C. S. Rao
which was lovely. Poverty as a target knowledge and skill
pulled me in the direction of Family medicine in best
Christian Mission Centers (Christian Fellowship Hospital,
Oddanchatram), Clinical Cardiology in Cardiac Center (
Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore), Health Management
From Best University (M.Phil. from BITS-Pilani). Now
perusing the authorship from the grand master (Mandeep
Thand). Evolved a fie letter word to replace and fight
poverty to its end COLFE-Compassion On Life For Ever.
S T O RY N I N E
Connecting the Dots:

Women’s Financial
Literacy and Economic
Empowerment
Connecting the Dots: Women’s Financial Literacy... 113
T he shrill ringtone of the Mobile jerked me out of my

reverie. It took me a few seconds to remember where
I was. I had dozed off in the airport lounge of Manila
airport waiting for my flight back to India. I looked at
the screen of the phone; it was 3.00 am. I was annoyed
wondering who was calling me at this unearthly hour. Then
I remembered that back home, it was 12.30pm. The caller
ID showed it was Rama. I was a little perplexed to get a
call from her at this time of the night because we were not
very close. We knew each other as our children have been
studying together in the same class. We interacted with
each other only during some school functions or parent-
teacher meetings. With some trepidation, I took the call.
She was sobbing incoherently. I just could not understand
a word. Somehow, I managed to calm her and in between
sobs, she managed to tell me that she desperately needs
a job. I was really surprised because her husband Shyam
had a software company and they were very well off. She
explained that all the money is controlled by her husband.
She did not have any separate account in her name. Her
husband had told her that being NRI, it will be better for
tax purposes if she does not have a separate account. They
had some differences of opinion as to where their child
should go to do her graduation and the husband was so
upset that he was refusing to give her money. I managed to
calm her and promised her that I will meet her in person
and see how I can help her as soon as I am back in India.
The moment I got off the call, I felt a sense of déjà vu. A
day before I was leaving for Manila, my maid came to me
crying that she had saved nearly a lakh of rupees in her
account but her husband has withdrawn the money to pay
for his gambling debt. She works in five houses and makes
nearly 25000 rupees per month but her bank account is
managed by her husband. I wondered what is common
between these two women. One is armed with a bachelor’s
degree and comes from a financially well-off family and
the other is an illiterate who works 7 days a week, 365
days a year to make two ends meet, yet both seem to be in
a similar plight. Over the years, I have seen that Women
of all ages and backgrounds struggle with the pressure to
prioritize their primary responsibility for child-rearing,
taking care of the elderly at home, and making important
and daily decisions to run the household. Managing
money amid life’s other priorities looks like a daunting
task and they find it easier to leave financial management
tasks to their husbands, fathers, or brother. They wake up
only when they are faced with a crisis. The primary cause
is the cultural barrier. What women and the men around
them believe to be a woman’s proper role in society is
a very real barrier. To bring some tangible change in a
woman’s life, there is an urgent need to change the barriers
in people’s minds. After all what good is a bank account if
the woman either does not have the right to operate it on
her own or does not know how to operate the same?
The complicated reality is that social norms exert a

powerful influence over the roles women are expected to
play in society. Women’s economic empowerment is just
as entangled in social norms around health, education,
family planning, and childcare responsibilities as it is
around issues of how women earn a living and maintain
control over resources. According to Melinda Gates,
“Women’s economic empowerment is going to take more
than bank accounts. But bank accounts can be powerful
tools in the hands of women who are determined to take
more control over their lives.”
The key to this problem is financial literacy. Apart
from basic knowledge of opening and operating bank
accounts and digital wallets, women should understand
various aspects of finance such as budgeting, financial
management, and investment. Merely possessing money
is not enough to make it sustainable. Financial literacy for
women is thus very important to control and keep track
of finances.
Financial literacy is the foundation for a women’s
relationship with money. It is a lifelong journey of
learning. The earlier they start, the better off they are
because like everything else in life, education is the key
to success especially when it comes to money. Both men
and women need to acquire adequate financial knowledge
so that they can participate in money-related matters in
the family more effectively. In India as well as many Asian
and African societies, women play the role of homemaker
and they show apathy towards finance. They are not

concerned about where it is coming from and where it
should be or should not be used. However, with the
changing economic scenario and higher participation of
women in the workforce, financial literacy for women
should be given the topmost priority.
It is important for women to know that financial literacy
is an important aspect of their independence both
financial and otherwise. In today’s day and age when
nuclear families are the norm, lack of financial literacy
could cause many problems like poor spending habits
(with online shopping becoming more prevalent and a big
danger), accumulate debt, and lack long term planning.
Financial literacy empowers people, especially women.
It helps them to take independent decisions, especially
during emergencies, or unforeseen circumstances. A
financially literate individual will be better equipped to
take the correct steps. Today, women’s role in both the
domestic as well as the public sphere is increasing; it is
imperative for women to improve their knowledge of
finance and financial management.
Nowadays, divorce rates are increasing and it is seen that
the financial consequence of divorce is more severe for
women than men. Legal fees, complications of dividing
the assets, and long-drawn court cases make financial
recovery tough for women. As a majority of women
retain custody of children and struggle to make ends
meet because of the high cost of child care, some women
without children also find themselves having to adjust to

a lower standard of living following divorce.
Why do women need financial literacy?

Last year while addressing a group of women on women’s
day, I met a lady. She narrated her harrowing experience
with an online lending agency. It seems that while playing
games on her mobile phone, she saw these advertisements
for easy hassle-free instant loans. The advertisement said
that all she needs to do is download an app and share her
identification details, photo, and address. She was tempted
and decided to avail herself of a loan of Rs 20,000 to buy
some jewelry. But to her horror, when she missed the EMI
by a day, they started calling her incessantly, abused her,
called her a fraud, threatened to send collection agents
to her home, called all the people on her contact list, and
abused them. As if that wasn’t enough, they threatened
to send her morphed pornographic pictures to everyone.
It was only after the intervention of the Police that she
could get out of the mess. She also spent a hefty amount
which was many times more than what she borrowed.
This incident almost ripped her domestic life apart.
Being financially literate will help a woman to:
1. Manage the rising cost of living and inflation better
if they are financially literate.
2. Be better prepared for emergencies like accidents,
sickness, etc.
3. Have more confidence in themselves and participate

more effectively in decision-making within the
household.
4. Mothers are the first influencers in the lives of their
children. A financially literate mother will be a
good role model for the children.
5. Be better equipped to manage her household
expenses and make better decisions about where
to use the money.
6. Research shows that women tend to live longer than
men. A financially literate woman will be better
equipped to handle the money when her spouse or
father is not around.
Unfortunately, women are not only less knowledgeable
and seem to be less interested in understanding the
nuances of finance, but they are also less confident than
men both in their financial knowledge and financial
skills, especially about complex financial issues. There is a
gender difference that extends to financial behavior.
Financial literacy is the key to women’s empowerment.
Financial literacy will equip women to achieve their
personal and professional goals better. Financial
independence will provide them a cushion under
unforeseen circumstances. Study shows that women
are unable to leave an abusive relationship because they
lack financial independence. Even for women who are
working, their income is considered an extra income and
in many cases, her spouse or some male member of the

family controls the money.
Every woman, be it educated or uneducated is acutely
aware that money is not just a unit of account or medium
of exchange but that its role goes far beyond; it influences
the relationships with each other particularly within the
family. It defines how much control she has over her own
life and the choices she makes.
Generally speaking, women earn less, save less, and live
longer — but are still responsible for the same living
expenses men pay. And since they live longer, they face
additional costs, including more long-term and overall
health care expenses. Overcoming these obstacles
demands serious dedication to planning.
Taking the initiative to educate herself about complex
financial decisions will help her to make use of available
resources to the fullest potential and can help her make
better spending and saving choices with confidence.
Better access to and control over resources will lead to
greater security, including protection from violence.
Changing the financial Trajectory

Today, women have ample opportunity to increase their
financial literacy. With easy access to the internet, there
are many avenues for the woman to educate herself as
there are many online resources that can help women
improve their financial knowledge. It is also a stark reality
that many women both in India and other developing

countries do not have easy access to the internet. In such
cases, several NGOs and self-help groups are working
to help the women. Many charitable organizations host
conferences, seminars, workshops, and boot camps to
assist women in financing the digital. One can also look
for relevant groups to join or people to follow on social
media to improve personal finance knowledge.
If it becomes overwhelming or confusing when learning,
it’s good to seek professional assistance.
The digital economy has stormed our lives in a big way. The
digital economy presents many opportunities for women.
Understanding the workings of the digital system will not
only help women to make and receive payments, but it can
also become a platform for women to generate income by
matching supply and demand. Even with a supportive
husband or family, understanding and managing finances
might be difficult. So to succeed, one will need a foolproof
plan and the capacity to make quick decisions.
If women are empowered to take chances, aspire to greater
opportunities, and manage downside risks for themselves
and their families, then they can take more control over
their lives. And if they can access essential services that
help increase their capabilities or make better use of their
time, then they are better able to invest in productive,
income-generating activities that can benefit the entire
family and community.
Meet Chitra Rajan Ph.D.
Chitra is a serial entrepreneur with experience in Software

Services, Agriculture, Construction, and Renewable
Energy – currently spearheading as Managing Director
with Radix Group. Chitra mentors entrepreneurs. Radix
Group manages CBG (Compressed Bio Gas) plants across
multiple locations in India.
Chitra has a Ph.D. with a specialization in Organizational
Leadership. She also has a double Masters in Regional
Planning and Business Management with over 23 years of
cross-functional experience.
Chitra as an Advisor to PFAN-UNIDO (Private Financing
Advisory Network), mentors entrepreneurs in the areas
of clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable
development. She also mentors entrepreneurs across the
globe through – 1. Cherie Blair Foundation and 2. MB 100
(Meaningful Business 100).
Chitra is a recipient of many awards for her work in the
field of renewable energy
• Grace Hopper Women Entrepreneur Quest – 2012

• Goldman Sachs-ISB 10K Best BP - 2013
• PFAN Best Business Plan – 2013, AFCEF 3,
Singapore
• Exceptional Woman of Excellence, Women
Economic Forum, Chennai, 2018
• Women Achiever-Waste Management, International
Institute of Waste Mgmt, 2018
• Jury, Zero Carbon Challenge, IIT Chennai, 2018
• Woman in Clean Tech, Asia recognition from PFAN,
UNIDO & ADB at ACEF 2018
• FICCI FLO - Women achiever’s award for excellence
in environment Practices 2019
S T O RY T E N
My Struggle for
Financial Freedom
My Struggle for Financial Freedom 125
“... true financial freedom doesn’t depend on how

much money you have. Financial freedom is when
you have power over your fears and anxieties instead
of the other way around.“
—Suze Orman
I n the above-mentioned quote, it is rightly said that

financial freedom does not depend on how much
money you have because no one is satisfied with the money
anyone has, they always think about more. Financial
freedom is when you achieve your goals in life, as well as
provide support to others to get their goals.
Introduction
We are all proud of our parents because they always
struggled for us to provide Good Education, and a good
living and they try to settle us. I am also proud of my
parents because being illiterates, they have educated us as
per their capacity and currently, their four kids are working
in different fields. They don’t want us to go through the
same pain they endured due to lack of education and
opportunity.
I was born in the small village of Pulgaon, Wardha District
in Maharashtra, India. I was the 2nd Child of my illiterate
parents, who works as daily wage workers and stayed in a

mud house along with their elder son.
I was the luckiest child of my parents because in the same
year I was born, my father got a permanent Government
Job as labour in Central Ammunition Depo in Pulgaon. He
then transferred from Pulgaon to Agra in Uttar Pradesh
and then to Ordnance Factory Katni in Madhya Pradesh.
I struggled extremely hard during my childhood. When
all children were playing Cricket, Football, and other
Games or they go on vacation for the summer holiday; I
used to work for a small cosmetic product manufacturing
company till 8th Standard to support my family financially.
I learned a lot, not only about the product we were
manufacturing but also learned how to sell the product,
and manage the inventory and money.
Working with chemicals and other substances started
affecting my health and my studies so much that I had
to leave that job and join a Grocery shop owned by our
landlord and worked there till 11th Standard as an assistant.
While working in Grocery Shop, I was doing my study
and attended school regularly. This helped me not only
with financial freedom but also to learn how to manage
and run the shop as well as manage the customers.
I completed all my School Education in Hindi Medium
from Ordinance Factory Higher Secondary School Katni
and passed my 11th Board Exam with first division in May
1984. My principal and teachers got surprised because I
passed with First Division on my first attempt. My parents,

friends and neighbours were all happy and surprised that
I passed 11th board exam with 1st Division.
“Do not wait for anyone to help you become great. You
need to earn your own greatness”.
When I was in 11th Standard, my school friends suggested
that I should apply for Engineering Entrance Exam. It was
difficult for me because I learnt about the exam two days
to the deadline and I had no money to buy the application
form. I borrowed the money from the Grocery Shop owner
and purchased the application form applied. I wrote the
Engineering Entrance exam and passed.
Thanks to my friend Pankaj Shrivastava who supported
me in filling out the Engineering Entrance exam form
and arranged accommodation for me at Jabalpur in his
uncle’s home. He was also the first person who informed
me when the Engineer Entrance exam result got declared
and came to me with a newspaper.
“If you want to achieve your Goal, you need to have at
least one person deeply supporting you and you need to
do that for others”.
When I informed my parents about Engineering College
admission, they were happy but were concerned about how
to manage the Engineering college expenses. Once again,
I convinced my father and finally, he agreed, and I was
admitted to Government Engineering College Jabalpur in
September 1985.
The journey of my 5 Year Engineering College was good,

but it was full of struggle because managing monthly
expenses as well as engineering college expenses was
difficult. When I was admitted into the college, my father
told me, “Dilip you are getting admission to engineering
college, but I will not be able to provide sufficient money
every month.” Then I decided to stay in a rented room
nearby the college. My father was sending money every
month, but it was not enough to manage all monthly
expenses like room rent, food and other expenses. I stayed
in a rented room and did all activities like preparing food,
cloth washing, room cleaning, etc by myself. I also started
taking tuition of school students after college hours. This
decision, staying in a rented room and taking tuition was
difficult but I was free from financial burden, and I was
doing my study without any tension.
My elder brother Pradip Patil did not study in college but
always motivated me to complete Engineering. He was
working in Ahmedabad in a private company. He provided
moral and financial support when required.
Thanks to my best friend Anant Kumar and his family
who supported me in Jabalpur. I never felt alone in
Jabalpur. Whenever I needed anything including money,
they provide me. Although Anant Kumar was staying with
his elder Brother, Late Shri Ratan Bhai and Bhabhi, he
helped me a lot.
I will never forget to mention my classmates and friends
Vinay Shrivastava and Amit Chowdhary who supported
me in my studies right from 1st year to my final year. Vinay

Shrivastava was staying near my adjacent area and his
house was within walking distance from my room. He was
from an English medium school, and I was from a Hindi
medium. It was difficult for me to understand all subjects
in English, so whenever I face any problem in my studies,
he was always ready to support me. Somehow, I completed
my Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication
in1990.
My First Struggle
Although I was neither shortlisted in any campus Interview
nor in any Government Job, my college friends got jobs,
and some have gone for higher study. That period was
bad because I was sitting idle at home. My father asked
me about the job once, but I could not answer him. I
then decided to move to Ahmedabad because my elder
brother was staying there. I also applied for jobs in many
companies in Ahmedabad.
One day in Ahmedabad I was walking on the road, and
I saw a Company board “Caditronics Private Limited. I
applied but I didn’t receive any call thereafter. I went to
the company gate and said to the security officer that I
applied here for the post of Service Engineer but didn’t
receive any call. He told me to go inside and check with
reception. I met the receptionist who was a very humble
lady who said -Dilip I don’t have any update from HR yet.
Let me check with HR and meanwhile, you fill out this

application form. I was sitting in reception and after 30
min, the HR person came outside and informed me, that
there is no vacancy at the moment but if I am interested
in learning about the computer, I can join on without
salary. This was a good opportunity but without a salary.
I decided to join and learn something new. I started
learning about computer assembling, the operating
system, and computer repairing. This was interesting and
new for me because I passed my Engineering in Electronic
and Telecommunication.
“In your life, you will come across the crossroads, where
you will have to choose between money and learning.
Always choose learning over money”.
Once I started working on computer, a service support
manager Mr. Ahmad came and asked me, “Dilip, I heard
you are going to Jabalpur for collecting your college degree
and other documents?” I said, “Yes, I am going, but can I
continue to learn here when come back from Jabalpur?”
He said, “Yes, you can continue to learn here.” Further,
he asked me, “Dilip since you are going to Jabalpur, can
you visit our government client’s office at Jabalpur to
resolve the computer problem? They are facing problems
with their computer for a long time and we must collect
the payment also. But Dilip you will not get any travel
allowances because you are not on the payroll.” I told
him immediately, “No problem Sir, I will visit the client’s
office and try to resolve their computer problem.” The
very next day, I travelled to Jabalpur along with a service

toolkit and computer spare parts. Although I was not on
the company payroll, I was happy because I was going
to attend first client problem at Jabalpur to resolve the
issue independently. After 24 hours of journey, I reached
Jabalpur and first visited my college and university to
collect my document. The next day, I visited the client’s
office. The client was unhappy. He shouted at first but after
some time, he calmed down because I explained the delay
in attending to their problem. I resolved the issue with the
computer without replacing any spare parts. The client
was happy; he immediately asks their account department
to release the long pending payment. I returned from
Jabalpur and met Service Support Manager the very next
day and explained how I resolved the computer problem
and collected the long pending payment. He got surprised
and told said, “Dilip, now you are a permanent employee
of this company.”
So finally, I joined my first IT Company, Caditronics
Private Limited Ahmedabad in Jan 1991 as a customer
support Engineer.
“If you want to achieve your Goal, you need to go
beyond the call of duty”.
My Second Struggle
In Ahmedabad, I was staying with my elder brother. Since
I was not able to afford my own vehicle, I used to travel
by city bus every day; it took me 60 mins to reach my
customer location. I met one girl on the bus and we became

good friends because we both were Maharashtrian. I do
not remember how our friendship got converted into a
relationship and then 3 years after, we got married in Feb
1994.
Our ancient people have rightly said when you marry
and the lady comes with you after leaving their parents,
she comes with a lot of happiness and that’s why called
her Goddess Laxmi.
I and my wife Pushpa Patilwere were happily staying
in Ahmedabad, but it was difficult to manage monthly
expenses although my wife was working in a private
Hospital. To make ends meet, I decided to leave my first
job.
I joined my second IT Company Minicomp Limited
Vadodara in Jan 1995 as a customer support Engineer.
After one and a half years of marriage, our first baby
Boy was born in Nov 1995. We were all three happy but
somewhere, I was not happy because it was difficult for
me to travel every day from Ahmedabad to Vadodara
and Vadodara to Ahmedabad by train. I was not able to
look after my family. Also, the monthly expenses were
increased.
My Third Struggle
For financial freedom, I struggled continuously hard for 8
Years and worked 10 to 15 hours every day in a private job.
Since I was a Customer Support Engineer, I had travelled

a lot for office work on short notice whether it is a rainy or
summer session. To earn extra money, I worked part-time
as a computer assembler at a local computer hardware
shop after office hours and worked as a delivery boy to
deliver computers.
“No work is small or big, every work
teaches us a new lesson”.
One day, I was travelling to Vadodara for the office by
train, as I read through the pages of a newspaper; I saw
an advertisement for an IT Engineer in CMC Limited (A
Government of India Undertaking Company). The very
next day, I applied for the job. Luckily, I got an interview
call and got selected. Finally, I joined my first Government
job in CMC Limited Nagpur Branch as an IT Engineer in
Jan 1998. After some time, I shifted with my family from
Ahmedabad to Orange City of India Nagpur in a rented
home.
I will never forget the day I came to know about
my selection for a permanent job in a Government
organization because this was my dream.
My parents and wife supported me a lot, they always say,
“Late at God’s house, but no darkness” and “whatever
happens, happens for Good.” It happened to me and, I
feel it is true.
God gave me another gift. In July 2000, our second child, a
baby girl was born. My daughter was lucky for me because
we purchased our first Flat in Nagpur and I got promoted

from IT Engineer to Senior IT Engineer. Then we shifted
to our own flat.
In CMC Limited, I worked for almost 17 Years in various
positions. I got many Awards and Appreciation.
In Oct 2015, CMC Limited got Merged with TCS. Till
today, I am working in TCS and currently acting as
Delivery Head and managing multiple projects.
Both of my children have grown up; my son Harsh Patil
has completed his post-graduation MTech in IT and
working in NABARD (A government organization) as
an Assistant Manager, and my daughter Heena Patil is
pursuing Engineering.
This was my Journey of Financial Freedom to date.
“Nothing in life is achievable without effort”
Meet Dilip Patil
Dilip Patil is a IT Professional with over three decades

of experience in multiple IT Industry which include
both Private and Government sector. Currently working
as Delivery Head in TCS Nagpur, Maharashtra India. A
Certified Yoga Instructor and pursuing Ayurvedic Life
Management certification and Member of Toastmaster
Club.
He was born on 26th August 1968, in small village Pulgaon
of Wardha District in Maharashtra. He has completed
his School Education in Hindi Medium from Ordinance
Factory Higher Secondary School Katni (Madhya Pradesh)
in 1984, Engineering from Government Engineering
College Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) in 1990 and Part time
MBA in 2010. Currently staying in Orange city of India,
Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Hobbies to listen Melody Songs, Watching movies,
Reading motivational books, Traveling and Social work.
I am reachable to social media including Facebook,
Linkden and Instagram.
You can connect with Dilip Patil at:

https://www.facebook.com/dilip.patil.3979
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilip-patil-4066a518
https://www.instagram.com/dilip.patil.3979
S T O RY E L E V E N
Fuel Your Finances

Fuel Your Finances 139
“Many times, it so happens in life that we hardly take care

of our finances and fuel it. Isn’t it so?”
Saving is not the solution to managing your

finance
I remember taking care of the money I would collect

from my parents and relatives during my school days.
I was really conscious about the money I had then. I
would rarely buy things for myself. However, whenever
my sister and brother needed, or lacked, some money to
buy something, they would always ask me to lend them
money. Sometimes I would do it, but I would never get
it back. I thought that if I gave or invested my money in
fulfilling their needs, I would get something big in return.
In spite of saving a lot of money during my youth without
spending a penny on myself, I actually saved nothing. At
that time, I did not know anything about fuelling finances.
I thought, if I saved my money, I would be rich one day.
This is the root problem among people who think they
know the value of money, but do not know how to value
it in a true sense. They are unaware that it is important
to understand when to save money and when not to save.
Saving money is not the solution to managing finances.
Instead, saving and braving to invest money at the right
time, in the right direction, that could help reach our goals,
is the complete solution to not only managing finances, but

also to fuelling finances.
When to save and When not to save?

Saving has been a bit problematic for most people, as it
is really difficult for them to save some money after their
expenses. When to save; how to save; when not to save;
and how not to save is a big question in real terms. I was
able to understand the answer to this question during my
college days.
In the beginning, I went to college via public transportation.
My mother used to give me 100 rupees every day to go
to college, but it would cost me around 70 rupees, and
I would save almost 30 rupees every day. I would also
provide home tuition and save money there. For one year,
I did the same, and I had saved about eleven thousand.
In the second year of my college, I wanted to purchase
a bicycle. Since I had already saved more than enough, I
bought a bicycle and started using it to commute. Now I
had both - my bicycle and my savings. Here, I learned a
great lesson: “Your liabilities must not be greater than
your assets”.
OMG! You are buying liabilities!

Most people are confused between their assets and
liabilities, without understanding the real key difference.
Rather than going on about theoretical definitions, I want

you to understand the practical ones stated in one of the
best international selling books ``Rich Dad, Poor Dad’’
written by Robert Kiyosaki, an American Businessman
and author.
Assets: An asset is something that always puts money in
your pocket. The perfect illustration of this would be art,
books, flats given on rent, etc.
Liability: It is something that takes money out of your
pocket. The perfect illustration of this would be cars,
vacations, clothing, etc.
Understanding what makes a man poor or rich lies in
understanding the difference between these two things -
assets and liabilities. People who always buy liabilities are
going on a journey to becoming financially dependent.
They do not realise at the beginning, but rather live
their lives in the present, enjoy themselves, and do not
give attention to their days to come. They always suffer
from lack of money, with no cash flow in their accounts
during times of need. These people have comfort, but stay
uncomfortable throughout their lives.
On the other hand, people who always buy assets are going
on a journey to become financially independent. They
always have cash flow in their accounts. They do not rely
on their property or cars. They rely on their repeatable
income sources that they earn from their assets.
Mistakes that made me learn

Not valuing what I have
While doing my masters, though I had all the required
resources, I purchased unnecessary items that might
have been used later, but not then, without having a good
amount of cash flow in my bank account. I did not value
what I had then; I did not save more than I needed; I did
not spend my money on buying assets.
Sometimes it so happens in life that we do not do what is
needed. Instead, we do what is not needed. If you are not
in a position to buy some assets, you are not supposed
to buy any kind of liabilities. The best zone to stay in is
saving enough money.
Getting trapped in debt

Though I was good at taking care of money, there was
a time period in my life when loans trapped me; loans I
might not have needed. With a few assets, I made many
liabilities, and this imbalance trapped me in debt. It
took me a lot of time to come out of the trap of different
liabilities.
It is extremely important in life to have a calculated
balance between the money coming out of your pocket
and the money going into your pocket. If the proportion
is not maintained properly, it may put you in jeopardy. To
be in a safe zone, your assets must always be higher than
your liabilities.
How I became Financially Independent

It was 2008, I earned my first income of 250/- as a tutor.
I felt really pumped and on top of the world. It was a big
amount for an 8th standard student. It took me a month
to spend that much money. I realised the value of hard-
earned money. My parents were really excited to see their
12-year-old son earn some pocket money. From then to
now, I have been earning in my life. Though I started with
only 250/- rupees, it was my skill to teach someone that I
consider my asset. This asset helped me begin my journey
to become a financially self-dependent person.
I began with home tuitions, then started teaching children
in a school, and then provided classes to students of my
age in coaching centres. After having taught children and
students of my age for two years, I started teaching some
senior students. It gave me a lot of confidence to add spice
to my asset, my skills. It is my teaching skills that have
helped me earn and grow in life continuously. That is how
I became a trainer, coach, and an author, helping people
realise their inner self, understand their abilities, and
achieve winning personalities.
Why is the young generation dependent?

As per Pew Research Centre, the majority of Americans
think “young adults should be financially independent by
the age of 22, but only 24% are.”
If you are not making some money in your 20’s, Oh My

God! You are making a bad blunder in life. You have no
idea what you can do in life if you start earning money at
an early age. Most of the people around the world who are
successful today started making money at a very young
age. They started, they failed, they learned, then they
started again with real experience. It helped them explore
the world quickly and learn some practical lessons in life.
Majority of young adults depend on their parents. There
are two main reasons: parents, and students themselves.
Most parents have experienced the wrong learning and
teaching pattern for a long time. Some also believe in
the statement, “Padhoge likhoge to, hoge nawab, kheloge
kudoge to hoge kharab.” It means that if you focus on
your studies, you will be a good person, but if you focus
on playing, you will ruin your career. Parents do not
want their children to work and start earning money at
an early age. They do not realise that if young adults are
guided and supported in the right direction, they may do
amazing things in both studies and work. Parents believe
they should be studying first, and then start a job and
earn money. Students spend almost 20-25 years of their
lives completing their education with no real experience.
They start earning some money, and it takes 10-15 years
to become financially independent in real terms. Then, it
takes 10-15 years to create big assets in life. By now, they
have spent almost 50% of their lives becoming financially
independent and creating some assets. They do not have

much time left to enjoy their lives to the optimal level.
So, it is highly important for young adults to start their
financial journey as soon as possible, whether they start
with hundreds or thousands. This provides them two big
opportunities:
• Learning: Learning is Earning. It is part and
parcel of one’s growth. Many make the following
mistakes: You do not learn keeping in mind that
it will provide you a wide scope for earning. You
do not apply your common sense understanding
the real concepts behind learning. You only learn
to pass the exam. You can only do proper earning
provided you do proper learning.
• Earning: Earning is Learning. The biggest mistakes
one makes are: You do not earn to grow. You earn
just to survive. Once you start your journey on
the path of earning, keep in mind that it is also a
part of learning. This keeps providing you better
options for better earning.
Between learning and earning, there is a zone called the
Financial Freedom Field (FFF), where you need to be
playing throughout your life. If you are in this zone, you
are safe. Even you cannot stop yourself from achieving
your Financial Freedom goal, let alone other people or the
things around.
The Financial Freedom Field is the zone in which you

assure your life-time growth. If you can continue playing
unclear and undefined games in your childhood, why
not FFF as a young adult? Playing FFF does not only
provide you with a sense of progressive-learning, but also
progressive-earning.
Once I was sitting and studying with other classmates
in a coaching centre. One of them directly came to me
asking for a sum solution. Though it was the very first
time someone had approached me for the solution, I took
it hesitantly and somehow solved it. That was the day
when I realised that I am capable of solving a problem and
making someone understand it too. I fuelled this passion
and went on solving all subject-problems my classmates
and juniors would get stuck with. Between the journey, I

also learned about fuelling my finances. I began converting
my passion into a profession and started charging for my
services. It boosted my confidence to go extra miles in
life, and I started doing the same at a higher level. Since
then, I have been able to continue fuelling my finances.
At present, I consider myself to be safely in the zone of
FFF. This not only allows me to learn from amazing people
and veteran trainers around the world, but also helps me
earn better with their learnings. But, the journey towards
becoming financially independent does not end here. It is
just a survival period for you to check whether you are in
a position to cope with it or not. Once you have survived,
you need to invest something in your self development,
making your inner talent an asset for you so that it can put
money in your pocket. Continuously doing so makes you
stable in your financial targets. If you have been stable and
fuelling your finances for a long time, you move towards
success in your life.
I suppose the most conclusive way to sum up the whole
journey until now would be:
“It is not about waiting, but about making the most of
each moment right now.
Leave it or Live it, the decision is yours.”
Meet G. Kumar
G. Kumar, a Personality Transformation Coach, a

Motivational Public Speaker, a networker and an author,
with his beaming personality and mesmerising linguistic
methods of training and coaching helps students,
professionals, and entrepreneurs transform their lives and
give highly effective performance in their chosen fields.
He is a real example of dedication, devotion, and
determination. He has experienced a transformational
journey from being a simple teacher to becoming one of
the youngest coaches and authors in India.
Well known in the area of training and coaching, his
programmes have been attended by various students
and professionals from various backgrounds including
HR and Marketing heads, Master trainers from different
fields, Defence and Aviation Industry.
You can connect with G. Kumar at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachgkumar/
www.coachgkumar.com
S T O RY T W E LV E
Why Personal Finance is

Not Just About Saving
Money
Why Personal Finance is Not Just About Saving Money 151
“Why Personal Finance is Not Just

About Saving Money…”
—Arunima Sinha
“M oney is a matter of functions four: a medium, a

measure, a standard, a store” (William Stanley
Jevons). Finance is the pivotal point around which the
entire economy of the nation, or a smaller group, such as
a family, operates. Many of us believe that the amount of
money we have can only be withheld when we save it. One
must save, but the present financial status of an individual
comes from multiple root origins, to say the least. I wish
to share, via this writeup, my personal lessons in personal
finance. Why do we earn what we earn? What contributes
to our present financial status? What has progressed us
towards financial growth, if any? What is holding us back?
I wish to discuss such issues through this piece.
The Starting Point: We all need to acknowledge that
wherever we are today is partially because of our parents.
We were given a threshold to establish ourselves. With the
unforgettable incident of a college student, two years ago,
who committed suicide due to her parents’ inability to
pay her college fees, I am jolted to a realization like none
other: I had my parents’ financial support in doing what
I wanted to do. We have started at a positive integer point
to rise up to success. Some people in society may have

started from zero, or maybe even the X axis, a negative
integer point. We must measure any success from the
points we have started!
Education and Expertise: Born to a lawyer and a professor
in English, education was among the prime driving
factors in the lives of my siblings and I. We were sent to a
very old and reputed convent school, and our education
was always taken care of. I am an English educator and
have earned all possible degrees, experiences, expertise,
certifications, and more in my domain at the level of
university and school teaching, today. I have been engaged
in the territory of language proficiency, literary analysis,
teaching, and grammatical realm. Realistically as well as
experientially, I learned as an orator, writer, and poet to
be able to feel stable and strong in the justification of my
role. Not to forget that through my mother, I have been
immensely fortunate to learn phonetics, as early in my
life as grade IV. I have been brought up on Shakespearean
stories, and the same were among my first fascinations in
reading literature. The intensity, quality and level of one’s
education, dedication and expertise definitely affects the
financial worth one is liable to make in life.
Talent and Passion: Though the two concepts are not
correlated, I have put them under the same heading,
because the latter is derived more easily under the presence
of the former. Talent plays a big role in determining
whether one would be successful at a venture or not. We
are not robots, so we must take up something we are really

good at. Whenever I guide my students on the lines of
their career, I always ask them, “What if Lata Mangeshkar
wanted to crack UPSC or Sachin Tendulkar aimed to be
an engineer from IIT?” Rightly, as Mr Albert Einstein
puts it,
“Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by the ability
to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is
stupid.”
We all must find that unique ability we have within us to
thrive, and not just survive.
Passion is the driving force, it is like a candle that burns
more fiercely, giving brighter light in the presence of talent.
One must have passion to earn money, but simultaneously
passion to learn and gain more knowledge and expertise
in the domain one is working.
Upgrade, Update, Improve!: One important lesson I have
learned in my life is that one must change if one wants
to move ahead in life. From rote learning to experiential
learning, competency-based learning and, further still,
online education, an educator must keep pace with the
growing needs and latest updates available in their
trajectory. Similarly, we all must upgrade, update, and
improve over time. An outdated technology will never
be paid enough in the market. No one will pay the same
amount of money for an old model of a mobile phone,
while the latest versions are available. At the same time,
see how the latest versions are respected and remunerated.

An even more important point to note is that updated
knowledge is mostly simpler and faster. It is best to know
and be paid for the most effective service. One must
INVEST in oneself !
Unblock the blocks: A big reason for not earning enough
money for our hard work, talent, and expertise is the
subconscious blocks we carry since childhood. I had
always observed how education is not given its full due
in the world, especially our own country. My mother, as
aforementioned, was a professor, and her services came
under the state government. Their salary never came on
time, in fact they were months late. In the beginning of
my career, I had no idea how I would ever earn enough to
run a household. Adding onto such subconscious beliefs
are the other inadequate thoughts and ideas which branch
out of the original assumption, “I cannot earn enough!”
We must work on these negative and unreal ideas. The
best ways to work on them are either attending NLP
workshops or turning toward your inner self through
healing and meditation.
Spirituality and the Law of Attraction: I am blessed
with two loving sons who are superheroes in their own
worlds. When I look at my sons proposing theories on
how to make a time machine, I’m pulled back into the
past (not that I’ve overgrown that fascination till date).
While people were binge watching web series and the
latest movies during the COVID lockdown period, I
spent my time investigating retrocausality, time travel,

time loops, the butterfly effect, the Mandela effect, and
alternate realities/multiverses. I revisited books by Brian
Weiss regarding past life regression and finally looked
into the Law of Attraction, especially the ‘Secret’ series.
The idea was to find a pattern, a lesson, in life, so that
we can better understand how to live the rest of life. Not
wanting to trust the chaos theory, I feel thankful that no
proper time machine has yet been invented! If life could
be rewound and fast forwarded, like a video cassette, or
flipped through at a glance, like a book, it wouldn’t be life!
Imagine, as a teenager, having a lot of expectations with
your career and marital prospects, if you could know that
either or neither would be a success, could you survive
further? And if things could be changed, from the past,
how confusing and unworthy life would be in the absence
of finality!
This led me to ultimately discern that we are the creators
of our own lives. One fine evening, I watched a Law of
Attraction video, and tried my hand at the technique to
attract a smart watch. It was a fun activity, and I did not
even believe it thoroughly. As one of the leading coaches
says, “set it and forget it” if you want your intention to
manifest quickly, I forgot about it completely anyway. A
fortnight later, visiting my elder sister, I was gifted a smart
watch, while still in the “forget it” phase. A month later,
I came by that video again, and it took me time to realise
that through that video, I actually manifested the watch.
I do not know about other people’s beliefs, but for me the

law of attraction works!
As though that path was not new enough, I began an
unending voyage to spirituality. I have seen how helpful it
is to calm the mind to perform better. I have been a witness
to the opening of the solar plexus chakra simultaneously
with the gaining of fame. I have seen how Buddhist mantras
can initiate your throat chakra to embolden you to speak
up for yourself. With the unblocking of chakras, I have
also manifested weight loss and great health, which are
the building and supporting pillars of financial success.
Once meditation starts working for you, you will notice
how you suddenly feel that you have just woken up to
reality. You will see through people’s intentions and
realities in a way you have never done. How does this
help? This helps to focus, make efforts and save time.
Time is the biggest resource.
I unblocked many of my previous negative patterns
through a rise in consciousness. The world believes
teachers deserve meagre remuneration. But what about
the online courses developed and offered, which help
entrepreneurs earn even while they sleep? Many thanks
to the salary cut during the COVID phase and living on
the edge. I realised that the maxim about money being the
root cause of all evil is far from being true. Many of us push
money away unconsciously for the same reason. Money is
an important resource. The biggest lesson I learned was
that investing in oneself is the best investment. I started
prioritizing spending money over time, because the latter

does not return.
However, the best thing that happened to me was that
with the restoration of my peace of mind, I became an avid
reader again and spent most of my time either learning
through books or courses. COVID has been a curse,
except for education: it has opened different avenues.
From the comfort of my home, I updated and upgraded
myself on different areas of my personality and life, I had
never imagined earlier. New doors opened, and I walked
through them to reach my real potential.
I started prioritizing my health and family life much more.
I learnt how to maximise and not just balance. I learned
to focus on my excellence instead of working through
my shortcomings. I learnt to be disciplined. I live for my
dreams. I am a more responsible mother and teacher. I
realized when I am tired, I must rest, but not give up. I
found inspiration deep inside myself. I can motivate myself
and pull myself up from the darkest pits. I do not care what
people think about me. I realise I must be straightforward
to everyone to avoid any misunderstanding and injustice
to myself or them. I learned to find solutions instead of just
assuming and complaining. I stopped taking unnecessary
stress on issues I could not help. This was the big learning
I got from Ekhart Toll’s book, ‘The Power of Now’.
Unloading nearly half my assets that harked back
memories of old ties I do not entertain in my life, for good
reasons, I felt light. However, in the process, I saw many

people claim those objects, some with request, some with
pretence of care and some with service in lieu of it. I saw
how people gather junk even when they do not require
any of it. It is a mesh in which our unawakened selves
keep suffocating our existence. This mindless greed of
owning things, whether it serves us or not, is what keeps
us from creating and developing what we truly need.
The funniest thing I realized is that there is not much
difference essentially between us all! I most blissfully
grasped that there is ultimate happiness in being grateful
and expressing gratitude. It is ultimately the state of
happiness and contentment that we are all seeking, and it
can be directly reached through gratitude. Despite being
an IITian or an IAS officer, despite becoming a billionaire,
despite marrying the handsomest man and having all
material comforts in life, one can never overlook real
happiness.
The most important lesson I learnt is the change that will
live through all my life: I must give back and serve even
the littlest that I can contribute! We get money in return to
the number of lives we influence. No wonder big business
houses earn immensely because they provide employment
and services on a global level.
And, I totally agree with Bill Gates, “If you’re born POOR,
it’s not your FAULT, but if you DIE poor, it’s YOUR fault.”
Meet Arunima Sinha
A leader since college days, a speaker, a poet and a writer,

Arunima has been a passionate educator of English for
close to a decade. A certified ‘Iron Lady’ and an old
theatre artist, she has transformed thousands of young
minds at the University of Delhi and adolescents at the
top schools of Delhi and Dehradun. Being an integral
part of international workshops and Seminars since her
college days, she has tried her best to justify lifelong
learning by building her knowledge base in varied
dimensions. Presently, In charge of the English Literary
Society in a residential school at Dehradun, she shapes
the spoken, theatrical, literary and composition skills of
students in the senior section. From establishing language
labs and English societies to enabling poetry, debating,
movie scripting and directing, she prepares students to
be future-ready. An upcoming author, her individually
authored books are in publication. She has also availed
the opportunity to speak at TEDx.
S T O RY T H I RT E E N
Evolving Relationship
with Money
Evolving Relationship with Money 163
Beginning, Learning to Create Assets
I n this chapter, I am going to share my evolving

relationship with money over time. My memory of
money starts with a few pennies (paise), which my dad
gave me during childhood, and I ran to buy candies in a
nearby shop in my village Raghua of district Gopalganj in
the northern part of India, the land of Lord Buddha.
As I grew older, my mom gave me a clay piggy bank and
I started collecting coins. When it got filled, she bought
another one and the journey continued for the next few
years. I saved around ₹ 4,000. This was the very first-time
accumulation of wealth gave me immense happiness.
However, I did not know what to do with that money, as
there was no culture of investment in my family. Then,
I decided to buy my 1st pair of leather sandals and gave
around ₹300 to my elder cousin, who brought me a good
quality pair of sandals from a nearby city. I loved seeing
those pairs of sandals. Most of the time, they were sitting
idle in my cupboard. Within a few months, I overgrew
them and they became museum specimens.
I still had around ₹ 3500 left with me. This time, another
elder cousin who was dealing with a private financial firm
(Sahara India), offered me a lucrative deposit scheme.
Luckily, it worked. Somehow, he convinced me to put Rs
1000 for 10 years. Upon maturity, I got Rs 6000. My money
grew 6 folds in 10 years. At that time, I did not know the

power of compounding wealth but learned that when you
keep money with a bank for the long term, they give you
lots of interest money in return.
Money, the root cause of all evils?

When I started traditional schooling in the village, many
things amazed my fertile mind. Education was the only
way to become a successful individual. However, success
was not well defined. Parents wanted their kids to grow
and get all the worldly things. On the other hand, they
taught their kids that money was the root of all evils.
I was no exception to this. I was told to focus on my
studies. Though I cannot find words to thank my parents
for fulfilling all my financial needs, however, this kept
me away from money matters. I did not understand the
importance of money and the amount of pain my parents
took to meet my financial needs. I did not understand
money. Somewhere, repulsive energy was created in
me for money. I worshiped Saraswati (the Goddess of
knowledge) over Laxmi (the Goddess of prosperity).
The traditional education and society imbibed this belief
in me that money is the cause of all the problems. Making
money is not good. People with lots of money are bad.
Children of the rich are bad. Money makes you greedy.
This resulted in my precarious relationship with money. I
did not love money and my relationship with money got
worse over time. The money went out of my pocket as fast

as it came.
The very first time I realized the importance of money
was when I moved from a small town to a world-class
university town, Manipal (Karnataka). Here, I saw how
money can bring lots of color to your life. I saw my
classmates from Gulf and Western countries riding
luxury bikes, and cars and roaming with ever-changing
girlfriends. With the little money I was receiving from
my father every month, I always struggled to go the extra
mile. I realized that I did not come from a rich family.
Sometimes it was painful when I had to borrow money to
run my day-to-day expenses.
With the understanding of the need for big money and
big dreams, I joined the corporate world. However, I did
not like the job and quit it in the next six months and
started a new venture “Redonic Healthcare Pvt Ltd” with
my brother and a few of my friends. It was a good start, as
the project was incubated and got some funding from the
institution. Initially, we did well; however, in the next few
years, people started leaving the organization as we ran
out of funding. Consequently, I and my brother Mithilesh
were left with the company and little money to operate.
Due to family pressure and to make our living, I rejoined
the corporate world and put my time and energy into this
vicious cycle of jobs for a few thousand rupees monthly
incomes.
After more than a decade of the corporate journey, my

relationship with money did not improve. My monthly
salary went out of my hand as fast as it came. I had left with
no assets and no bank balance. My dream of becoming
rich was shattered. Then the fire in my belly put me again
on track. I started reading autobiographies of successful
persons and self-help books. These learnings gave me
the courage to believe in myself. I started dreaming big
again with never stopping commitment. This pumped
new energy in me. I built a habit of getting up early. And
with daily practice, I got the routine in autopilot mode. I
get up at 4 am and start my daily rituals with meditation,
journaling my thoughts, putting words to my gratitude for
the people around me and the entire world. This was helpful
to me in one way or the other. I practiced forgiveness and
then focused on my craft and worked on my real dream of
becoming “A World Class Storyteller”. Then, I do yoga for
an hour. The morning rituals keep me in my lane, where I
am the only competition for me. Working on every hurdle
in my way like a warrior energizes me and gives me the
courage to reflect and become a better version of myself
every day and most importantly, enjoy the journey.
My real love for money started when I learned that money
is a tool of trade, which standardizes and stores value. I
stopped chasing this symbol of human productivity and
achievements rather than respecting it. I started finding
ways to create ever-growing assets out of it. My real
financial literacy started with coaching from my mentors
such as Asim Shaikh, Suresh Pemmaraju and through

financial programs started reading Benjamin Graham,
Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, Charlie Munger, Robert
Kiyosaki, Napoleon Hill, etc.
The journey went to the next level when I wrote my
personal life book into various sub-categories, which
became my first personal manuscript to convert my clear
written words into reality. Here, I would like to share with
you the overview of the topics related to finance, which
are helping me on a day-to-day basis and keeping me on
track.
Inculcating good habits and building Character
On character - James A. Froude quoted, “You cannot
dream yourself into a character, you must hammer and
forge yourself one.” Inculcating good habits and building
my character is one of the most important aspects of my
life. This starts with getting up early and running my
daily rituals, planning my week, and reviewing over the
weekend. Removing at least one bad habit or aspect of my
life every week and keeping on track if this reappears over
the next few months and putting them on my radar again.
On the character part, one thing I understand is that this
world can take everything from me but not my character.
I know it is hard to build but great to live with. This may
start with small things, doing things right when no one
is watching. The best part is that I am watching myself.
I know it could be a big hurdle for me if I am not doing
it according to my values. I know my neural network is

more powerful to bring the world rightly in my way and
through the hard way to make me wiser than wounded. So,
for me, character is everything and it helps in building an
empire of happiness with my integrity, reliability, honesty,
determination, and perseverance.
Financial life, learn money

George Bernard Shaw quoted, “Money is the most important
thing in the world. It represents health, strength, honor,
generosity, and beauty as conspicuously and undeniably
as the want of it represents illness, weakness, disgrace,
meanness, and ugliness.”
Once my mentor asked, did I discover physics, chemistry,
biology, and other subjects and I knew the answer? I
replied with a big “NO”. “But you learned them, right?”, he
said. I said, yes. “Why can’t I learn “Money?”, he added. I
was speechless. The question kept me hunting for several
days. Why can’t I learn money?
My financial literacy and journey with money started with
respecting money and respecting people who have made
money. People with big money have done great service to
humankind. Money creates wise men; gives you peace of
mind and enables you to serve this world better. You serve
nobody with an empty stomach. Then the question comes,
how is wealth created? To answer this in a simple way, I
would say, bringing awareness to the cash flow, checking
on unnecessary expenses, and furthering your financial

literacy will help you create assets. This tool is helping
me in a great way, and I believe this will do miracles for
anyone who practices it.
Career, love your job

Elbert Hubbard quoted, “Do your work with your whole
heart and you will succeed - there is so little competition!” As
rich dad said, the rich do not work for money, money work
for them. I focus on creating value for the organization
and controlling my cash flow to create wealth. They say
the rich have fewer expenses than income/assets. This is
very true and works everywhere, starting from a laborer
to a billionaire. If your expenses are more than your
income/asset, you will stand nowhere in the next few
months. Here, my take is, whatever job you are in, if you
love it, keep doing it with your whole heart. It will create
the pipeline of wealth and abundance.
Quality of life, create an environment of

happiness
William A. Foster quoted, “Quality is never an accident; it is
always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent
direction, and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice
of many alternatives.” The vision for quality life starts with
living an extraordinary life with all the material things
and creating a great experience and being surrounded by a
wonderful environment and great people. This is the final

aim of my financial abundance, to make the journey joyful
rather than the end goal. Creating a great environment of
happiness and fulfillment throughout my existence. This
is the real aim for my financial success, which is going to
enable me to become wiser day by day and contribute to
society more than I received from it. When I look back on
my life, the entire journey is filled with great experiences
and service to the world.
Finally, I would like to share my quote, which keeps me on
track in all the adversity, “The reward of a journey equates
to the amount of pain acceptance during the process, and
awareness makes it joyful”
In the endnote, I would like to share my gratitude for my
parents, my wife Pooja, son Vivan and brother Mithilesh
and extended family, friends, and my mentors for their
immense contributions, encouragement, and support
during this incredible journey.
Meet Vimlesh Singh
Vimlesh Singh is a great storyteller, avid reader,

mindfulness trainer, and Kriya and Hatha yoga
practitioner. His unique ability to deliver the subject
spellbind the audience. He loves traveling and connecting
with people across the culture.
Vimlesh completed B. Pharm and MBA from Manipal
University, Karnataka. He is a companionate leader with
more than a decade of corporate experience. He is self-
believer, inspired to server the society and he is on a
journey to touch the lives of millions through his public
speaking skills.
You can connect with Vimlesh Singh at:
vimleshs.in@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vimleshs/
https://www.facebook.com/vimleshks
https://www.instagram.com/thevimleshsingh/
S T O RY F O U RT E E N
Evolving
Evolving 175
I t was 1981. Load shedding was an integral part of my

growing up. I hardly remember days when I would
not light up kerosene lanterns to study in the evenings.
On one such evening, we were sitting on the verandah,
surrounded by darkness, with a flickering light of a candle
that kept me, my brother, and my mom company. Mom
was unusually quiet that day. I was just nine years old,
and my little brother Seru was three years junior to me.
Although I was aware of her being quiet, I had no inkling
about the reason. I was too engrossed in my own world
of fantasy, playing with my doll. My mom was reading a
letter that I had no clue about. But her face was pale and
grief-stricken. Slowly, she murmured in Bengali, “Amader
baadi nilam hoye jaabe”, meaning “our house will be on
auction”. As she was murmuring these words, she lost
her consciousness and fell down from her chair with her
mouth frothing. It was such a scary moment for us! We,
brother-sister duo, were too young to comprehend what
was happening. Immediately, we ran out of our house and
called our next-door neighbour Mrs. Dhaiyya. In the series
of events that took place, I saw my mom being taken away
in the ambulance to Army Base Hospital Barrackpore. My
mom was recovering from her epileptic attack, and my
father was away in a field posting somewhere in Assam.
With no news of his whereabouts, life felt scary. Later,
I learned the letter was from the court, asking my father
to start paying the premium of the home loan, or else,

the house would go up for auction! My young brain could
never understand why mom had to worry about money.
After all, it’s the Bank that has plenty of money. I would
often suggest to my mom, “why don’t you go to the bank
and get all the money you want?” My mom would give
me a small chuckle and say, “Things don’t work this way,
dear.”
As kids, my mom would proudly say to our relatives,
“My kids are so nice that they don’t demand anything.”
I had heard it so many times that I could never open up
my heart and say “Ma, will you please buy that red doll
that I saw in that shop?” God knows how many times my
brother had told me he loved wearing a leather jacket,
but he could never tell my parents. No one spoke about
money. Subconsciously, my desires filled up pages of my
diary, never being that open to the world.
My father was an officer in the Indian Army. He received
a good salary to meet the basic needs of the family.
Unfortunately, we never had enough.
There is another incident from the memory lane of 1977
that gave me an insight into how scarcity can make people
do things that take a lot of courage and sacrifice. My
father, then Capt. SN Ghosh, was posted in Jammu Tawi.
I was supposed to get my admission in standard one. But
as days went by, I failed to understand why I could not
board the school bus like other kids did. I remember I
Evolving 177
would get up early in the morning, and run towards the

main gate. I would hold the iron bars of the gate, watch
the kids, wave them goodbye, and watch the school bus
go by. I would also wait for the bus to drop the kids in the
evening. I loved their school uniform. White shirt, blue
skirt, red hair band, white socks, and black shoes. How
much I dreamed of being dressed in that uniform! After
a whole year of waiting, I finally got a chance to wear that
uniform! Yes! Finally, admitted to KV Jammu Tawi, in
standard one.
After many years of growing up, I came to know that
whatever my father earned was siphoned to meet the
needs of my cousins. In the year 1977, my father had so
many financial responsibilities that he could not afford
the education of myself and my cousins. He had a difficult
choice to make. He could either pay for the education of
my cousin brother, who was due to appear for his class ten
Board Examination, or admit his daughter to school. My
school fee was Rs 5/ per month. With almost ten mouths
to feed, along with other expenses, he had such financial
constraints that he decided to let his daughter drop out
for one year of school. After all, standard ten was more
important than standard one. As I was home tutored by my
mom, my days passed, dancing, singing, reading, writing,
gardening, and playing. Though it puzzled me why I did
not go to school as other kids, I was a happy child. At
that young age, I learned how to self-engage myself, which
became so handy in the later years of my life.
As I grew up, I started dreaming. Bollywood films had a

great influence on me. I would travel the world, crossing
the mountains and rivers with the movie actors! With all
the melodrama that I watched in the movies, I understood
one thing: if I had to live a life of independence, and travel
wherever I wanted to, I would have to be economically
independent. Initially, I wanted to be a lawyer. After all,
lawyers serve justice to people and earn good money too.
I stayed with this ambition for the greater part of my life,
until watching my father in the defence made me ponder:
how about becoming an IAS officer? That would give me
status, money, power…everything that I wanted! It took
me 24 years to realize that my ladder was on the wrong
wall. As I completed my post-graduation, I found myself
drifting away to do my Ph.D.
In 1997, I fell in love. I got married to an academically
brilliant professor of Mathematics. I thought, now my life
is a little more stabilized. But, life seemed worthless! As I
flipped over the pages of my diary, I often asked myself,
“Mani, is this your dream life?”. The very fact that I needed
to be dependent on someone else financially kept me in an
anxious state most of the time. In spite of all my educational
qualifications, I landed up doing part-time jobs, as a guest
lecturer in different colleges. Every time I took my pay
cheque, of Rs 2000/per month, something inside my heart
would ask me, “Mani, is this the life you have signed up
for?”. But the reality was that I had no permanent job, only
a meagre income, and a sense of hopelessness.
Evolving 179
Then, in 2002, an incident took place that changed my

mindset towards my life.
My elder son Raju (as I fondly call him) was just a year old.
Attending to a one-year-old child made me tired most of
the day. I was high on my emotions, as I didn’t have a stable
job, but only a peanut salary for the odd jobs I did. In my
spare time, I would be searching for “suitable” jobs in the
newspapers. Fortunately, I landed a job. I was appointed
an academic coordinator in an upcoming tutorial house.
The paycheck was good enough to cater to financial
obligations in the pipeline. Finally, I felt “valuable”. I too
could contribute my share in the household and not be an
incumbent person! My office was in Bowbazar, Kolkata.
There was something about my boss, Mr Jindal, that made
me feel uncomfortable. However, I could not figure it out
initially. This Institute had 7 branches in Kolkata. It so
happened that I kept hopping from one branch to the
other, teaching biology to students who were preparing
for the medical entrance examination. 15 days passed, and
I still couldn’t figure out what my job profile was! When I
would return home, I would be anxious, filled with guilt,
and emotionally divided. I was confused at my workplace,
not knowing what role I needed to perform, and at home,
I felt guilty that I neglected my child.
Then D day came. It was the 27th day in my office. Mr
Jindal called me and asked me to set up a team of writers
who would go to College Street, buy books from other
publications, and simply copy the content from them.
After that, these study materials would be printed in the

name of Mr Jindal’s company. In simple words, I was asked
to “steal” and be part of plagiarism.
I was jolted from the blue. Yes, this job was very important
to me. It would fetch me the “money” that I needed so
badly. But something inside my heart was not giving
me that green signal to carry on. I questioned myself,
“what was more important to me? The job? Money? Or
something else?” I came out of his room and sat down
at my desk. The faces of my numerous innocent students
flashed in front of me. In this small time, I had developed
the trusting bond that exists between a teacher and their
students. This tutorial house was supposed to give them
study material that was not plagiarized. I felt as if I were
a thief. I was asked to do a job that went against my value
system.
I slowly got up from my chair, knocked on Mr Jindal’s door,
and went inside. As I spoke, I trembled from within. I
struggled to find my voice. Finally, I could gather enough
courage to speak. I said, “Sir, I am quitting this job.” He
sprang from his chair and angrily thumped the table with
his fist, “You can’t.” I can,” I said in a firm voice, while
trembling on the inside. “What you are asking me to do
is unethical. It’s plagiarism. I can’t do this,” I said calmly.
He was so furious and said, “If you dare to quit, you won’t
get a penny. You have not served your term.” Tears flushed
out of my eyes. All those 27 days of daily commuting for
three hours, not attending my child, and returning home
Evolving 181
with guilt. What was that for? What was the value of those
27 days? The room looked blurry. I turned my back and
walked out of the office. I could hear Mr. Jindal shouting
at the top of his voice, “You can’t leave!
As I walked through the busy streets of Bowbazar, tears
rolled like two untamed streams. My dream of buying
all that I had listed down with my first paycheck just
evaporated into thin air. It was drizzling too. I didn’t bother
getting drenched. I was not bothered about the onlookers.
What I felt was a sense of liberation! I bid goodbye to my
students in my mind and wished them well. I walked away
from where I did not belong.
Sometimes, we need to dig a little more to reach the water
table. We all are students of life. Whatever hardship I had
to meet financially ultimately shaped me into the person
that I am today. Yes, my father could not afford my tuition
fee, which was as little as Rs 5 a month, but that taught
me the value of money. Yes, I did see how extreme mental
stress led to the deterioration of my mother’s health,
from which she could never fully recover. What I learned
from my parents was the act of “giving”. My father not
only provided for our basic needs, but also shared his
earnings with his loved ones. His life changed too. He
not only paid off his home loan, but also managed to save
enough for my mother to stay comfortable even after his
retirement. Dropping out of school in 1977 did not stop
me from getting my Ph.D. degree. I kept taking part-time
teaching assignments before I was permanently inducted
into a school. As I continued with my job, the human

mind fascinated me more and more. I started investing
in personal development programs. In return, I carved
a small niche for myself as a personal development and
relationship coach.
Everyone is chasing joy and pleasure, but how do we attain
it? In the first phase of my life, I was “chasing” money. As
life taught me, you don’t need to chase money. Money will
follow you as you become a person of value. Mr Jindal and
myself could never work as a team. That incident made
me realize what I didn’t want in my life as a means to earn
my living. Those 27 days were a crash course in my beliefs
and value system.
Life always gives us choices. Financial freedom is an
attitude, a mindset, and how you look at it. It is subjective.
What’s your pick?
Evolving 183
Meet Dr. Mani Das
Dr Mani Das has been in the field of education past twenty-

two years. Her curiosity to discover the various aspects of
the human mind led her to become a relationship and a
personal development coach. Her personal development
and relationship programs have helped hundreds of
individuals to become a better version of themselves. She
helps them to realign their self-limiting belief system and
skills to resolve conflicts in relationships.
She works very closely with the queer community and
transgenders in particular.
She was awarded as the Best Science Teacher, by the
National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Kolkata
Chapter, in 2015.
She received the Bravery award on the 15th National
Transgender day, West Bengal in 2022 for her contribution
to working with transgenders in their personal
development programs.
S T O RY F I F T E E N
Finance is Controlled by
Men but optimized by
Women
Finance is Controlled by Men but optimized by Women 187
W hen anyone hears about finance, the first thing

that comes to mind is money, but sometimes it
is beyond money. Money can be differentiated into two
– One is for Luxury and 2nd is Spiritual Money. Here in
this Chapter, I would be focusing more on the ‘Spiritual
Money’.
Now, you might ask, “What is Spiritual money? I would
say, it is the money that is required for our living. For
example, if one can understand the difference between
living in Hotel /Rented room and living in his own house,
they will understand what is being talked about?
Everyone who has come into this world does not have
control over which Family he would be born to, but it is
up to the individual to grow and gain this Spiritual wealth
so that he or she would be happy in his/her life.
On 2nd Dec 1974, a boy was born in the outskirts of
Mumbai - the commercial capital of India to a humble
middle-class family. My father was very brilliant and was
helped by my paternal Uncle with his education as my
grandfather went to heaven when my father was still a
kid. So, by the time he was in his college days, he left his
education and joined a Government Job.
As narrated to us by his best friend, my father could be
a doctor or so, during the 75th Birthday we celebrated in
2021. Due to this very reason, my dad wanted his children
i.e. me and my brothers (Elder and one Younger) to

be properly educated. To this end, he put all of us in a
Convent school
We had our own struggles which my father and my mother
managed very nicely. Father used to earn, but my mother
who was the homemaker would be like an Operational
head in a corporate company to optimize the expenditure
without any compromise in the Life that we were living.
You all would be thinking as to how that is possible? But
yes, I have lived that life. For example, if we need to buy
new clothes, my Father used to travel in a bus to a place
where we get a full length of Cloth and then using the
cloth bundle, we all used to stitch Shirts and similar pants
for all 4 of us; my father and all 3 of us and we used to look
like a Band.
On the other hand, my mother used to optimize the money
with whatever savings she could do with the small amount
of money she would get for running the house.
So our journey started here in a small single room in a
Chawl in Ghatkopar, Mumbai – India till 1983. 14th April
1983 on the Auspicious day of Gudivada (New Year in
Maharashtrians), we finally shifted to the government
quarter by selling our house for a mere Rs. 25000. Since,
we were very fond of watching TV and used to go out and
stand outside peoples’ windows to see TV shows, my father
bought a black and white TV on the same day so that we
would stop going to other peoples’ place to watch TV.
Life went on; we were busy with our studies and my

Parents were busy managing the finances and making sure
that we get the best they could do. This continued till my
elder brother started earning when he was in College as
a part-timer. I still remember him bringing new clothes
for himself and I used to wear them even though he gets
agitated each time. However, it was because of him that
there was an additional income generated and that helped
us to buy more things that we could only imagine prior to
his part-time job.
I completed my Engineering studies and as soon as
I did, the first thing was to get a Job and start earning.
However, I was not like my brother, but rather a freak out/
Irresponsible guy and did not understand the importance
of Finance, so I started spending.
I loved to dance, but when checked for the class fees, it
was more than my month’s salary; I was gripped by fear;
how would I live a life when I got married and all the
other expenses that were happening; from the day-to-day
requirement to other luxury requirements. I decided that
whenever I will get married, I will ensure that my wife
should also stand on her own feet so that in case anything
happens, she would not be dependent on others.
Finally, that day came and I got married to Madhuri,
my wife in the year 2004 who also came from a middle-
class family and did her education by staying in a hostel.
There is always a period in everyone’s life when his fear
overpowers his thoughts and that’s what happened just

after our marriage. I wanted to change my Job so that
I could earn more, but there was a feeling in my mind
about whether I would get a new job or not? I also wanted
to change my Job. Finally, we discussed on the same and
about three months after our marriage, I left my job and
after almost one month, no one except me and my wife
knew that I had quit the job to search for a new one.
I started going for interviews almost every day, but after a
certain point, I started getting frustrated.
When we (me & my wife) interacted, I came to know that
she wanted to study further but could not due to some
reasons, common with persons from a middle-class family.
Already, I had my fear and I could not leave the JOB, so I
decided to give her the opportunity to study further. She
did her CDAC and after a few months of struggle, finally
got into an IT company.
After almost 2 years, we decided to buy our own house
and at that time, I realized that savings are very important
or in other words managing finance is very important.
So for buying a house, we took a loan and still a few
lacs of money were to be paid which my father paid by
withdrawing from a deal which he had done in his native
place.
Things were going fine, but then we had to spend a lot
of our savings on treatments for having a child which
finally did not work out. Finally, one day when my wife
was receiving treatment, I saw the doctor inserting a big

needle from my wife’s back side just below the neck to
take out the water which got accumulated during the
treatment and the suffering that she was going through. I
was shocked and thought why the hell we are doing this?
I thought enough is enough and that very day, I decided
that this suffering has to end.
Now savings are gone, Liabilities were there; my wife
had taken a break for the treatments which meant I
could not leave the Job and continued with one job till
my Liabilities were nullified. My wife on the other hand
started optimizing the expenditures and parallelly would
save. The journey of spiritual finance had already started
when we bought the house. Buying a house gives you
confidence that you have something to rely upon.
This is where the financial stability started with a balance
I would spend, but my wife would do the savings which
meant our lifestyle changed from a small one-room house
to government quarters to a 2 BHK apartment with a good
terrace that had an overview of the service lane and the
Main Road.
This is the place my father spends most of his time
watching life moving around constantly. We are all happy
and have accepted the situation we are in. Situations once
accepted don’t hurt you.
Everything was going smooth and there was again the
downstream slide and again my wife who is my strongest
supporter and my parents and my loved ones which I

also called part of my Spiritual wealth stood beside me.
Also in the year 2017, one Spiritual Guru entered my life
“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar” when I did my Happiness program
and later did my Advance meditation as well as Sahaj
meditation courses through Art of Living which changed
the perspective through which I looked at life.
“Living in the Present which would mean that Happiness
is within you, you are the creator of yourself, and when
one learns this basic, he or she would start enjoying life”
The more you give, the more it comes to you in some form
or the other. So looking for more wealth is not wrong
when it is earned without hurting others. There is ample
of Spiritual wealth in this world, and one should earn that
which will not only help your well-being but gives you
more power to help others.
We did that and it helped me to ensure that I could not only
send my parents as well as my wife’s parents to almost all
major cities in India for vacation but also to some places
like Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, and so on ------ still in
progress
Not only them, but we both also have traveled to a lot of
cities and now started planning for balance places both in
India as well as Internationally.
Don’t you all agree with me that sometimes or the other, we
have always tried to be satisfied with ourselves. However,
I have my own perception, that if one gets satisfied, then

he would not have the urge to grow. Will he? We must
have the passion that will ensure that we will strive hard
to get that.
Everyone reading this chapter must have gone through the
same or maybe similar situations in their life. So I would
urge, all the readers who have taken the effort to read
my chapter to analyze their own lives and look back into
the past how they spent their lives . Don’t you want your
children/loved ones to understand the real meaning of
Finance , rather than making their lives miserable by the
immense competition around us and strive hard to get the
Finance which can only buy luxurious items. Following
the second path only would make them attract health
issues, increase stress levels and get themselves partners
like Diabetes, etc. which will be with them throughout
their life.
I faced that hence don’t want others to fall into the same
trap. It is said Better late than never, but I would say
prevention is better than cure.
So, my dear readers, life is very pretty; live it to the fullest.
We all came to the world owning nothing and will leave
this beautiful place owning nothing. The only thing in our
hands is our life and how best we can use this life to make
an impact on ourselves as well as others is what really
matters. This impact is the only thing that we can leave as
a legacy after our departure.
Have shared the thoughts that have come straight from

the heart. See the way things have changed; woman at
a time was only considered a homemaker. They have
empowered themselves and reached to the top. In fact,
history also proved that “Mother of the Great Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj” could make a small child into the Great
personality. There are so many of them in our Indian
history as well as international history.
So the moral of the whole chapter is that even though Men
are the ones who till now have been considered to be the
earning source which is not the case in today’s world.Fact
is until and unless the women in the family had not taken
the trouble to use her power/intelligence/maturity to
optimize and grow the spiritual finance - let it be money,
relationships, etc. Families would not be nurtured well in
the past as well which was never appreciated or given the
importance.
Now things have changed and there is Women
Empowerment happening ,but we all should understand
the importance of Women in our lives .
Respect Women and treat them equally as they have the
strongest patience which once lost can destroy any damn
thing in this world.
Meet Prashant Shelke
Prashant Shelke. Is up PMP certified and has done MBA

and recently did his Strategic Management Professional.
With more than. Two decades. Or diversified? Experience.
And real estate projects. Residential. Commercial. Hotel.
Etc.
Prashant, the talkative. Person. And love to share. His
knowledge. With the world. And five hard. Do self-
development. Throughout his life. Till date.
Rushent was bron. And brought up. In Mumbai. And
majority of his life. He spent. Spends with his family and
friends. Loves to socialize. Dancing and painting are few
of his habits.
Laugh at your own decision. Cry at your own decision.
You are the creator of yourself. So don’t blame others.
About IT.
S T O RY S I X T E E N
Value of Wealth Creation

Value of Wealth Creation 199
My source of Happiness: Growing along with

my Piggy Bank
M y parents though uneducated had huge dreams of

educating us; five siblings.
My dad is a motor mechanic and my mum a housewife. Dad
worked even on Sundays as he was the sole breadwinner
for a family of seven.
Sunday Special: He would attend the early morning Sunday
mass, have breakfast, and then proceed to work. Dad
followed a Sunday ritual. He would shop for vegetables &
meat from the market. One of us, either my elder brother
or me would always go along with him. After the shopping
was done, he would proceed to work and I would return
home with the errands. We would get 10 paise as a token
of appreciation for our contribution towards this support.
I would be so excited and motivated with this money. On
reaching home, that money was put into my piggy bank
made of mud. Using a piggy bank was fun.
I looked forward to receiving cash as gifts from aunts and
uncles. They were also added to our piggy collection bank.
As little kids, we help my neighbours run errands. They
would give us 10 or 25 paise. We felt ecstatic when we
received money as a token of love and appreciation. It
made us feel valued for our service. It gave us a feeling of
accomplishment and pride in helping our neighbours
We were given the choice to choose our own piggy bank.

We would decorate and feel proud. Piggy bank was a really
simple and effective way to develop good saving habits.
This also had the huge importance of saving. We did not
have to save up for anything specific. This encouraged us
to think about what we want to buy someday.
The beauty of this piggy bank was that it developed good
savings habits as little children. Once it was full, mum
would make us sit in a circle. Each piggy bank would be
broken. Each one counted the coins and made note of the
amount.
My mum in turn would buy something in gold like
earrings, or a chain as per the cost and our choice. When
we got married, this was part of the wealth we received.
After dad’s sudden death from a heart attack, we were
devastated financially.
Mum was unemployed and our five siblings were all still in
school. Mum became very cautious about how she spent
and saved our money. We were supported for 2 years by
my dad’s good friend with a monthly sum of Rs.200/-
“Happiness continues to grow as savings accumulate.
In other words, a big savings account may contribute to
happiness more than a big paycheck.”
Value of money
I remember it is Dec 2016, my daughter was in class three;
she had just started understanding the number game at
school. Her seventh birthday was approaching. I took her

for shopping to buy her a birthday dress. She selected a
very beautiful and pretty dress and asked the seller the
cost. He replied Rs.150/-. Her immediate response to him
was, why are you charging so much? Do you know how
big that number is?
Her immediate reaction was that it is such a large sum.
The man was very kind and understood where she was
coming from. He mentioned to me that not every child
thinks like her. We did buy the dress.
Back home, I had to explain that he also had a family to
support. The money he earned in selling the dress was
just like me getting a salary from the office every month.
She felt sad at being very upfront in her conversation with
that man but learned a lesson. Today that she is a working
professional, she values that incident and is always careful
when making her buying decisions.
Needs vs. wants

My daughter is 7 years; I have started introducing personal
financial concepts in my own ways like incorporating
what she learns in her education.
Needs — Things like housing maintenance, utilities, food,
clothing, travel, life insurance, and transportation.
Due to my dad’s sudden death while in class 9, my dreams
of graduation shattered. I did pursue and complete my
graduation while being a mother, working professional,
and housewife. I remember telling my daughter; “I will

give you what you need, not what you want. I will give you
enough for your education and not for your other wants.”
Wants — A portion of my income for this category such
as entertainment, eating out, vacations, recreation –
school offsites, hobbies, and non-essential items such as
TV, computer, going for a movie or buying a two-wheeler.
Eating a thali at the restaurant was a monthly treat for
my daughter and me. What was remarkable was the thali
with variety and the quantity was so exciting for her. The
vacations at Agra – The Taj Mahal and Lucknow enabled
her to have a view of life outside the confines of her home
and the history she studied at school.
Savings — Devoting a portion of the income to savings.
This included savings to meet both short and long-term
goals. It also included debt repayment of a home mortgage,
which was considered for housing and included in the
needs category.
I remember investing in a home and then paying the loans
and completing it for 15 long years.
The outcome was to equip my daughter to be a financially
responsible human being by the time she left the house
as a young adult. It also brought in the decision-making
skill which is much needed and is currently not part of the
formal education system.
I recall her taking her own decision to travel to the city
to pursue her graduation in psychology after class 12. She
also had dreams of pursuing her MS in the UK due to

financial constraints at that time, this plan is pushed back.
Being unstoppable, she pursues her MBA in HR while
working.
It can be intimidating to take on that task, especially if we
are figuring out our finances, but we learn more from our
failures and setbacks than our successes.
The same applies to money. Children can benefit from our
financial wins, but they can also benefit from our financial
mistakes. As parents, we shy away from talking about our
failures and what we did not do well by sharing our losses
and what we learned from them. This way, we can help
our children avoid some of the mistakes we made.
I learned a lot about working on my outcomes and
habit-stacking process from the book Atomic Habits by
James Clear. It’s amazing how when one area of my life
improves, it’s much easier to take on another area. I found
this to be true with my financial and Retirement Lifestyle
planning.
Automatic investment
How many of you are simply scared of making the
wrong decision in planning for your retirement towards
finance and thereby Lifestyle planning?
I was terribly afraid; I had 5 years left and approached
my Financial Consultant. He made me realize that the
savings I had was not enough to sustain me for the next

25 years. Today, I feel blessed to have him on my journey
of investment.
He encouraged me to start with Rs. 500/-. I became a
big fan of automatic investment. This is the process of
deciding how much I can allocate each month toward
investing and it’s automated. I also learnt to invest in my
self-development towards learning and upskilling.
Slowly and gradually, my annual increments of that
additional amount I get go into investing. This process
becomes my investment journey and I enjoyed it. I felt
like a small plant growing in a tree. I wasn’t making as
much as I thought, but I decided to be an investor anyway.
Over time, I forgot that I was even contributing to my
investment accounts each month because it became my
way of life. I didn’t know what money I was missing
because I was used to living without it. This financial
wellness habit helped me in a big way.
Soon, the housing loan got repaid and this amount too
went to the automatic investment towards my retirement
fund.
The bright side to these money mistakes and success is
that I learned a lot. Given that I don’t like losing money
or being financially strapped in general, I vowed to myself
and my family to avoid these situations at all costs.
Benefits and importance of having stable

finance
By learning to invest, I learnt that there are many benefits
and the importance of having stable finance :
• Gives me freedom. When you have enough finance,
you can live where you want, take care of your
needs, and indulge in your hobbies.
• Gives me the power to pursue my dreams and better
life.
• Puts me in control of myself. Sense of security to
decide how I want to live and support the things I
care most about in my life.
• Gives me the freedom and sense of contribution
to others who need it. I can give only if I have
enough and more.
• Gives me the habit of saving money as a crucial life
skill, but it’s not one that always comes easy. The
savings habit is an important one to help children
establish when they are young.
I am glad that Saving money is a habit that my parents
implanted in us as little kids.
• Making saving money a fun activity and thereby
learning the value of saving in a subtle way
• Helping distinguish between need and want.
• Giving us an allowance or the allowance we get from

others thought us the value of money—and of hard
work when chores are involved.
• As little children savings in a piggy bank was the
foundation. As we grew older we kept money in a
bank while working on our goals.
• Learning the importance of living within our means,
which is one of the basic ideas of saving.
Learning to earn money as a child: I read a story of how
Joline Kinya, a software developer, seems to have passed
on this lesson to her nine-year-old daughter successfully.
She said a child will only be successful if they learn to earn
money.
Joline stumbled into it when she realized that her daughter
is artistic. She sought art lessons for her. She knits hair
accessories and sells them to friends and relatives. She can
be very convincing,” she chuckles.
Haven’t you identified your child’s gift? Don’t worry. You
can still help them earn money. Get them to help you or
our friends with duties. The trick is emphasizing what can
be achieved from earning money, not just the money.
Money mindset during June 2020 pandemic :

Franklin D Roosevelt “Happiness is not in the mere
possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in
the thrill of creative effort”
Two months into the pandemic. A pastor neighbour of

mine approached me and shared that most of the members
of her church community are all daily wage workers
consisting of 14 families. With all sources of income shut
down, they are deprived of basic daily food grains. How
can we help these poor people? I decide to use our network
of family, and friends as much as possible. I am excited
about the idea but fear and doubts also came in uninvited
as ghosts to haunt me. What if people will contribute or
not? What if we do not collect enough money?
That night, I whispered a little prayer to the divine to bless
our intention. I remember what Tony Robbins said, “lt’s
not the lack of resources, it’s your lack of resourcefulness
that stops you”.
Contribution to society as an investment is

shown on the Asset side of my expenses
Many years back, I used to feel like I overspent and kept
feeling bad. This feeling made me sad, and unhappy and
I felt that I was overspending. One day, I decided to keep
track of my income & expenses. The first month gave me
a sense of a little satisfaction that I was not spending too
much. The feeling I got gave me a sense of satisfaction and
happiness.
I decided to repeat this habit daily; by the end of the second
month, I observed that I was on track and unnecessarily
carried the fear within me.
Then till date, I have been an ardent follower of writing

my income & expenses religiously.
One day, some needed person approached me. He was from
a very poor family and was facing a financial crunch for a
couple of months. He lost his job and could not pay for the
child’s school fees. I chose to contribute a small amount.
That day, I felt a deep sense of peace and happiness that
I could contribute in a small way. At the end of the day,
while writing my expenses for the day, something in my
heart said I should write it on the investment side rather
than the expense side. There was no looking back on this
bifurcation.
The difference between saving and investment is in the
purpose of the money being used in it. They are used
interchangeably but serve vastly different purposes.
The act of taking a sum of money and consciously setting
it aside for future purposes or as an emergency fund is
called saving, whereas the act of putting funds in a money
market, or investment instruments in order to aid capital
growth on the basis of compounding interest rates, direct
stock equity profits, mutual funds, or bonds or real estate
is called investment
A joke I read :
I met money one day, I said “You are just a piece of paper.”
Money smiled and said,“ Of course, I am a piece of paper,
but I haven’t seen a dustbin yet in my life.” That’s Attitude.
Meet Maria Pontes
Maria Pontes is a BA Graduate with PGDHRM. Ended

a professional journey with NIIT Ltd for 39 years from
being a Stenographer to HR Manager. During the 2020
lockdown, she published her first book titled ‘Realms of
Dreams’.
She is the Past All India President of the Indian Association
of Secretaries & Administrative Professionals (IASAP).
Has had the opportunity of traveling to Singapore,
Malaysia, Hongkong, Pakistan & Papua New Guinea.
As a Coach, Maria reinvented a Retirement Lifestyle
planning for herself. Today she is on a mission to help
Women planning to retire or retired to Reinvent a
Retirement Lifestyle of Legacy in a most graceful way
where their entire life is taken care of.
Maria has happily retired by ending one career and
starting the next.
You can connect with Maria Pontes at:

linkedin.com/in/maria-pontes-803b58200
instagram.com/topcoachmaria/
facebook.com/maria.pontes.58726
coachmariapontesinfo@gmail.com
S T O RY S E V E N T E E N
Money - The Ever

Changing Taste in Life
Money - The Ever Changing Taste in Life 213
M oney, like all other things in existence, is energy at

its core, and thus, is an inevitable part of our lives.
Do you think comfortable and peaceful life is conceivable
in a space where one is frazzled by the next day’s craziness
of meeting basic amenities like food and shelter?
As a child, whenever I visited my Nani, she gave all the
kids just enough coins to buy sweet little nothings from
the nearby market. She would tell us that whoever was
left with some money would sleep with Nani that night.
We would get so excited and run to the market and buy
whatever we could from those few pennies, and try to
secretly save from others. Usually the one left with the
most would be deemed the winner and bully the others,
filled with a sense of accomplishment. We were then asked
to keep those pennies in small earthen pots with our
names on them. When we neared the end of our holidays,
we all would break our earthen pots, and the one with the
maximum amount of coins would have the privilege to
sleep alongside Nani as a token of appreciation, making
the rest of the cousins jealous. Little did we know that we
were being taught to value, manage, and save money.
Nani would always tell us stories of how my Nana Ji had
struggled all through his life to make education possible
for each of his siblings and arrange funds for them to be
married into good families. His father expired when my
Nana Ji was young and in school, but as the eldest of the
siblings, all responsibility for taking care of himself and

the family fell upon his shoulders. His siblings were very
young, so to arrange money for their education, he would
give extra classes to his batch mates during the day, and
at night he would study his course material. Being the
intelligent and diligent one, he started earning just enough
to keep the education of his siblings going. He got several
scholarships, completed his master’s degree in English,
and even became the Principal of the college. Every time
he was left with extra income, he would save that and buy
a small plot in the name of one of his siblings. This is how
he managed to get all his siblings married and settled in
their respective lives. Knowing the relevance of education
in life, he even made sure all of his kids were not only
well-read, but also financially independent. He had laid a
strong foundation for each child during his life, before he
battled cancer and finally passed away at a very young age.
“The habit of saving is itself an education;
It fosters every virtue,
teaches self-denial,
cultivates the sense of order
trains to forethought,
and so broadens the mind.”
—TT Munger
However, there was a stark difference in life on my
paternal side. My grandfather had a strong business
in brick kilns. Being a highly creative person, he even
pursued his cinematic interests and worked for a few

films. He only did a short stint in cinematography, as
ultimately he knew he had his business to look after. My
grandmother came from even a wealthier family and was
never introduced to the concept of spending, managing
finances, or saving. Although rich, education was never
overlooked in our house. My father and all his siblings
were given the best education and went to the best schools
and colleges. They were all good in their respective fields,
although subconsciously they knew they did not have to
study hard or base their living on education. A running
business platform was already laid out for them to join.
Some say the woman of the house owns the responsibility
of running it successfully. She is usually expected to
have skills in budgeting, and tracking where the money
comes from and where it goes, regardless of how much
wealth you possess. However, saving, financial restraint,
honest communication, and living within one’s means
was a concept beyond my grandmother’s understanding.
She was a social butterfly who loved to meet friends and
attend kitties. She had close to 100 kitties under her belt
and would have never thought that raising and investing
in kitties would ultimately become the reason to shut the
old running business. Many ladies who had raised huge
amounts in kitties didn’t return her money, and gradually
as it became a regular feature, the capital required to run
the business kept falling short. A day came when there
was no capital left to run the business, and it started to go
into losses because of high expenditures. The business had

to finally be shut down. The joint family was eventually
segregated.
Tips to follow:
• Develop a workable household budget
• Keep a daily track of the income and expenses
• Spend the money wisely, keeping savings in priority
• Never invest money with emotions
• Build wealth with guaranteed results
• Acquire assets, not liabilities
This turn of events mirrored a hard new reality for my
father. Now, as the only breadwinner, hard times fell upon
him. Staring at a bleak and uncertain future, he took the
challenge upon himself to start afresh and make both ends
meet. Amidst all the chaos and tension, he completed his
Chartered accountancy and started his practice of bank
audits and financing loans. Each penny earned cost him
countless hours of reviewing and analysing sensitive
financial records. As a scanner, he burnt the midnight
oil, minutely figuring out discrepancies and frauds. Day
after day, with constant hours of reviewing clients’ endless
documentation and files, money did not come easy. As my
father always said, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
“Complaining about your current position in life is
worthless. Have a spine and do something about it.”
—Robert T Kiyosaki
Ambitious and committed, he did not stop there. I have

witnessed his conviction and determination to overcome
insurmountable odds to come up with a successful Public
Limited company in 1996. I would often wait for my
father, who would stay away from home for days, liaising
with authorities to acquire numerous licenses. Staying up
the whole night preparing detailed documentation had
become a routine for him. The tiredness, sweat, and tears
of waiting for hours to meet the regulatory authorities and
obtaining innumerable approvals were reflected on his
face. Ultimately, looking at his sense of achievement as a
Chartered Accountant who became the owner of a Public
Limited Company, my heart swells with pride and joy.
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic
It takes sweat determination and hard work.”
—Colin Powell
I have seen days when sacks of money would just keep
coming. We would go to the best hotels in the country,
where a normal room would cost around 11, 000 INR in
1996. We would change our cars every second or third
year, and if a car stayed for more than that, people around
would start wondering if things were alright. Although
my mother was never into money, she started enjoying
spending it. Now and then she would splurge on diamond
sets and gold jewellery, without any reason. I too was
influenced by it. I felt proud when guards picked up and
dropped me in my private car. On the way, I would see the
city had huge billboards with the company’s name written
on them. We suddenly found new friends and unknown

relatives buzzing around at the office and at home. Our
house was filled with abundance.
Amidst all this, I once asked my gardener’s daughter if she
was doing well. To my amusement, with her tear-laden
eyes, half swallowing her sorrows, she broke down and
told me about the financial woes she and her family had
to go through every day. “Didi,” she said, “My husband
is a clerk, and has little income. He has to peddle 7 km
every day under scorching heat and sometimes ice-cold
temperatures to reach his office. Our income evaporates
within the first few weeks, and with my little daughter,
I cannot even work.” With a heavy heart, she continued,
“We live in an area overcrowded with tightly woven paths.
We have a small leaky room with no windows or air
vents. There are no proper toilets, and the conditions are
unhygienic. The water we get is also not clean, due to which
falling sick and diseased is not uncommon.” Anxious and
in despair, she started crying over her destiny. I was jolted.
Listening to her heart-wrenching plight, I was forced to
wonder about the lack of money in her life. While I lived
a flashy life with everything in excess, she was leading
a life of destitution, scarceness, low self-esteem, and
worthlessness.
Clenched and clawed in their very existence
Are the poor, who hustle for their freedom to be alive
Shackled and arrested are the rich too
Who hustle, for their little-big trinkets and a dreamy life

Then life happened, and my beautiful younger sister
named Isha, the apple of everyone’s eyes, was diagnosed
with a big hole in her heart. At the tender age of 5, after a
few open-heart surgeries, she succumbed to death, never
returning home back alive.
A delicate little darling,
Fragile as a flower,
With a voice as sweet as a bird,
Flew off, to an unknown land
There was another turning point in my father’s life. His
nest shattered, and so did the company. Unable to cope, he
failed to set clear contracts around working relationships
in his own company. The silent tears prevented him from
standing in the power completely. Through losing his
clear sight, being involved in misappropriation, and the
leak of funds, the company’s unstable revenue stream and
a loss of accountability over employees finally led to its
liquidation.
Management is efficient in climbing the ladder of success:
“Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning
against the right wall.”
—Stephen Covey
The incident deeply affected everyone. The relationship
with money completely changed for my mother. She started
accumulating objects and papers. She kept obtaining

more money, as a temporary symbol of immortality. She
thought it would help minimize the incident of death.
She had found herself an anxiety-buffering system that
seemed to serve her with psychological functioning.
“Money on a deeper level carries symbolic and emotional
value, and can be used to manage death anxiety, as it
provides one with a sense of control.”
The incident took a mental toll on me too. To fill the void
and emptiness in my life, my parents began to honour
every monetary demand of mine, without realizing the
destructive impact it could have on me. It influenced the
way I interact with money later. I felt entitled to have a
luxurious lifestyle and became money foolish, whether it
was overspending, under-saving, or financial planning in
general. I had no foundational knowledge of finance until
I reached a stage where asking for money became a matter
of self-respect.
“Money has a notorious reputation for being dirty and
taboo to talk about. And of course, generations of parents
have avoided discussing money matters with their children
out of ignorance or preference.”
As time passed, financial dependence started to feel like a
curse. I had to be accountable for every penny spent, and
it sucked. It felt like being mentally harassed. I felt obliged
to restrict some of my actions, suppress my desires, and
tend to conform to the way my family expects me to
behave just because I was dependent monetarily. The

societal norms, and the people around me, began to hold
power over me. I was still treated like a kid who did not
understand how the world worked.
I began to question my need for financial freedom. I
would often have conversations in my head: “Had I been
financially independent, I would have had more options
to choose where to go for a meal, when to take vacations,
when to travel, when to splurge on little or big things, etc.”
Now that clarity has dawned upon me, it shredded all
clouds of self-doubt, and I have embarked on a journey
of becoming financially self-sufficient. Now that I realize
my worth, I am determined to be financially dependent.
“A woman’s best protection is a little money of her own.”
—Clare Boothe Luce
Financial freedom for some serves as a door for escaping
the shackles of poverty
And for others, it is a matter of self-pride and worth
For some, it is the weapon of sustaining and safety
For others, it becomes a support to overcome their self-
sabotaging beliefs and circumstances.
Some understand its value through hardships and losses
And for others, it equals physical, emotional, and
psychological freedom.
Meet Megha Aggarwal
Megha Aggarwal is from Ludhiana- the industrial hub in

Punjab. She has done Masters in English Language and is
a rank-holder in the University.
She is a nature enthusiast, who loves to take care of plants.
She draws a lot of inspiration from nature as she feels it
has a lot to teach us. Fond of birds, she likes to observe
and feed them, and a new visitor here and there really fills
her with delight.
Being a creative person, her mind is always filled with
ideas when it comes to painting, crafts, designing, or
clothes. Listening to Podcasts and learning about self-
development is another hobby of hers. She loves exploring
newplaces, and meeting and interacting with newpeople ,
atrait thatthat she recently discovered.
S T O RY E I G H T E E N
Ignite the Fire in You

Ignite the Fire in You 225
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE.”

—Napoleon Hill
A chievement is the result of unwavering belief, greater

determination, the ability to take massive action,
and a never-say-die attitude. It takes a lot of guts to pursue
our dreams in the face of all the obstacles. I realized this
when life pushed me around a corner in terms of financial
challenges to put my desire to succeed to the test.
Our lives begin with a straightforward question. What do
you like to achieve in your life?
In response, we frequently include personal, professional,
interpersonal, and financial goals on our wish lists. For
the sake of clarity, I would like to classify some or all of
our efforts as follows:
In life, we hope to have the freedom of all three traits.

Most of the time, achieving all three is a bit difficult task.
A successful person tries to strike a balance between
these factors. In general, we claim money is the least
important in life, but the irony is that money is the first
priority for achieving the rest of our needs. Money is a
resource and has the power to bring us closer to happiness.
Nonetheless, it is so indispensable that its absence might
cause one’s existence to be uprooted. Obtaining financial
independence is a difficult task but at the same time, it
is essential. In this chapter, I would like to discuss how
financial insecurity has impacted my life and the lessons I
have learned as a result of it.
I grew up in a middle-class family in Chennai, a beautiful
city in southern India bordered on one side by the world’s
second-largest beach. I was the youngest of four siblings
in my family. My parents were less educated and relocated
to this metropolis from a neighbouring town in search of
a better life. My father worked for a government transport
company as a bus conductor, while my mother was a
homemaker.
My father worked thirty days a month to help us survive
for twenty days. The remaining ten days had been always
a frugal existence. Furthermore, my sibling’s education
was subpar. They all had passed out from high school and
started supporting my family in whatever way possible,
and I was standing in the last lane, contemplating whether
to join them in carrying the baton of what they had
accomplished thus far or should I do something different

to help my family.
I finished high school with good grades from the
government school and achieved fourth position in the
school. Yes, reaching the fourth position was more than
a gold medal for my family and me. The next question I
had was, “What do I want to become?” Where would I
be in the future? My father had the vision to train me as a
mechanic or technician because he believed a technician’s
work was superior to his in terms of convenience and
set hours of work. I pondered the question seriously for
the first time that had followed me for a long time, and I
sensed it had a purpose. A technician’s job would get me
to a normal life or one step up from where my father was.
However, the question that haunted me was, “do I want to
be restricted to it?”
My subconscious mind started revolving around this
question rigorously, and I started to have sleepless nights
and began to harbour ambitions to become an engineer
from that point onwards. But how do I move forward?
When I discussed it with my father, he said it was too much
for him, both mentally and financially. There was no one
to guide us. To pursue my engineering dream, I had to
choose a secondary school. Due to my government school
education and financial instability, I had to face rejections
in private schools. I even faced rejections because my
parents were not well educated, and schools valued my
parent’s qualifications over my own. Evaluating a student’s
abilities based on their parent’s qualifications. Is it logical? I

believe that introspection is required at the social level.
When everyone else was looking for the best, I was looking
for a chance. After much effort, I finally got admission
to an English medium school; the principal recognized
my desire to make a difference in life. It was like seeing a
light at the end of the tunnel for me. However, the school
was about ten kilometres from my house. My mother
was hesitant to send me because I would be travelling by
bicycle, and she was more concerned about my safety. I
jumped at the opportunity because it was either make or
break time to pursue my dream.
My realisation today,
“To ignite our wings,
let’s deepen the intensity of our desire!
The more intense the desire,
the stronger the action will be!”
—Sundar D
Life started to turn in the direction of my dream, but the
challenge remained. I pushed myself beyond my comfort
zone and prepared to face any difficulties because it was
the only way to turn my dream into a reality. Let me share a
few examples: there were numerous instances of accidents
while travelling, stammering and stumbling in front of
the entire class while answering questions from the class
teacher. Multiple cases of missed school fee payments,
and last-minute assistance from my classmates to pay the
fees saved some days as well. Life bombarded me with all

the difficulties but God blessed me with all courage to
stay focussed on my studies. I completed my twelfth grade
with the required score to apply to engineering college.
The real breakthrough, the life-changing event, occurred
when I got admission in an automobile engineering
course. As the first-generation engineer in my family, it
was a proud moment to celebrate for us. A ten-kilometre
journey from my house had extended into a four hundred-
kilometre journey to complete my graduation. On the first
day of my college, I realised, how much a small dream had
pushed me to massive action.
My realisation today,
“Define a purpose that reflects who you are!
Do things that show what you’re capable of !”
—Sundar D
Somehow, my father managed our finances. However,
he faced the daunting task of supporting my higher
education. Scholarship/Loan applications to banks were
also unsuccessful due to a lack of collateral and repaying
capacity. My father’s provident fund savings helped
occasionally, but not consistently as he was not financially
self-sufficient. I realised that money plays a vital role in
shaping the future. I was fortunate to have relatives and
friends who supported my studies and admit that my
family put their lives on the line for me.
Soon after finishing my engineering degree, I was hired

in an automotive company’s R&D division. My first
seven years of earnings enabled me to assist my parents
in gradually paying off our debt. I volunteered for part-
time jobs during my weekend vacations. Like a busy bee
collecting honey and storing it in its hive, I began working
hard to earn and save money.
After seven years of professional development at my
previous organisation, I received an offer from a Japanese
multinational corporation. This time, I had to stay more
than two thousand kilometres away from home. I never
looked back and seized the opportunity. It was a fantastic
opportunity to excel professionally as well as improving
financial status. We gradually started to recover from our
financial difficulties.
I followed a simple principle. For every hundred rupees
earned, I spent fifty rupees on living expenses, twenty
rupees on investments, twenty rupees on self-development,
and ten rupees on emergency fund savings. I never went
overboard with my spending. No use of credit cards or
buying luxury items and focused much on improving
professional skills. Luxury was last on our list because we
were battling for affordability. Attempts to make money
through shortcuts such as multi-level marketing schemes
failed miserably. The actions of scammers taught me a
valuable lesson that taking shortcuts is not always the
best option. Conscious efforts to micromanage expenses
resulted in a compound effect, gradually bringing new
opportunities to my family and lifting them out of

financial distress.
Path to Financial Freedom – My Revelation:

A journey to great achievement starts within us, and the
same is true for financial freedom. It is impossible to seek
freedom while being held captive by our own limitations.
According to my analysis, the following mindset freedoms
must be manifested within us in order to achieve financial
freedom, whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur.
1. Freedom to gain knowledge:

My own experience taught me that the first step toward
freedom is to gain knowledge. We must be like a child,
who eagerly develops curiosity to learn new things on a
daily basis. Without the proper knowledge, our actions
will be fruitless. Education or periodically upgrading our
skills gives us choices to embark on a new journey.
As we all know, technology is constantly evolving,

and we can no longer rely on archaic methods to
achieve financial independence. More learning
means more earning. Enhancing our knowledge
and skill set is the first vital step to achieving finan-
cial independence.
2. Freedom to choose what you want:

Not all dreams have the same value, however, a dream
that inspires us to keep pursuing the freedom we seek is
essential. Making a strong desire, whether for personal,
health or financial reasons is an important part of our
lives. The second step to achieving financial freedom is
a burning desire that motivates us to take massive action.
3. Freedom to choose to struggle:

Nobody chooses to struggle, we all know. Objects travelling
up and down gain significant momentum, allowing them
to cover a greater distance than those travelling straight.
It also applies to our own lives. The more challenges we
face, the greater our awareness, knowledge, and insight.
Choosing to struggle gives us the momentum to move
faster. Even if we fail, let us fail quickly and decisively in
order to maximise our chances of success.
4. Freedom to take action – Just in our way:

When making any decision, we frequently follow a Herd
mentality. Being safe is preferable, but taking a calculated
risk is required to take a giant leap in our lives. All

successful people embrace this risk and act in their unique
way. Invest in yourself first, and then choose and chart
a path that has yet to be travelled rather than one that is
already crowded. Remember that a small footpath is the
most important element for creating larger roads in the
future.
5. Freedom to accept the challenge:

Earnings are a challenge, but spending is unavoidable.
Saving, on the other hand, is an essential step toward
financial independence, and it comes with its own set of
difficulties. Earning increases our capacity, but systematic
saving and prudent spending put us on a more solid
financial footing in the short and long run. We don’t know
when our lives will become frantic. So, plan ahead of time
for a backup, such as medical insurance or an emergency
fund. Accept the challenge and plan carefully.
To Summarize:
Today, I believe I have achieved financial freedom to the
point where I could provide a comfortable life for my
family. Nonetheless, I am glad to acknowledge that my
father is a wonderful source of inspiration for hard work,
as is my mother with her love and affection. They are
the ones who have earned the life I have now. My most
important lesson has been that financial independence is
crucial. We need to earn money, which is an indispensable
part of our lives, in order to provide a better life for our

loved ones.
Today, I am grateful and blessed for what I have
accomplished thus far. The mission is still incomplete.
I know, I have a long way to go. Let me start the new
journey to serve the less privileged people.
Everyone carries a dream fire within themselves. A small
word, deed, or situation can start a fire that explodes into
a massive action to liberate us from struggle, pain, and
failure. In my case, it was my family’s financial hardship
that ignited my desire to become educated and achieve the
results I desired. I will never forget in my life where my
dream started. This journey has enriched and delighted
me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share with
you all a portion of my life’s journey and its realisations.
Last but not the least, remember:

Dream big, but action is more significant than dreams.
Live the life that you love!!
Love the life that you have!!
Life is wonderful and to be lived with the finest experi-
ences.
Meet Sundar D
Sundar D is a car enthusiast an automobile R&D

professional. In addition to being a postgraduate in
advanced automobile Engineering, he is also a certified
Project Management Professional certified (PMP). He
believes that facing challenges bravely, remaining open-
minded, and cultivating a supportive and encouraging
environment are the most effective ways to build a great
team and culture.
He is a fun-loving person who values good relationships
and friendship in order to learn, share, and create
memorable experiences. He loves his family more than
anything else and enjoys being around people and places.
His goal is to be a motivational and leadership coach,
sharing and guiding people to always stay positive and
develop into better leaders for future generations.
You can connect with Sundar D at:

mail.sundar.devenathan@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/sundar-d-pmp®-30698155
https://www.facebook.com/sundar.devanathan.7
S T O RY N I N E T E E N
Serendipity and
Gratitude Attracts
Wealth/Wellness
Serendipity and Gratitude Attracts Wealth/Wellness 239
G rowing up, my parents had a small book to jot down

the essentials we purchased from our nearby store.
On the 1st of every month, they would pay off the amounts
due. As kids, we would enjoy adding a few sweets into the
book.
Here is a lesson from my parents: give generously to those
less fortunate than you. My dad had a cup filled with Rs.
1, 2, and 3 coins for the beggars who came to our house.
My younger sister and I would dip our pudgy hands into
the cup once or twice a week to “borrow” Rs. 5 for two ice
popsicles with semiya or sabudana: we would call out to
the vendor from a window and he would serve us through
the window. We would quietly eat the ice lollies, wipe our
faces, and return to the house with complete innocence.
My mother would always cook extra food for lunch. Any
relative or friend who dropped in to see us at meal-times
was always fed well. Beggars who asked for food were also
given generous quantities of food: all my mother would
ask in return was to bless our extended family. There was
great wealth in the heartfelt blessings of those poorer than
us. And those well-wishers, family, and friends who visited
us were always welcomed with a good home-cooked meal.
Tip: When there’s more month than money – save to
survive. “It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of
tomorrow” ~ Aristotle.
Later on, when I had my children, my 7-year-old son had

an idea: he would “borrow” change from me, in amounts
less than Rs. 10/- and save it in a jar. Around the 20th of
the month, when I needed cash, he would proudly present
his jar. We then made it a household habit to collect our
spare change throughout the month in the jar. Sometime
later, these savings were quite substantial, and we could
purchase gold coins for Rs. 3000/- to 5000/- every month
end, for many months. Over the years, these gold coins
appreciated in value and helped our finances when, in
2010, I changed my career from a senior software manager
to an acupuncture doctor.
With respect to food, my favourite giveaways are fruits,
nuts, and sweets. We always had some quantity of these
titbits for those who visited us, and for the beggars. Giving
generously became an ingrained habit in our household.
Tip: Save small to invest well. “Doing the little things can
make a huge difference.” ~ Yogi Berra.
During my tenure as a senior software manager, I had
the opportunity to purchase a house on EMI. This house
was a source of contentment, blessing, and great inner
peace; a haven to our growing family. It was cosy and
compact, and we often had relatives visit us during the
weekends and vacations. The house, at Pillanna Garden,
Bangalore, was located near tree lined roads and mini
parks. Family time was evening walks with my two sons,
each holding onto one of my hands as we went shopping
for the daily provisions, stationary, or sweets. We spent
Saturday mornings at the British Council library watching

Shakespeare movies. It was followed by peaceful evening
walks to Cubbon Park.
Tip: “A House is made of Bricks and Beams; a Home is
made of Hopes and Dreams” ~ Anon.
For four years, we stayed in our Pillanna Garden house
and then shifted to Chennai when I took up a new job.
We found a tenant for the house and started receiving
monthly rental income.
Fifteen years later, my second son needed 21 lakhs for
his higher education in Australia. At that time, I chose to
sell the Pillanna Garden house. To my delight, I sold the
house for exactly 21 lakhs. A financial expert would say
it was the power of buying real estate and waiting. To me,
it is also due to prayer, perseverance and divine blessing.
Amen.
Tip. “Don’t wait to buy real estate; buy real estate and wait.”
~ Will Rogers.
There are some lessons in life that we wish we had learned
earlier. For me, it was the importance of buying a home
at the earliest, with however much money I had. It is also
easy to throw away hard-earned money into unscrupulous
hands while waiting for your dream home. I learned this
the hard way.
When I moved to Chennai, I needed a house for my
family of 5. Having enjoyed the bliss and peace of owning
our own house in Pillanna Garden, I was looking for a
similar arrangement. I contacted a property developer

and described my house needs to him. He had several
properties available. He insisted on down payments
periodically. Then, he increased the price of his flats with
the rise in market price.
I was badly scorched for six years when I allowed the
developer to hold my money as an “investment”. One
day, my business mentor made me aware that I was being
cheated of my hard-earned money. So, I decided enough
was enough and withdrew all my down payments. In
the end, I received only a 9% interest, whereas the cost
of houses had escalated to more than 200% in that time
frame.
Having learned my lesson, I purchased a ready-to-occupy
flat from another builder within a month. I own that flat
till date and receive monthly income.
Tip: Keep an eye for cash depreciation and asset
appreciation – don’t get caught on the wrong foot. “The
only bad time to buy property is later.” ~ Steve Bolton.
Recollecting and sharing this traumatic experience has
been therapeutic. Today, looking back, I am grateful for
this ‘shameful’ and anxious time in my life. It was during
these years that I wrote the first draft of my book, “Serene
Wellness: Daily Practise in 7 Areas”. Moreover, my mentor
re-iterated the lessons on generosity that I had learnt as a
child but had forgotten to practise for some time.
It was during these days that my subconscious helped me

make a decision based on serendipity. I resigned from the
IT job, where I earned a take-home pay of Rs. 1 lakh and
decided to turn towards a life of serving others through
acupuncture and wellness consultations. This was possible,
as my eldest son had started earning and my second
son was completing his graduation. So, the pressures of
monthly expenses were significantly reducing.
To make the transition from a monthly salaried income to
a daily income took some trials and errors. First, I had to
decide on my monthly requirement by taking an average
of the last four months of spending. Then, I created a list
of what was essential and what was ‘nice-to-have’. For one
year, I made monthly adjustments till I got into a flow that
worked best for me. The mindset to survive and thrive on
the irregular income of an acupuncture doctor has given
me a great lesson in handling cash flow: always spending
less than half of what I earn each day now leaves me with
a good amount of savings at the end of each week. This is
then collected and re-invested into assets every quarter.
Tip: “It’s not your salary that makes you rich; it’s your
spending habits.” ~ Charles A. Jaffe.
My parents paid for the education of my first career as
a software engineer. During these twenty four years
as an IT manager, I paid for many self-improvement,
leadership, and management courses, and volunteered as
a professional trainer of DataComm, Telecom, wireless
and soft skills. I was invited by schools and colleges as

a speaker, trainer, and panel member representing my IT
organization.
I then became a Qualified Nutrition Advisor and Beauty
Consultant while working as an Amway Distributor.
There, I learned a lot about building a pipeline, financial
literacy, and leadership skills in action. I started blogging
in 2001 and published my first book (‘Serene Wellness:
Daily Practice in 7 Areas’) in 2018. During 2010 I built my
skills as an acupuncture specialist until I became faculty, a
directress, and a guide to PhD students of acupuncture. I
also specialized and trained as an NLP Master Practitioner.
During lockdown, I invested in digital marketing, social
media, and online tribe building skills. Following this,
I conducted my online “Belly Loss Workshop”. I helped
fund extra courses for my three children, and am now
encouraging my three grandchildren to actively engage in
various hobbies.
Tip: “The first business asset you must invest in is yourself ”
~ Orrin Woodward.
Focus on continuous learning and invest on your own
self-improvement. The shimmering silver threads of
constant growth throughout my life bring in their wake
gilded golden threads of additional income. Spending my
time, resources, and effort to serve others has, in turn,
served me in infinite ways.
Giving generously, with wholehearted thankfulness,

completed my cycle of abundance and helped me get
back in the flow. The pearls of wisdom, scattered through
my life’s experiences, add to the beauty of the gold and
silver threads. Together, they embody the tapestry of life,
embellished with serendipity and gratitude.
Tip: “Serendipity. Look for something, find something
else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to
your needs that what you thought you were looking for.” ~
Lawrence Block.
Meet Dr. Naseem Mariam
Dr. Naseem Mariam is an acupuncture healer, author,

coach, and speaker. For 24 years, she flourished in the IT
industry as a Senior Software Manager.
Starting in 2010, she learned the ancient healing therapies
of Acupuncture, SuJok, and Hijama. In 2013, she received
the ‘Best Doctor Award’ for her dedicated service. She
is currently Faculty and Directress of Serene Wellness
Acupuncture Academy, where she treats her elderly
patients, trains healers, and guides Ph.D. scholars.
In 2018, she published her first book “Serene Wellness:
Daily Practice in 7 Areas, on balancing 7 areas for a
holistic lifestyle. She created 2 books on natural therapies
for her “Belly Loss Workshop”.
She is currently building an online tribe to facilitate a
drugless, disease-free world.
You can connect with Dr. Naseem Mariam at:
https://www.serenewellness.coach
@naseemmacu
S T O RY T W E N T Y
Transforming Lives,
Money’s End Game
Transforming Lives, Money’s End Game 249
“It’s not how much money you make, but how much
money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how
many generations you keep it for.”
—Robert Kiyosaki
I t was a Sunday morning in November 2021 when I

received a call from Anil, a dear friend of mine sharing
the news of his daughter’s post-graduation admission to a
prestigious American university. I could feel the joy and
happiness in his voice and a sense of achievement during
the entire conversation. As we spoke, I was recollecting
our countless past conversations about his financial
worries around funding the education and his dilemma
around whether he can achieve the same. He did some
smart planning and invested in good stocks during the
pandemic which paid off and was able to get a good return
on his investments within a short span helping him achieve
his end goal. I am sure this probably resonates well with
most of us as we had seen unprecedented stock market
growth since the initial market crash around March 2020
as a Covid fallout. When it comes to investment options,
it’s been proven through various surveys and scientific
studies that people make decisions in context to the
experiences, they had in their life instead of investment
decisions based on their goals and the type of investment
options available to them at the time.
To elaborate it further, let’s go back a little in history

during the 80s and 90s and refresh our memories of our
parents having countless discussions around investment
in post office saving schemes, LIC, or fixed deposits tied
up to milestones of their kid’s higher education, marriage,
and self-retirement. One of the obvious choices and safest
investment bets was bank fixed deposit, as interest rates
were as high as 13% from 1995 to 1997 in India. It was not
just a safe investment option but the best investment plan
for higher returns during the period. After the peaks of
the nineties, FD interest rates started a downhill journey
until 2003-04, when they fell to a historical low of 5.25%.
Recent trend shows that the more recent generations like
Z and Alpha i.e. born after 1997 are more inclined to
invest in stocks, mutual funds, and other high risks-high
return investment options compared to traditional means
of Fixed Deposit, etc which ties back to my previous point
around self-lifetime investment experience. The point is
not to discuss which investment option is the best but
to ponder on the fact that to meet your short, medium,
and long-term goal, which investment levers should you
choose, and it must be a combination of stocks, mutual
funds, fixed deposit’s, bonds and other means available to
you. Include instruments like equities and mutual funds in
your investment portfolio right from the start and invest
regularly to enjoy the benefits of compounding. The end
game is to achieve a perfect balance between maximizing
profit and minimizing risk to meet our end objectives.
Till now, I spoke about the traditional means of wealth

generation, and now, let’s look at some of the new means
which are transforming the lives of many people. Bitcoin
as most of us know is the most successful cryptocurrency
to date from a price as low as $0.09 in July 2010 to its all-
time high peak rate of $68,790 in November 2021. We have
heard many stories of rags to riches of cryptocurrency
investors but vice versa is also true. It’s all about the right
investment at the right time. Cryptocurrency is a volatile
asset class that experiences a lot of ups and downs and is
traded 24*7. Though I have a cryptocurrency investment, I
am not an expert. If it seems like an interesting investment,
I advise the following based on my self-experience:
• Only use the extra money to invest in crypto. Don’t
use your savings meant for fundamental needs.
• Invest bit by bit; don’t go for big bang buyouts.
• Diversify and invest in different cryptocurrencies
like Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, etc.
• Best bet is to hold on for long-term investment.
The other thing that fascinates me today is the digital
artwork in the form of a new crypto asset called a non-
fungible token (NFT), a digital certificate of ownership.
Imagine yourself in a virtual reality space called Metaverse
where you are represented by an avatar and various other
virtual investors trying to buy a digital artwork for millions
of dollars as a potential future investment. This is very
much a reality today and if I had to share a scale, the most
expensive NFT ever sold to date is named The Merge, the

creation of famed digital artist Pak, an anonymous digital
artist. The digital artwork was sold for a whopping $91.8
Million. If you have a good understanding of the artwork
and an appetite for the moderate-high risk, I think you
can explore this investment opportunity.
Money generation and savings go hand in hand,
something that creates a balance between a good lifestyle
and a financially secured future. Living within your
means and spending less money than you make is the
most fundamental rule when it comes to saving money,
yet in our modern credit-based society, the art of saving
seems to be getting lost in the mix. Let’s get money-wise
and discuss the basics of the how and why of saving.
In today’s era of social media and peer influence, it’s
important to identify your uniqueness and have control
over your impulses of imitating someone else’s social
life. Most online services today are designed specifically
to encourage impulse buying. Nowadays, consumers
rely increasingly on information acquired from social
websites to inform their purchase decisions. Typically, this
information, which may include product reviews, celebrity
endorsements, YouTube influencer recommendations,
and so on, is acquired through a mobile platform (usually
a smartphone). These mobile apps determine impulsivity
traits of consumers’ intention to buy impulsively and keep
sending triggers to the buyer for impulsive purchases.
So, prioritizing your spending and being mindful of your
impulsive spending are the other two key checks one must
have. I like to equate credit card debt to that of a proverbial
snowball that keeps getting bigger and bigger and card
issuers couldn’t be happier, so avoid the debt trap. Finally,
plan a contingency and retirement fund that prepares you
for the worst and can help you sustain certain bad patches
and plan for your retired life.
Let’s me change gear and try to look at an equation of Money
= Happiness, is it always true? My dad was in government
service and my mother was a music teacher, so we had an
income of a middle-class Indian family, it was enough for
me and my elder brother’s good education and a decent
lifestyle. Like the other middle-class Indian family, the
secret of our family happiness was also triggered by small
events like going out for ice cream, a picnic, or to a Zoo on
a holiday. It was a series of such events that kept us bonded
and made us enjoy life to its fullest. For a long time, we
have heard conventional wisdom saying that “money can’t
buy you happiness.” But a recent study by the University
of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School says people’s well-being
rises with the amount of money they make. There can be
a lot of agreement or disagreement with the study finding
but that’s not what is important; fact remains that money
power gives autonomy to individuals to make choices
about their lives. Our measure of happiness solely depends
on how we feel emotionally, and mentally, and pride in
achieving something meaningful in life. During the early
phase of adulthood, the sense of achievement comes from
education, career, and physical assets like property, car,

etc but as we mature, family, social relationships, and
connections become the measure of success.
Definition of Wealth is contextual and can vary from
individual to individual. In my definition, a wealthy person
is someone who has mastered the ability to utilize money
to positively impact the fundamental forms of economic
and psychological prosperity. In most cases, money may
be able to make people lead a comfortable lifestyle but not
necessarily contribute to a life’s pleasant moments which
come from engaging with people, contributing back to the
society, and indulging in fun and physical activities which
release Dopamine & Endorphins, the happiness hormones
giving us a feel-good factor. It’s scientifically proven that
there is a positive correlation between good health and
higher income, so keep yourself fit, eat nutritional food,
and stay active. If you can afford a gymnasium, please
do so, if not, use simpler ways of climbing stairs, brisk
walking, jogging, etc to stay fit. The objective is to be
healthy; the means don’t matter.
A couple of months back, I was on a flight to Mumbai
and was pleasantly surprised to have a renowned Indian
industrialist sitting right next to me. It was truly a fan
moment for me, and I couldn’t resist interacting with him.
Though we spoke on various topics, our conversation
about contributing back to society and his organization’s
social contribution was quite enlightening. I could see a
spark and enthusiasm within him at a very different level.
With the zeal and energy he was explaining his work

transforming the lives of poor people and improving
the quality of child education in the rural sector, his
gratefulness to God for being blessed with the ability and
financial power to give back to society was worth noticing.
That experience made me learn a lesson that along with
the passion to earn money for individual financial goals,
it’s also very important to have a broader purpose in life.
Purpose can guide life decisions, create meaning, shape
goals, and offers us a sense of direction. The purpose
will be unique for everyone, what you identify as your
path may be different from others. What’s more, your
purpose can shift and change throughout life in response
to the evolving priorities and fluctuations of your own
experiences. Some people feel hesitant about pursuing
their life purpose because they worry that it sounds like a
self-serving or selfish quest. However, the true purpose is
about recognizing your gifts and using them to contribute
to the world—whether those gifts are playing beautiful
music for others to enjoy, helping friends solve problems,
or simply bringing more joy into the lives of those around
you or the people in real need of support. If one can bring
happiness to the world of others using a small portion of
their wealth, the sense of achievement and joy is immense
and that’s something I have personally experienced every
time I get an opportunity to give back to the society,
however small it may be. Contribution is more important
and not the scale.
A realistic dip check on your financial success will be to

ask yourself a question on whether you used the money
effectively to create happiness for yourself and others, and
if your answer is “Yes”, then you should know that you
have achieved the Money’s End Game of Transforming
Lives.
Meet Sudeep Rudra
Sudeep Rudra is an IT professional, Tech Speaker and an

International Agile coach. In his last 20 plus years he has
lived and worked across 5 continents, learning various
cultures and gained expertise in social interactions and
human behaviours. One of his greatest strengths is hiring
and developing, motivated long-term employees and
building strategic teams across the globe to gain common
objective. He has multiple experiences of building large
teams globally (2000+ members).
Sudeep is a certified Black Belt, martial art trainer and
use his trainings to improve his concentration and focus
techniques. He has been teaching the same to under
privileged students on a regular basis to contribute back
to the society.
Human psychology and emotional intelligence are his
favourite subject and he plan to launch his 1st solo authored
book on the same by end of 2022. Sudeep’s end goal is
to connect with multiple people across various ethnicity,
race, religion, culture to develop himself and in turn also
help others achieve their purpose of life. He has been

mentoring few start up founders and young achievers in
his recent years.
He has an Engineering Degree in Information Science and
Executive Management from INSEAD Business School,
France.
Sudeep is a corporate speaker in B-schools and is in the
advisory board of leading Business School in Bangalore,
India.
You can connect with Sudeep Rudra at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudeep-rudra-a6b490/
https://www.facebook.com/sudeep.rudra
S T O RY T W E N T Y O N E
Conquering Your
Limiting Beliefs
Conquering Your Limiting Beliefs 261
“Financial freedom is a mental, emotional and

educational process.”
—Robert Kivosaki
T his seemingly simple-looking quote is full of earnest

wisdom. I always considered a combination of higher
education and great professional skills as a sure-fire way
to great finances. Nevertheless, true wealth descended in
my life only after I realised the emotional part of it.
A lesson I would like to share with you is that despite
dedicated work, the trust of many people, and a good body
of work if you are still finding some blocks in acquiring
wealth in life, this part of my story may help you.
I was born in an upper-middle-class family with four
siblings; childhood is a great memory. My parents were
kind and always contributed to social causes and wanted
us to follow the path. I remember my mother used to say
that she finds the medical profession the noblest because
that’s the only profession where people go to the doctor
with tears in their eyes and go back with a smile! That
sentence got carved on our minds. My sister was pursuing
her BHMS, degree course in Homoeopathy. Being an avid
reader from an early age, I always looked for books to read
in our house. I think I took this after my mother who is
a prolific reader and our house had bookcases filled with
books, especially on philosophy, Biographies, religion, and

several periodicals and magazines used to come regularly.
I must have read every book therein. Reading my sister’s
course books on Homeopathic philosophy intrigued my
mind. It was fascinating the way the connection of mind,
body and diseases were explained. Incidentally, I also
came across a few people with chronic diseases whom
Homoeopathy immensely helped and reduced their pain
and plight significantly. I was encouraged to pursue the
same as my profession. Doctor, I always wanted to be, and
now the stream agreed with my understanding of efficacy.
This decision, to date, brings great satisfaction to me
every day and has been a source of joy too when I see I
not only help people get well physically but help them get
well mentally and spiritually too exactly as the father of
Homoeopathy mentions.
Life was kind of shaping up beautifully . The family was
complete. My son and a daughter growing in the vicinity of
cousins and grandparents. I was able to help the poor and
needy through my treatment online and of fline. I started
Telemedicine in the year 2005, after marriage and was able
to balance duties towards family. This family was very
the same as my maiden family in terms of welcoming
guests. At times I would forget my duties towards my
patients while taking care of guests so much that I was
into balancing my work and family. Then bit suddenly,
I suffered a major personal setback, and it hurt me to
the core. A beautiful realisation I got towards this time
is, though things changed me in a few ways and gave me

a lesson of my life, due to working in patient care and
helping people heal holistically for more than a decade,
it didn’t affect my work. Instead, I found the greatest
solace in working as usual, in alleviating people’s
suffering.
Whatever the problem was, if I am in a clinic or in
conversation with my patient, I was only the doctor and
in my mind used to keep a record of that patient clearly
and my feelings not even for once interfered with my
work. I was in awe of my strength and immensely
grateful to Universe. Gradually, I was conquering my
fears, worked on them, and tried to protect my children
as much as possible as they were the most precious and
my biggest priority but most vulnerable at the same
time.
With newly developed circumstances, my father-in-law
advised me to concentrate on kids, work and finances.
Now, I concentrated more on my work and started
planning for the future. While taking track of finances,
I strangely found that whether I worked more or less,
for the last several years, my earnings had the same
average. I grew up more as a person and doctor, and did
more work but, with exact same results and no growth
as such for so many years even before I suffered the
personal loss. I was kind of stuck.
This was when I felt I needed some help to see where
I was going. Doing overall fine but not growing, so I
hired a coach. Mani (who is now an author and a nice

friend) worked in corporate in HR and called herself
a Life branding coach. I happened to attend one of her
programmes and decided to take her help. She agreed
and our training sessions started.
It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon, my 3rd session with her.
We were sitting in my clinic. I still remember everything
vividly. Mani asked me to find my limiting beliefs. I knew
this concept and worked over it in several areas of my life
in the past but this time when I tried to scan my whole life,
I found something striking. found that professionally, I am
getting exactly what I desired and absolutely, Universe has
given me all that I asked for. It was my belief, and I limited
myself while designing my dream future unconsciously.
Around 25 years back, when I was pursuing my MD,
we used to get a meagre stipend in private colleges &
hospitals. Sometimes then in my mind, I thought, if I
could earn a certain amount per month, I would be more
than happy and contented. It was 90’s and the amount
I thought was pretty good for that time . That number
remained in some corner of my mind for the next few
years. Then when I was a Registrar, a gazetted officer in
Government Medical Hospital, a job paying well. When
my tenure got over, I preferred going to private practice
as I thought it would be more challenging and I would
be able to reach more people. What I realised looking
back that day was, I was earning just a little more than
that number as my average income per month. I was
perplexed.! How Universe has cared for my dreams and

given it to me. I found a few more wishes I unknowingly
wished for and were accepted. One more epiphany related
to my profession was that I always prayed; I want to help
the Poor and Needy. I always believed they needed my
help most. And I was helping poor and ‘needy’ mostly
,if not all. [E1] So helping the poor didn’t add finances
much and out of the rest, 80 percent were Needy. Not
needy in terms of money; they paid me well but they
needed my attention and time very much. Such people
would call me frequently, visit with doubts frequently
and keep me occupied mentally a lot, which used to
drain me out of my energy,thats why with even a decent
number of patients, I used to be too busy.[E2] What a
realisation!
My coach Mani believed in my skills, followed my
treatment for her family members and explained how my
services are needed for everyone whether poor, middle
class, or affluent. She brought to my notice that leaders,
people working at high ranks, need to be fit & healthy
to help more and more people. I found out that such
people were indeed not my focus. I used to be much more
careful treating a labourer thinking that travelling to visit
me again would cost him a lot, but I wasn’t as cautious
of my other patients. I tried to help everyone, but some
amount of bias of need was there in my mind, which was
unnecessary and blocking my growth. I always desired to
do great work but I was partial; I felt so sad.
‘Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition,

bias, prejudice and a PROFOUND tendency to see what
they want to see rather than what is really there.’
—M.Scott Peck
I started working on getting rid of those Self-limiting
beliefs, which was an insidious process, but I succeeded. I
went through specific steps:
1. I started the more profound inward journey.
Contemplated on my vision and mission statements,
and taken care to be inclusive.
2. Thanked Universe for how it had helped me fulfill
all my wishes in the past, but I never realised, and
now I needed help to enter a new horizon.
3. I started visualising how the world would be a better
place when I remove the boundaries I created.
I removed my blocks and started feeling at ease. Today I
find myself wealthier in every sense, like better finances to
pay the bills, have got great friends, two teenage children
who daily add to my patience, understanding, and joy, and
a much bigger circle of well-wishers and happy patients
from all over the world.
There are many milestones to achieve yet but my inner
state is at bliss and whatever happens to my outer self, the
fear, anxiety or angst doesn’t stay with me for more than a
few moments. Work is still in progress though.
Getting rid of many more self-limiting beliefs helped
me know how we are sculptors of our own destiny and
how we unknowingly sow seeds of limit ations . Many

of us try to make our future better just in comparison
to our present. We do a few things here and there and
limit our dreams. I dreamt 200 percent bigger monthly
income than my hospital stipend then but with the
passage of time and change of place, it became a decent
amount. Survival and security are our aims mostly in
middle-class families, and once that security is there,
complacency settles in. Again, we get attached or
addicted to the comfort zone; we must be able to see
our future independent of our present to create true
abundance in our life if we want to be truly successful.
My beliefs were not bad, wrong or harmful to anyone
but they were limiting me and creating boundaries
around my work and ultimately my vision. Today, I
realise that our beliefs are unseen walls around us that
limit the exchange between Universe and us. Let’s break
them and allow the energy of abundance to reach us.
Universe is kind and has our back all along. We can help
ourselves when we nail our mistakes and put honest
efforts to correct them with all the accountability.
Are you facing any blocks in your life? Go deep and
meditate over it. Find out if there are some lying limiting
beliefs of your own. Work towards getting rid of it.
Dear Reader, I want you to do this exercise today. Let me
help you find your selflimiting beliefs around finances.
Find a quiet corner of your home. Tell your family
members not to disturb you until you come out of the
room. Sit comfortably and relax. Close your eyes and go

back to the first memory of your childhood. And then one
by one, start recalling events the way they happened. Try
to see as much vividly as possible and see what you are
hearing about money and fi nances.
Observe how it has affected you and note down all of what
you find. Doing this once more can bring out most of your
feelings around it.
You can do a similar exercise to find out your limiting
beliefs around ideas of Love, Life, Success, and Abundance.
It’s possible that when you are doing it for one, you may
see all other feelings too. Now start working on them.
Follow the steps as I did and succeed. Be careful not to put
any such limitations on someone else’s dreams especially
while bringing up children. Let them dream big and strive
to fulfill it. The world would be so much better place when
every individual dreams big and works tirelessly to bring
it to life! I would be interested to hear your success story
and how you conquered your limiting beliefs.
[E1]Please review this, I didn’t make meaning out of it
[E2]Review this to be sure you said what you intended
Meet Dr Shubhangi Jain
Dr Shubhangi Jain is a veteran physician, Holistic

Cure evangelist and immunity activist who impacd over
36,000 lives, in career of over 27yrs. Her mission is to
make available holistic scientific, and safe medication for
everyone.
She has worked as a Registrar in Nehru Homoeopathic
Govt. Medical College, Defence Colony, New Delhi,
Where she contributed to Hospital administration and
Teaching. She worked as a research guide for a Clinical
project with Delhi Homoeopathic Anusandhan Parishad.
She is founder & MD of Saksham Homoeopathy,
several award winning clinic. She has been practising in
Gurgaon for the last 16 yrs,has helped patients globally
on five continents and is a certified trainer of Reiki,
Acupressure, Ashtang Yog and Energy healing. She is
keen on role of diet and nutrition in maintaining health
and is passionate regarding educating people about it.
She is associated with JITO (Jain International Trade

Organisation) and SAVI (society against Violence
against women in lndia)and is attached to their cause.
You can connect with Dr Shubhangi Jain at:
htt ps://www.inst agram.com/drshubhangi19
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drSHuBHanGi
www.SakshamHomoeopathy.com
S T O RY T W E N T Y T WO
Money is not Sweet

Honey
Money is not Sweet Honey 273
“Money is not everything. Make sure you earn a lot before

speaking such nonsense.”
—Warren Buffet
Y ou like money and love money, and I am sure that’s

why you have picked up this book. Thank you very
much for selecting this chapter to read. We all like and
love money, as we love our near ones, but does our money
also love us equally? If not, then it is a single-sided love
story. My chapter is all about making this single-sided
love story a mutual one. Now, the question is, why do we
love money so much? And, why does money, the sweet
honey, not care about us?
It is our need that compels us to fall in love with money for
each aspect of our life. We need money. It is not just for our
survival, but money is needed for everything that matters
to us. Whatever we do for our health, relationships, and
careers needs money. I know we cannot buy the intangible
things of life in exchange for money, but the availability
of money can enhance the probability of bettering the
intangible or emotional aspects of life.
Why do we need money?

I can say there are two types of uses of money. The first
one is “need” and the other is “want”. As we all know,
human needs are limited, but wants are unlimited. To a

certain level, needs are related to our physical body, while
wants are the creation of our mind.
Here is the list of some needs for money that can also be
termed wants.
Security: When I talk about security, I mean we want a
home, a bit of liquid cash in hand for emergencies, and a
peaceful, comfortable retirement.
Comfort: When the basic need for security is achieved,
we start looking for bigger homes, bigger cars, and a better
quality of life.
Luxuries: After having a compatible life, our mind starts
demanding luxuries like exotic holidays, expensive
clothes, and more.
Status: Our wants do not rest here. They go beyond
luxuries. We need social status and recognition above all
luxuries.
Influence: We cannot satisfy our minds with comfort,
luxuries, and status, but we also need influence if we want
to be taken seriously in society.
Freedom: The ultimate of all wants is to have freedom.
We want to be independent in life, we do not want a boss,
and we do not want a dependency on our children in our
old age.
Leisure: Above all, we need time to do the things we want
to do and meet people we want to meet.
This is the language of the human being, but money has

no mind, so money does not understand our language. We
speak the language of emotions, and money understands
the language of equations.
When I talk about money in this chapter, I talk about the
essence of being a successful investor, not a saver. There
is a huge difference between a saver and an investor.
Anybody with a surplus can save money, but they cannot
be a successful investor. For saving, you just have to be
frugal but to be a successful investor, you have to work
on your mindset and behavioral pattern. You need to
understand the language of money. Once you know the
language of money, you can manage it and make your
money work for you.
We have our own beliefs and myths about money. Most
of us think a person who only talks about money is not
good. Being careful about money or wishing to have more
wealth is the work of a money-monger, and we do not like
these types of people. But on the other hand, money does
not care about this. Money has no caste and creed system,
as we humans have. I have seen wealthy people from
all walks of life. Some uneducated people are wealthy,
some well-educated people are wealthy. There is nothing
common among all wealthy people. The only thing is that
they understand the language of money better.
Who can be wealthy?

We may have various definitions based on our experience
and beliefs. If you ask me, if I can have a good number of
people appreciating me for my charity and philanthropy
work, I may say I’m a wealthy person. Someone may say,
if he has unlimited wealth that he cannot measure, and he
does not have to think before spending, he can call himself
a wealthy person. But in simple terms, as per Richard
Templar (I have taken these learnings from Richard
Templar’s book “The Rules of Wealth”. I would highly
recommend you read this book), if you are spending from
interest on interest, and you don’t need to touch your
primary income for spending, then you can be called a
wealthy person.
Don’t take interest in interest as the business of money
lending and getting interest income on that. In India,
people do not value a person doing business in money
lending. Here, interest means the source of income from
the capital invested. It can be rental income, royalty,
dividends, or profits. All these are passive incomes where
the owner does not have to work. His money works
for him. So, if a person spends only the 3rd level of his
income, he may be termed a wealthy person. This means
his dividends, royalties, rents, and profits are invested
again into some venture, and from there he is spending.
In the Hindu religion, we have multiple Gods and
Goddesses. They have their respective responsibilities and
work portfolios, like a corporate or government structure.
As per Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu is the operator of

this world. He is a cool and calm person. He does not have
any negative emotions like doubt, indecision, fear, greed,
anger, and lust.
Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
If we want wealth and prosperity, then we have to worship
Goddess Lakshmi.
Imagine the picture of Goddess Lakshmi: She is lying at
the feet of Lord Vishnu. She has chosen Lord Vishnu,
not Lord Indra (the rain God), Lord Brahma (the creator
God), or Lord Shiva (the destroyer God).
There are some good habits and qualities in Lord Vishnu
that are not there in any other Gods. As per Hindu
mythology, when the earth came into existence, mother
Lakshmi also appeared from the milky sea shake-up

(Ksheer Sagar Manthan), like an elixir (Amrit) and
poison. She was given the option to choose the right
person from the devils and Gods. She chose Lord Vishnu
as her perfect match. Lord Vishnu has all the qualities that
mother Lakshmi was looking for. We all want prosperity,
and prosperity means Goddess Lakshmi. So, we have to be
like God Vishnu to get her divine closeness or blessings.
Lord Vishnu has many good qualities in his nature. We
can’t be exactly like him, but we can still do something to
get the attention of Goddess Lakshmi.
I have been in the financial world for almost two decades,
and I am fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to
interact with thousands of investors throughout my
career. Many of my clients are successful investors, but
most of them are laggers. I am sharing my observation
here. Those who become successful are not because of
my meager advice. It’s also not because they have a good
chunk of money to invest. By nature, they have CLARITY.
They are not impulsive and compulsive.
CLARITY is needed to be blessed with divine blessings
from Goddess Lakshmi. Now let us explore what
C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. means here.
Calm & Charming: Lord Vishnu is quite different from
Lord Brahma and Shiva. He does not have a beard like
Brahma Ji and he does not have the attire and appearance
of Lord Shiva. He has a pleasant appearance. In Hindi, it
is said that pahle Darshan Dhari phir gun bichari: first

is your appearance, then your knowledge and skill. If we
want to be wealthy, we must look wealthy. It is a small
effort to train our subconscious to start feeling wealthy.
Laudatory Behavior: We must be aware of our every action
and behaviour. We should not take undue advantage of
someone. In business or other professions, we must keep
our values and virtues above profit and benefits. We may
get options where if we compromise a bit on our values,
we can get more, but the gain cannot be sustainable in the
long-term, so we must be careful about our behaviour.
Realistic Goal and Vision: While preparing a roadmap or
goal sheet for the financial journey, we must be realistic
in our expectations. If I am a beginner in stock market
investment, my initial target should be to accumulate
more than average wealth, not to be the world’s number
one investor, or even India’s number one investor.
Impervious Patience: “Markets can stay irrational longer
than you can stay solvent.” - John Maynard Keynes.
Mr. Keynes said this in 1930, but this is true in today’s
market. He was the founder of Modern Economics.
“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
—Benjamin Franklin
“The stock market transfers money from
the impatient to the patient.”
—Warren Buffett
So the mantra to be a successful investor is to have

impervious patience.
Thoughtful: We must be thoughtful while borrowing. It is
said that the person who is free from debt can have the feel
of heaven even on earth. To grow and prosper, or to realize
our dreams and aspirations, we have to borrow. Borrowing
can be of two types. One can be a good one, and the other
can be a bad one. So how do we differentiate? Suppose
a person borrows money for his business expansion, this
can be a type of good borrowing. A student taking an
educational loan is a good type of borrowing. However,
if we are borrowing for a lavish and exotic holiday, that is
bad borrowing, because the money spent cannot enhance
my income or its efficiency. Again, sometimes something
can be a bad type of borrowing for someone, but the
same can be good for another person. For example, I may
borrow an expensive mobile. If I use the phone to create
YouTube videos, and my YouTube videos pay me, then the
borrowing makes sense, otherwise, I have to be careful
while making such borrowing decisions.
Yielding Investment: Last but not least is Yielding
Investment. If we can manage to have laudatory behavior,
maintain impervious patience, and be thoughtful while
borrowing, like Lord Vishnu, then our investments are
going to yield the best possible returns. Here, I would like
to add a lesson from Warren Buffet: he always bought the
businesses he understood, and these are not cyclical. The
stock market may correct and bounce back, but we must
have the impervious patience like Lord Vishnu to apply

the sayings of Warren Buffet.
“Rule Number One: Never Lose Money. Rule Number Two:
Never Forget Rule Number One”
—Warren Buffet
Hope you have gotten clarity on the wealth creation
secrets. With this, you can be the sweet honey for your
money, as your money is sweet honey for you.
Thank you very much, may Lord Vishnu bless us with his
nature, so we may have the closeness of mother Laksmi in
our life. Have a prosperous year ahead.
Meet Vinod Choudhary
Vinod is the founder and CEO of two businesses. He is

a commerce graduate and his home town is Howrah the
adjacent city of Kolkata. His personality can be defined by
the words like dynamic, hardworking and goal oriented.
He has been into financial market for sixteen years. He
feels himself fortunate to have a career where he gets the
opportunity to interact with different types of people.
He believes that getting people open up regarding their
finance is not a cake walk for a stranger. He has been able
to network more than 1000 client in his finance company
(Investment Junction). Most of his clients are out of his
circle of influence. While talking to clients regarding their
finances and planning for their future Vinod realised that
he is not merely selling the financial product. He felt that
some times he teaches them like a teacher, some times he
motivates them like a coach and some times demonstrate
the things like a trainer. So, he founded the training
company Mindset & Skillset LLP. He is passionate about
creating positive change in people’s life through financial
literacy and knowledge sharing. Vinod is one of the co-

authors of the book Unbreakable which become Amazon
best seller in the launching month of May 2022. This is
his second co-authored book project and he has a plan to
write his 3rd solo book soon.
His polite nature and humble behaviour have helped him
achieving success in his life. He stated his career as an
insurance agent but has always bigger dream in his mind.
He is from a very humble back ground, his father was an
illiterate factory worker and has seen all the hardship that
money can create for the poor family. Scarcity of money
and hardship of his family has always been in his mind to
achieve financial abundance. And in search of the path he
landed to financial market.
You can connect with Vinod Choudhary at:
https://www.facebook.com/vinod.choudhary.54584
https://twitter.com/chdhry_vinod
https://www.instagram.com/vinodchoudhary532
S T O RY T W E N T Y T H R E E
Learn to Earn
Learn to Earn 287
“How far that little candle throws its beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world”
—William Shakespeare
I assume myself as a tiny candle in this naughty World;

but today, I am overwhelmed by how well-known
International motivational speaker, trainer, and author
Mr. Amandeep Thind has noticed me amongst millions
of people, staying far away, giving me the opportunity to
speak with you through this Book.
Thank you for giving me the chance and being the best
mentor!!!
Hey! What do you think …
• What do you like to achieve in your life?
• What is the purpose & objective of your life?
• Why are you struggling day in and day out?
Have you thought about it? If not, this is the right time.
Please take out a piece of paper, think through it, and write,
whatever comes to your mind. This really helps, believe
me. This exercise can be done by anyone irrespective of
your age.
My objective in life is to –
1. ………………………………………………………
2. ………………………………………………………
3. ………………………………………………………
So, once done, let’s continue…..
Well! Let me guess what you have written…. I want to
become a well-established professional or like to be the
most famous person or very powerful person; or like to
earn as much as possible in order to lead a happy and
peaceful life and help society, so and so forth. Right?
So, if you want to seek a respectable position in society or
gain power, you ought to become a worthy person by way
of name, fame, or wealth for what you will be known for.
Isn’t it?
You can gain a name or fame by your good deeds or
what wealth you have. So, if you can earn and maintain
a good amount of wealth, you will gain fame, power,
and a respectable position in society in some way or the
other.
Not even that, but for your survival too, you need
sufficient money. We all faced a similar situation during/
after post “Covid” pandemic. If you have not faced any
financial crunch in your life, you might have seen people
around you, have suffered during pandemic. So, it is very
important to plan and find ways and means to earn money
and sustain it for survival.
Learn to Earn 289
So, through this chapter, I like to help people like you

understand the importance of money in life, whether it is
all required for survival and how to achieve it. To begin
with, let me narrate my own life story. I hope you can
resonate with yours or the people around you and would
explain to you how I have overcome this.
Being born in a very humble family, I was the youngest
among four siblings. My father was a central government
employee and my mother was a homemaker. My father
had a very hard life and began his career very late and
with a meager amount of pay.
At a very early age, when I was less than 10 years, my
father retired from his employment, and thank God, in
the meantime, my eldest brother who was a meritorious
student, got a job in Central Government at the age of
18th. Then, we all became dependent on him. Even then, it
was difficult to manage family needs as all were dependent
on a single person’s earnings.
On daily basis, we faced monitory challenges, paying bills,
paying education fees, medical expenses, etc. We, all family
members faced a very stressful life. My 2nd brother used
to work in BAR at night to meet his educational expenses,
somehow, we were managing. Father and eldest brother
managed to buy small land and constructed a small hut
for our shelter. Hence, my main motive was to complete
minimum education and start earning to support my
family.
This is not the least. Since childhood, I faced several health

issues and could not focus on my studies much. My poor
eldest brother who is 11 years older than me, used to take
me on the back of his bicycle from one doctor to another
every weekend but no improvement was recorded.
But mentally, I was very strong and I never wanted to give
up. Irrespective of my health condition, I knew I need to
survive and for that, I need to get rid of this struggle I
face.
So, this instinct, made me become the most sincere and
obedient student. Though I was an average student, all my
friends and teachers used to like me and always helped
me.
After completing my school level, I wanted to pursue my
career in science, but unfortunately, due to my health
issues and poor financial condition, I had to seek a job
very early hence, had to change my field from science to
commerce.
This is the time I understood that irrespective of whatever
may be our main objective and goals in life to be achieved,
our key and basic purpose of our life is to –
• Maintain Good Health.
• Need sufficient money for self-independence/to
become financially strong and not to be dependent
on others.
Learn to Earn 291
• Obviously, for these, I need to gain wisdom, and last,

not least,
• Love and affection from others
These you may call the “Mission” or “Purpose” to lead a
happy and peaceful life for any common man.
To translate these into a single word, I would say, every-
one, is striving for “Prosperity” which involves, money
management, maintaining good health, and sustainability.
So, I think you might be curious to know if I am able to
achieve these and if yes, how did I do it?
As far as my health is concerned, listed below are key
changes I implemented and practiced which have helped
me to reverse my health condition.
• Increase intake of water
• Routine exercises like walking, performing Yoga,
and when getting a chance, go for swimming
• I took homeopathy treatment for a couple of years
though and
• I always try to think positively and never allow any
negative thoughts to pop into my mind.
By God’s Grace and with blessings from near and dear
once, today, I am the fittest person at Home.
My belief is “Early to bed, early to rise to make a man
healthy, wealthy and wise”
To be honest, once I read some of the motivational books

written by renowned authors like Rhonda Byrne, Shiv
Khera, etc.), I started following some of their suggestions
as listed below on a routine basis and could see changes
in my life.
• From my childhood, I am an early riser and sleep
for 6 hours. I wake up between 4:00 am/ 5:00 am on
regular basis, practice Yoga, and go for a morning
walk for one hour.
• While walking, continuously prepare my mind
with a positive thoughts. Pay gratitude and thank
Universe for everything I have.
• I repeat the below lines, as many times as possible
• Thank you for giving me a Happy, Healthy, and
prosperous life and I have been created for a special
purpose.
• Life is so easy! Life is so good! All good things come
to me!
• There is an abundance of money in the universe, I
love money and money loves me. I am receiving
money every day. Thank You, thank You.
• Thank You for a wonderful day!
• At Bedtimes, I spend two minutes paying gratitude
and thanking God; relax body and mind and then
go to sleep.
Learn to Earn 293
I never forget what I learned from my Mom! She used

to pray for everyone on this earth instead of praying for
herself.
As Newton Law says, whatever you send to Universe, it
will come back to you.
By practicing these, I feel more energized and could see
positive results. You can also practice it and see the change
in you.
As far as how to increase our earnings and be financially
strong, this is not a quick hit, for this, definitely, you have
to decide on your desired goal, and based on this, need to
plan and work on it.
The hard fact is that you need to take a risk and be ready
for hardship and accept challenges in life. While doing so,
try to acquire as much knowledge and wisdom as you can
which will fetch you in the long run. If you can apply your
knowledge and wisdom in daily life and accept challenges
in life, then no one can stop you from what you want to be.
Take ownership of yourself, don’t be in the cat race. Know
yourself, understand what you are best for and what you
like the most, be confident, make it an aim and work
towards it, you will surely achieve your success.
Whatever you desire, you will get in life; that is for sure.
Always understand that every one of us faces good times
and bad times in life; only the sequence may change. So
never curse your situation; always face it and let it go.
Don’t get scared and afraid, be confident about yourself.

No matter what Height, weight, color, education, origin,
or caste you belong to, it doesn’t matter. The only thing
you should have –
• Right attitude
• Learn to be a good human being
• Help others in whatever way it’s possible
In order to be independent, earn money and become
financially stable, the key things I did were –
Step 1: First decided what I want which is the utmost
priority.
For me, it was financial stability, so the only option I had
was to seek a good job in a private company in the finance
or accounts domain based on my qualification.
Step 2: Identified ways to gain knowledge and put it into
practice.
Like any other child, since childhood, I was always curious
to learn new things and deep dive to know the intricacies
which helped me to increase my logical thinking and
analytical skills. This has helped me to enhance my
knowledge and I am able to apply it in practical life very
easily.
Also, I like to mention here is, if we keep a practical and
logical approach then, no matter how difficult a situation
may arise, we can handle it very easily.
Learn to Earn 295
Step 3: Became confident, believed in myself and practiced

perseverance.
During my career, I received opportunities in various
fields and domains and I always accepted the challenges
and worked with a smile on my face. Initially it was not
easy for me, faced multiple challenges, worked day and
night, but came up with flying colors. This has helped me
to believe in myself and become more confident in life.
I am very proud that with meager qualifications being
“a commerce graduate” but because of my dedication,
perseverance, and continued support from my parent,
siblings, friends, colleagues, and Bosses, I could achieve
my career goals and became financially stable over the
years.
Step 4: Always got along with people with high achievers,
and avoided people with a negative attitude.
Step 5: I avoid saying, I don’t have money. I always try
to feel happy and have lots of money. This is the biggest
mistake we make most of the time.
Step 6: I always had in mind that I need to build a financial
portfolio over the years to protect my future and lead a
peaceful life. So, during my initial career phase itself, I
started with small savings and gradually increased them.
I mostly prefer opting for low-risk investment plans, so
accordingly, I selected and created my portfolio.
Same way, depending on your age, the regular source of
income you have, and monthly spending, you can decide,
how you can build your financial portfolio to meet your

present and future financial needs.
My only suggestion is, to be selective, invest in the right
portfolio, always take a calculated risk and monitor it on
regular basis.
Step 7: Lastly, I believe in generosity and forgiveness.
I also started contributing to society by donating a small
amount to charity; this makes me happy and self-satisfied
though I don’t spend much for myself.
Pictorial summarization of our learnings -
Lastly, always be happy and keep smiling!
My sincere gratitude:
To the Almighty God and my parent for giving me the
courage and strength to overcome all challenges and lead
a happy life.
May God Bless you all with Happy, prosperous, and
peaceful life!
Learn to Earn 297
Meet Sushmita Sinha
Sushmita Sinha is a seasoned professional in the finance &

administration domain, travelled across various countries,
and learned different cultures and ways of working at the
national and international levels.
Due to her dedication, positive thinking, and perseverance,
she could reach her goals and become independent at a
very early age.
With her versatile exposure over the years, she wants to
share her knowledge with others hence, started her new
journey as an upcoming author.
She is born and brought up in “Orange City - Nagpur”,
raised in a humble family, always has a smile on her face,
resonating with her name, and is a very loving and caring
person who believes in simple living and high thinking.
S T O RY T W E N T Y F O U R
Wings to Fly
Wings to Fly 301
“I need FIER”, a voice echoed in the office canteen,

while I was munching a delicious kachori and a
kadak chai with my good friend, Mohan. A few colleagues
from another project were having a tea break, and a
frustrated soul said “I need FIER as soon as possible…
Enough of the same mediocre routine stuff, man; I want
FIER – Financial Independence & Early Retirement.”
“Mohan, don’t you need FIER?” I quipped.
He pondered and stared into infinity. Taking a sip of
chai he replied, “Ummm, why not Varun? I want loads of
money and early retirement by the age of 45.”
“And then?” I added more fuel to his thoughts.
“Well, after that, I will do what I love,” said Mohan, with
his eyes shining. I tapped him on the shoulder, reminding
him to come back to the reality of fixing critical errors
in the software code, before the next client call. We both
laughed as we gulped down the last sips of tea, feeling
energised to tackle the chores at hand.
“My father gave me the best advise of my life.
He said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t wake up at the age of
65 and think about what you should have done
with your life.”
—George Clooney
(American actor and filmmaker,
recipient of numerous accolades)
Fast forward to a few years later, I relocated from Delhi

to Hong Kong to support my client. It was a fantastic
opportunity to be at the client’s location, to solve some
of the most critical business problems, and to make an
impact where it was necessary. However, after staying in
Hong Kong for some time, I felt stifled due to the unending
work pressure and homesickness. On one of the weekends,
I casually spoke to my dad and told him how I felt about
my professional life. After giving it a thought, my father
reassured me, saying, “My dear son Varun, if you don’t
like what you do, resign from your job and return home.
Once you are here, we can see what to do next.”
It’s been over a decade since this conversation, but it keeps
ringing in my ears. I was earning five times more than
what I used to earn in Delhi, and I was getting ten times
more recognition due to being at the client’s location,
BUT all these DON’T matter if I don’t love what I do. This
reminded me of the conversation about FIER I had with
Mohan years ago in the Delhi office canteen, where he
said “I will do what I love once I take early retirement.”
I was born and raised in a middle-class family in a small
town named Shirva in Karnataka. I grew up observing my
dad. He is a doctor and General Practitioner who served
the community day-in and day-out. He used to make
emergency visits to his patients’ homes, sometimes in the
middle of the night, early morning, and during thunder
and rainstorms as well. There were times when he even
Wings to Fly 303
had to cross a river to reach a few of his patient’s homes.

He had no complaints whatsoever, regardless of the odd
hours at which patients visited. He never took a day off
or went late to his clinic. He is in his 70s now, and he still
goes to his clinic every day. He genuinely enjoys his work,
which he treats as a service.
“Not in doing what you like, but in liking what
you do is the secret of happiness”
—J.M. Barrie
(Scottish novelist, best remembered
as the creator of Peter Pan)
This is where I realized there is a fundamental issue with
our thinking: “Let me first make loads of money, and then
take retirement to enjoy and do what I love”. Life is very
precious, why waste the vital aspect of doing something
you don’t enjoy by anticipating that “one day I will get to
do what I want.” You never know if you will live to see the
sunrise tomorrow. So, live this day to the fullest.
Ever since I had that conversation with my dad, I have
started to look at things differently. The human mind is
God’s greatest invention. Your thought process can make
you or break you.
Thus,
• I started to love what I do; if not all of it, at least
certain aspects that I already had an interest in.
• Instead of finding fault in every individual I met,

I learned to identify positive things that I could
implement in myself.
• Being born in the year of Tiger, I built a framework
for success on the Tiger’s strengths.
Today, I am happy to share my MANTRA with you all.
This framework has helped me never look back, find
success in whatever I do, and, most importantly, enjoy the
process in everything I do. I strongly believe in acquiring
emotional freedom first. Financial freedom will come as a
by-product when you conquer your emotions.
As we embark on a new journey, remember this is the best
time to be ALIVE. Let’s make the most of this opportunity.
There are plenty of GOLD NUGGETS waiting for YOU to
grab.
Before you read further, take a piece of paper and write
down:
“From this day onward,
I am focusing on my bravery,
I am focusing on my wisdom,
I am focusing on my strength,
I am letting go of all the negativity,
I am training myself to see positives,
I am a better version of myself,
I am version 2.0.”
Wings to Fly 305
Now, sign this paper.

Excellent, this is a contract you are signing with yourself.
Since you have already committed to yourself, let’s dig into
the framework I have been following for the past several
years.
These simple, yet effective methods will guarantee tenfold
results if followed in the right spirit and mindset.
The tiger symbolizes BRAVERY, WISDOM & STRENGTH.
Okay, let’s crack this together. First, the 3 pillars,

1. Bravery:
Bravery is all about being vocal in what you believe in.
Never try to dismiss your fear. Analyse the situation
and think of the worst thing that can happen for saying
something that you believe in. You never know, you might
crack a deal that the whole team has been working on for
months. You will know only if you are brave enough to try.
Sticking to what you believe in will make you hold your
head high, even if you have to walk past a door. Living
in the GUILT of “I COULD HAVE SAID THIS” is worse
than “I SAID WHAT I BELIEVE IN”.
2. Wisdom:
Wisdom is a collection of knowledge and experiences
gained over the years. Over the years, you would have
already gained plenty of wisdom in your life, it’s just that
we never sit back and introspect. Once a month, have
your own ME TIME and recall the knowledge you gained
working on that complex project, handling a demanding
client, or solving a family problem. It’s DIVINE.
3. Strength:
Every individual has strengths of their own. It could be
anything: some subjects that were always easy for you to
grasp during your schooling, a few soft skills that come
naturally to you, or a deep understanding of a concept/
process/methodology. Only YOU will know what your
personal strength is. Capitalize on it. Make use of it to
your full potential. This is where your CONFIDENCE can
flow at a rate of 200%.
As we are now aware of the core pillars, how do we
transform the core pillars into actions?
Wings to Fly 307
Here you go, 3C actions:
1. Conceptualize: This comes from the combination of

the Wisdom and Strength pillars. Sit back and think of
the problems in your domain, and imagine what should
be done to solve them. Instead of just following as a
DOER, consider this from the perspective of a PROBLEM
SOLVER. Change this mindset.
2. Create: This comes from the combination of Bravery
and Strength. We may get hundreds of ideas, but it is of
no use if we don’t document those ideas. Capture your
free-flowing ideas on a sheet of paper, or simply those
note-taking apps on your mobile. You never know; some
of those million dollar concepts may have just escaped
into thin air. Finally, be brave to utilize your strengths and
CREATE those ideas.
3. Communicate: This comes from the combination of
Bravery and Wisdom. Articulation is an art; the timing,
the people, and the narration must be perfect. A brilliant

concept written on paper is of no use if it is not properly
communicated to the right audience.
There you go. Introspect on the 3 pillars and 3 key actions.
Be BRAVE to conquer your fear, be WISE to manoeuvre
through problems from your past experiences, and play to
your STRENGTHS.
As people rightly say, “The best project you’ll ever work
on is YOU!”
You need fuel to fire your brain most optimally. The
SPARK WITHIN YOU must have enough fire to keep you
going all year, and year after year.
Along with managing my emotions, there are TEN simple
yet effective rules I live my life by when it comes to
managing finances. I am sharing all of them with you to
use.
• Always have multiple sources of income. Never rely
on a single source of income. This can be a good
dividend paying mutual fund plan, or one-on-
one coaching on your niche subject knowledge, or
creating a YouTube channel to monetize.
• Spend money on upgrading your skills, and refrain
from spending money on things you don’t need.
NEED and WANT makes a big difference. As
Warren Buffet said, “If you buy things you do not
need, soon you will have to sell things you need.”
Wings to Fly 309
• Always track your expenditure for the month. At the

end of each month, analyse and make a note where
you can avoid spending the money. For example,
you don’t need to enrol in an expensive gym to
lose weight, instead you can buy a cycle and use
it everyday. You will not only lose weight, but also
save on the gym fee.
• Spending on electronic items gives zero returns. Just
to follow the crowd, don’t keep buying new cell
phones when newer versions are launched. Spend
judiciously.
• Spend on the best products that will last longer. It
might be expensive, but in the long run, the best
quality products cause the least problems. Thus, less
money would be spent on repairing the product.
In 2010, I had purchased an Apple MacBook. It
burnt my pockets when I brought it, but even to
this day I am using that laptop without any hassles.
Meanwhile, my friend Mohan had to replace his
Windows laptop thrice in the same duration, with
a total cost exceeded what I paid for the MacBook.
• Don’t buy anything in haste. Wait for a month. If
you still feel you need an item or want to enrol for
a membership even after a month, then go ahead
and buy it.
• Always have a grocery list while shopping. Only
buy items from the list to avoid spending on
unnecessary items.
• Always have three accounts: (1) Savings account

(2) Emergency account (3) Monthly expenditure
account.
• Never spend any money from the savings account.
This money is saved for your retirement. Spend
money from the emergency account for medical
and other emergencies. For daily expenses, spend
money from the monthly expenditure account.
• Make investments in mutual funds, real estate, and
stocks. Consult the experts and study the market
before making the investments.
Don’t be gutted with the rat race of earning more
money at the cost of losing your SELF. Enjoy the gift of
the PRESENT, rather than living a donkey’s life for an
unknown FUTURE.
Money will be a by-product of the way you lead your life.
Absolute freedom is how you train your MIND, my friend.
“The single most powerful asset we all have is our mind.
If it is trained well, it can create enormous wealth in what
seems to be an instant”
—Robert Toru Kiyosaki
(American business man and
author of Rich Dad Poor Dad)
We all have the wings to fly high in the sky, but the key to
activating the wings is in our MINDSET.
Wings to Fly 311
Meet Varun Madiyal
Varun Madiyal is a digital & data analytics specialist,

storyteller, author, speaker, thought leader & mentor in
the Insurance industry. He has a proven track record
of building digital and data solutions for insurers and
reinsurers across several entities in the Asian market.
Varun holds a Master’s degree in ML & AI, and he is
currently pursuing Doctoral research as a D.B.A scholar.
He is also a certified ENSA Mental Health First Aider of
Pro Mente Sana Foundation.
With Varun’s vast experience, expertise & passion for data,
visualization and storytelling, he envisions building a
community of data citizens through his signature program
DATA MINDSET MAGIC to help people maximize their
potential with a solid data-driven mindset.
Varun lives in Hong Kong with his wife Namitha. His hob-
bies include Postcrossing, badminton and photography.
S T O RY T W E N T Y F I V E
Out of The Ashes

Out of The Ashes 315
“I’ve known the panic of financial struggle. I didn’t grow

up with money at all, and my family has certainly known
the panic of, ‘Oh, gosh, where’s the next bit of money
coming from?”
—Cate Blanchett
Financial Misfortune
T he year was 1974. As a seven-year-old boy, I came to

Chennai with my parents and my younger brother.
Having been refused shelter by my aunt that night around
11.30pm, we were scouting for accommodation in a cycle
rickshaw. Strangely, I began to figure out that something
was wrong and a pall of desolation and uncertainty filled
my being. It was and will be the most poignant memory
which etched in my memory. Questions like how? why?
And what next? were haunting me.
Up until then, we lived in the beach-kissed land of Goa,
a place known for Fenni and fish. It was a sprawling
bungalow, fully furnished in impeccable style; this was
allotted to my mother who was a Lieutenant in the Indian
Navy. She served during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. My
father too was an Ex Indian Naval personnel who served
in the 1962 war and was a member of the first crew to
bring the first aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT from
Belfast.
From such a lifestyle in a short span of a few months, we

found ourselves in a two-room 300 square feet partitioned
house sharing a few common washrooms. My father was
jobless; my mother had submitted her resignation which
was pending acceptance. In spite of coming under severe
criticism from relatives, the only silver lining in the cloud
was that I was admitted into one of the best private schools.
My brother was sent to be with my maternal grandparents,
my mother left for Goa. I and my father were in Chennai.
My father, eventually found a job and worked overtime to
make ends meet. From being sent to school in a military
school bus I was now commuting in a tricycle. Even
having coffee laced with milk became a luxury. I vividly
remember the conversation I had with my father on my
ninth birthday. He vented all his disappointments and
displeasure by berating me and I quote verbatim, “Your
ninth birthday has got me nine zeros” and repeated
it several times. I was crushed and ripped apart. These
words rent my ears for many years. This hurt left a deep
gash and an indelible scar. My relationship and attitude
toward my father changed and spiralled downward. The
chasm inexorably began to widen. It was a day of despair.
Nevertheless, it eventually turned out to be the day of
making an unwavering resolve that education will remain
my permanent source of financial security throughout my
life. I studied with a single-minded dedication. I moved
from the thirty-plus position to the top three ranks by
the time I finished fifth standard. I maintained this
throughout my schooling; obviously, there were some

slips but I bounced back.
Financial Stability
“At the end of the day, financial stability is not a dream,
it’s a responsibility.”
—Dolores. G. Hirschman
My mother’s resignation was accepted and was discharged
from military service. Finally, we were happy to be
reunited together as a family. Then at last came the
much-awaited financial relief when my parents took the
responsibility of finding an appropriate job for themselves
and they were successful. The income was budgeted and
every expense was carefully considered before spending.
As is customary in an Indian family, my mother too was
pious and religious; she prioritized the interests of the
family as of primary importance. True to her religious
beliefs and her unflinching attitude, the pieces began to
fall into place. Her application for getting a house was
processed and we were allotted eight hundred and eighty
square feet of land with a small house. The allotment was
for the Economically Weaker Section of the society. Our
joy knew no boundaries; there was a sense of ownership
when we occupied our home in April 1977.
Another setback followed suit, my father lost his job as the
company decided to wind up its operation. The service my
parents rendered to the nation was not in vain. They got
a government job specifically allotted for ex-servicemen.

Soon, they were promoted and winds of fortune began to
blow our way.
Financial Turnaround
“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives
you the ability to produce wealth.”
—The Bible
Things never remained the same again. My father got his
next five promotions in very quick succession. By 1980 we
availed of a loan and extended the existing house and now
we had a moderately spacious home. Providence always
enables us to make a smart move in terms of investments
even without being actually aware of it. In 1971 my
parents had purchased a piece of land of approximately six
thousand square feet, at a very less price. As our financial
capabilities now began to enlarge, in the year 1983, we
built a house on that land. With a great sense of pride
and satisfaction, we saw the transition. From living in a
rented home under the constant whining and nagging of
the owners, we now were the proud owners of two houses.
Loans availed were duly repaid. My parents have left
behind for us inheritances that once did not even exist
in the wildest stretch of our imaginations. This financial
turnaround is not an overnight one. It is the result of hard
work done consistently, with uncompromising discipline
and careful financial management. We remained debt
free. Financial freedom at last. My parents went on to

leave significant inheritances for their children.
Causes of Financial Loss

Retrenchment of job, huge unforeseen expenses incurred
due to hospitalization, marital discord that leads to
huge settlement, stock market crash where overnight all
your investments are reduced to ashes, and unforeseen
death of the breadwinner are some of the reasons that
can be attributed to financial loss that is beyond human
control. Financial mismanagement in choosing improper
investments, alcoholism, and gambling are a few examples
of manmade losses. A recent noteworthy yet sad and
condemnable episode is the case wherein a Postmaster lost
1 crore while betting on IPL matches by misappropriating
fixed deposits of 24 families. Inevitably, financial losses
inflict emotional trauma, discord in relationships and
change in belief system and attitude.
Emotional Impact
A plethora of words will fail to sum up the emotional impact
of financial losses in its totality. It triggers a domino effect
when successive emotions of fear, anxiety and uncertainty
begin to grip us. It would not be out of context to mention
an incident of similar nature magnitude resulted wherein
my relative dreaded the ringing of his mobile phone
because his creditor would demand the repayment of his
loan. I was no exemption; I lived in a constant state of

trepidation about whether I will be forced to discontinue
my education: fortunately that was not to be.
Relational Impact
Every financial crisis culminates in discord in
interpersonal relationships within the family. Constant
bickering and never-ending arguments compound the
problems. Eventually, in many cases, health, physical and
mental are badly affected. Some suffer from depression,
which in certain cases leads to suicide. My relationship
with my father in particular and my family remained
strained, though very fortunately, my father and I had a
reconciliation at his death bed! However, most often than
not, my parents were at loggerheads with each other with
sharp exchange of words resulting in a rancid atmosphere
within the family.
Attitudinal Impact
When a certain lifestyle is knocked down as life throws
a curve ball in the form of financial debacle, there is a
radical change in one’s attitude. It stems out of the self-
limiting belief that pervades the whole of our being. The
questions that invariably lie are; what will be my future?
How am I to extricate myself? Is there a positive solution?
Eventually, these emotions sort of paralyse our analytical
ability. Some resign to fate, become bitter, secluded, and
resort to drug abuse, while some pay with not only their
lives but of the entire family. Very fortunately, I was not
sucked into a vortex of such vices. My academic excellence
drew many of my classmates willing to be my friend. I
began to read books to enhance my knowledge and
develop my skillsets. I remained an optimist all through
the period of crisis.
How to Bail Yourself From Financial Crisis?

Accumulated debts have to be prioritised and cleared.
A list of debts to be repaid has to be prepared. It can be
classified along the lines of Steven Covey’s method as
shown below:
As an example, finding a job is both important and

urgent. Clearing credit card overdue and mortgage dues
are Not Urgent, but important. If a new payment plan can
be finalised, payment can be made accordingly. Fill in
your debts in the appropriate box and work toward debt
payment. Once the decision is made, never retract and

never procrastinate. Be true in all your commitments.
Never get into more debts. Make ends meet with the
available resources. Mortgage loans can be transferred to
institutions that provide lower interest rates. If there is an
opportunity to change loans from payment of interests
to having not to pay interest, shift it accordingly. In my
own experience of financial loss, I was looking to get an
educational loan for my son when a friend of mine helped
me in paying his tuition fee of a few lakhs at zero percent
interest.
Make use of the available resources. As the saying goes,
“a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush.” Providence
always leaves back one straw from where you can extricate
yourself. My friend lost a thriving business, sold his house
ventured into real estate business and lost a considerable
amount of money. He then shifted to a dealership with a
partner of dubitable character and lost the last penny. He
had a car in spite of repeated pleas to attach his vehicle
and drive where he can easily make thirty thousand, he
refused to do so till date. Don’t let pride drown you. Pride
and ego will drown you in a whirlpool. Have the attitude
of “Work is worship.”
My Personal Gleanings
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”
The first lesson I learnt was that a financial storm can hit
me at any time. I don’t see anyone immune from it. I have
also known that one can tide over and come out victorious,
there are bound to be scars, moments of desperation and
anguish. But success will necessarily be the outcome.
Secondly, I learnt the value of saving. My first pocket
money way back in 1980 was INR 30. Every penny was its
worth in gold. The concept of saving was unconsciously
developed which has remained steadfast for the past 42
years even amid difficult times. Absolutely, there was
no splurge on spending. What was absolutely essential
was purchased. I saw that my friends and relatives
purchase using credit cards but failure to repay resulted
in a huge monetary loss. I have never held a credit card.
Consequently, I did not go through such financial strains.
Thirdly, I learnt the art of investing. Invested in health
schemes for all my family members which did aid when
each one was hospitalized. The next form of investment
was insurance policies. It performed doubly beneficial.
On one part, it was a life cover; on the other, it helped me
tide over the expenses of the education of my children.
I invested in various types of policies over a certain
continuous period of time with different payment modes.
Another area of investment needless to say was gold,
though not to a great extent. I was wary about investing
in stocks and mutual funds which were not my area of
expertise. Finally, I invested in purchasing a house. That’s
the only time I’ve opted for a housing loan. Never once
have I stood surety for anyone which I consider writing

my own death sentence.
With parental and Godly blessings to back me, I
have extricated myself from the cauldron of financial
catastrophe. Mine is a life that has been built literally
“Out of the Ashes.” Now that I am successful, I do not
wish to lower my guard at any point going forward. I close
my chapter with the wise words of Confucius, “When
prosperity comes, do not use all of it.”
Meet Jayaseelan Wilson
Jayaseelan Wilson holds a Bachelor degree in Electrical

and Electronics. He hails from a family where his father
and mother served the Indian Armed Forces. He can
readily empathise and extend a helping hand by serving
the not so fortunate people. He has a successful carreer
as an Electrical Engineer with a total work experience
spanning more than three decades. His work experience
relates to all the three major areas of Power sector.
He has many accolades in his professional career. Also
he has an immense liking and flair for English language,
a voracious reader. His likes, travelling meeting and
interacting with people. He desires his personal setbacks
in not realising his full potential should not recur in the
lives of school and college students.
His main thrust would be to upgrade their skills,
consistently enhance their personality and instill in
them the confidence so that they will apply themselves
to explore beyond the potential they have been invested

with. Such students as illuminaries the world would be an
ethically morally and socially better place.
You can connect with Jayaseelan Wilson at:
wjab.seelan@gmail.com
S T O RY T W E N T Y S I X
Miles of Smiles
Miles of Smiles 329
1. How many of you believe in the magic of progress?

2. How many of you truly love yourself?
3. How many of you are wild at heart, seeking to
achieve something, no matter what it takes?
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
I f you ask me these questions, I have a story to tell. Let

me share a story that will definitely inspire you. This
is the story of a gorgeous girl who traversed difficult
paths and paved a way each and every time to achieve her
dreams. Wondering who that is? Well, of course, it’s me,
Ajanta.
Robert T. Kiyosaki famously said: Financial freedom is
available to those who learn about it and work for it. This is
applicable to all without exception. There is an abundance
of wealth for everyone in the universe. If people work in
the right direction, surely, they will achieve what they
want. This is the universal law.
Today, my life is blessed. My life is beautiful. I have
achieved a lot. I extend gratitude to all the people around
me, all the situations and obstacles that came my way,
the supreme power that helped me through this journey.
I am especially thankful to Amandeep sir for giving me
the opportunity to co-author this book. Life, however, was

not always like this.
I was born in 1980 in Jharkhand, Ranchi, a place located
in eastern India. I have a sibling named Pallavi. My dad
used to work in a semi-government job, and my mom
was a teacher. Being a teacher, she values discipline to the
utmost level and has always guided us to be disciplined in
life. These values are of central importance in my life. I
grew up in a great environment, but since my dad was in a
semi-government job, there was a financial crisis at home.
We had to think a lot before spending, but if the item was
very necessary, then we would definitely purchase it. My
parents have always believed in saving, and they never let
us feel the scarcity of money. That being said, there was
still an environment of tension around the house. Despite
delays in my dad’s salary, we had a good life because we
practised saving money. When I was in class 7th, my
mom started working as a teacher in a school. With her
earning as well, life became better. Noticing the sacrifices
my parents made, a small idea ignited in me. I decided to
work towards financial freedom.
I completed my schooling in Ranchi. Even after scoring
a high percentage of 82% in my board exams, I was sent
to my maternal uncle’s house in Sambalpur to pursue +2
under the Odisha board. I am blessed to have 4 maternal
uncles and aunties. I have a joint family, you see. Just take
a look at my luck. Despite having so many people around
me, I was still not properly cared for. I did not get the
Miles of Smiles 331
same food prepared by the individual families. Most of

the time, I only ate daal and rice. I also suffered from
chicken pox, and was treated differently. During these
difficult times, I scored 57% in the +2, and it seemed as
though my reputation was sealed. I was taken to various
functions, such as marriages, and introduced to others as
a relative who scored 57% in the exam. Believe me when
I say that people in Sambalpur saw me as the person
who scored 57% and nothing more. I then attended the
engineering entrance exam and could not score well. I
tried for engineering one more time. I put my heart and
soul into studying, and then qualified with a better rank
in the engineering entrance. The pain of not being cared
for and deprived of good food had broken me several
times. However, these situations motivated me to put in
my best and move out of my maternal uncle’s house. Here
too, my idea of being financially free was affirmed. I am
appreciative of my uncle and aunt, and the situations that
made me strong enough to fight. They helped me break
out of a bad situation and pursue a better life. I took up
admission in a good college in Odisha to study information
technology. This was my first Mile of Smiles.
Time flew by, I completed my engineering in 2003 and
went to Bhubaneswar to prepare for the XAT exam. In
4 months, I scored a high rank in the XAT exam. The
financial situation, however, was not favourable for me to
pursue an MBA degree. Circumstances demanded I go to
Bangalore to search for a job. By this time, my dad had
retired, and my sister was pursuing her education in Delhi.

I went to Chennai to give an entrance for the TCS exam
with my dad. Post that, my dad had to return to Odisha,
and I had to travel to Bangalore all alone from Chennai.
I travelled to Bangalore with the contact details of my
friend Swapna. I had decided to stay in a PG with her.
After reaching Bangalore, I tried to call her, but her phone
was unreachable. Tears rolled down my eyes. I feared I
would be lost in this new city. I had no mobile phone, so
I called my mom from the telephone booth. The city of
Bangalore had great plans for me, but I didn’t know it just
yet. At that moment, I remembered I had the details of
my other friends in a slam book. I took out their numbers
and called for help. My friends came forward and helped
me out.
At this time, I decided I would never leave my child alone
in a new city. I would help the child settle down in a new
city. I was also convinced that technology cannot always
be trusted. I am grateful to my friend Rasmita for helping
me out of this situation. I am grateful to the new place,
Bangalore. More importantly, I am thankful to God for
never letting me down.
My new chapter of struggles started in Bangalore.
Recession was at its peak in 2003. I submitted over 150
resumes, attended more than 45 walk-ins, faced rejections
in more than 70 companies, and walked for 7-8 km daily.
Finally, the day came, when I was left with Rs 20. I was too
shy to ask my parents for money. On that day, I decided
Miles of Smiles 333
that until I get a job, I am not returning to my PG. I went

for the walk-in of Convergys, which was 4 km away. I
made it through 11 rounds of interviews and finally got
my offer letter. This was my second Mile of Smiles; a step
closer to financial independence.
The struggles continued. After 1 month of training, I
scored 82% in the exam, when I was expected to get 85
%. I was terminated with immediate effect on January
27th 2005, midnight. Returning to my starting position,
I acknowledged the rejections. Rejection doesn’t mean
you aren’t good enough; it means the other person failed
to notice what you have to offer. I am grateful to all the
companies that rejected me. Convergys deserves a special
thanks for preparing me for my next journey. It was time
to brush it off again and start looking for a new job. After
one month, I got a new job in Progeon.
Here I had to make outbound calls to 100-120 customers
every single day. The customers on the other side of the
phone started the call with slang and slammed down the
phone a number of times. Many times I thought about
quitting that job, however, I couldn’t afford it. My first ever
success, after years of struggle, came knocking when I got
a job in a small software company. It was a moment worth
celebrating. This was my third Mile of Smiles; another
step closer to financial independence. Several times, I
have fallen down, crawled, and been treated differently
in many places. Finally, I am in a software company, in a
good position.
Lessons learned, yes, the right lesson was learned: Never

worry about the delay of your success compared to others,
because the construction of a palace takes more time than
an ordinary building.
One of my most precious achievements was when I
cleared PMP in a short span of 45 days, unexpected by my
mentor, because I scored the lowest among 30 people in
the classroom mock exam. I was the first to give the exam
in my batch and came out with flying colours. Post that I
got this job in my present company where I continue to
work. This is the best decision I made, and it has helped
me considerably increase my salary. My Mile of Smiles
was being able to purchase a car and house.
People with great passion can make the impossible
happen. Also, IMPOSSIBLE means I M POSSIBLE. With
loads of challenges that life has offered me, I have made
the best decision to my knowledge, put my heart and
soul into everything, and created new versions of myself.
Sometimes when I look back, I wonder how I came this
far. My daughter adds a spark to my life and makes me
feel like I can achieve anything. I send my gratitude to
my family members and, above all, to God for creating
a miracle in my life in the form of my best friend, my
daughter, Debasmita. We celebrate our success, we cry
through our pain, we fail many times, we get up and brush
ourselves, and, like the push me doll, we are ready to face
our challenges on a daily basis. Both of us, myself and
my daughter, plan our day, where we spend our precious
Miles of Smiles 335
moments and quality time with each other. My daughter

has seen me break down and push myself, each time with
renewed energy to achieve the next impossible feat.
A few words for my daughter: You are my miracle in life,
and have given me new reasons to grow. I wish to give
you the best life ever. I want you to grow into a beautiful
human being, which I know you will. Dearest God, my
heartiest gratitude for sending me such a special person.
A few words for Amandeep sir: You came as a torchbearer
in my life. I have received great knowledge from you. Your
compassion, your knowledge, your ways and techniques
have made a significant improvement in me. My heartfelt
gratitude to you for giving me the opportunity to be a co-
author in this book. I just cannot express my happiness, as
this has certainly fulfilled my dreams. It has brought me
one step closer to my dream, my long-awaited dream of
being an author.
My message to all of you readers would be that each and
every one of us has the power to become extraordinary.
For that, first, we need to love ourselves, forgive all the
people who have hurt us on the way, ask for forgiveness
from the people we have hurt, and finally, we need to look
ahead.
One of my teachers used to say, either you choose your
destiny or destiny will choose you. There is a contrast
in the statement. If we have the power to change our
destiny, we will put in every possible effort to redirect
it. Otherwise, if destiny chooses us, we will have what is

supposed to happen. It may not be the best ending ever.
There are people who have taken control of their destiny
in their own ways and have made a great mark of their
presence on the world.
So, what are you all waiting for? You all are great
craftsmen. Take the first step to redirect your life, be your
own craftsman. Make a difference in your own life. If I
can do it, so can you. Believe in yourself, as you can make
your life more beautiful for yourself, more than anyone
one else can.
Miles of Smiles 337
Meet Ajanta Behera
Ajanta Behera is a software engineer by academic

qualification. Her love for literature is inevitable and is
an avid reader who loves to write her experience and
thoughts in blogs. Her mission in life is to help people
build up their confidence and improve their English
communication skills to lead a better life. She never fears
failure.
She was born and brought up in Ranchi and stays with
family in Bangalore. She loves travelling and is a pure
Gemini. She cannot stay without travelling.
Her daughter is her moral strength and she believes
her daughter is a heart moving outside of her. She has
achieved success and her daughter is the main reason for
her success.
You can connect with Ajanta Behera at:
ajanta.behera@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajanta-behera-pmp-csm-itil-
669b7321
More Books by
The Author
https://www.amazon.in/Secret-Winning-Setbacks-
Design-Always/dp/B083WGD384/
This Self-help book gives its readers courage and

confidence with practical tools and techniques for
winning in life. Amandeep believes every human being
can become a Winner if they choose to be. This book can
be a roadmap for you to reach from where you are to where
you want to go. He is on a mission to create more leaders
by breaking their limiting beliefs & teaching them public
speaking skills which are practical, learnable, duplicable
& requires no talent.
https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Courage-
Transformational-Stories-International/dp/9811488983/
Ever Wondered What Your Life Would Be Like if You

Had Unstoppable Courage?! Does your life feel like one
stop sign after another? Just when we start believing that
anything is possible, life throws us multiple curveballs. If
you’re looking for that one great push, this book is it! The
question is... how will you overcome yours?Even if you’re
struggling with self-belief, motivation, courage, or moving
forward, that’s all about to change! Read “Unstoppable
Courage” and watch your life transform!
https://www.amazon.in/Rejection-Redirection-Journey-
Overcoming-Rejections/dp/9390617219/
Rejection has a way of teaching and redirecting us to the

original goal of life.
If we can interpret the rejection correctly as an opportunity
to redirect our focus to betterment and reality.
This book perfectly describes the redirection of thought;
this shift in mindset prepares you to look at the world
before you for the opportunity.
Read “Rejection to Redirection” and feel the change in
mindset.
https://www.amazon.in/Speak-2-Shine-Amandeep-Thind-
ebook/dp/B09M8S2D3S/
Communication is one component that influences various

aspects of our life. It is the single key to resolving day-to-
day difficulties. To convey one’s individuality, one must
communicate. The meaning of a person’s life is incomplete
without expressing their true self. This book will assist
you in understanding various stages of communication
and how to begin their own path of speaking.
Read “Speak 2 Shine” and you will learn the value and
significance of public speaking.
https://www.amazon.in/Unbreakable-Amandeep-Thind-
ebook/dp/B09ZLKSNBH
Our secret weapon for having a bring-to-completion life is

self-love. This is because your inner person’s environment
shapes your outside atmosphere.
You must first love and respect yourself before you can get
very strong liking and respect from others.
This book will assist you in learning how to love yourself.
Read on to uncover why it is vital to embrace self-love to
achieve greater pleasure in your life.
https://www.amazon.in/BILLIONAIRESS-Goal-Stephanie-
Benjamin-ebook/dp/B0B9HG5825
BILLIONAIRESS...is the goal: A book about Power,

Business, Leadership and Relationship. And where it is ok
to be a woman.
This book shares secrets about how women will lead
the world in the coming future financially as well as
emotionally.
How this male-dominant society will turn into female
dominant.
To know the secrets Read this book now.

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First Published by Penman Books 2022

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• It’s time for a mindset revolution. Instead of being

Meet Vishal B Malkan

Vishal is one of the top coaches and authors in the areas

inspired thousands to take charge of their destiny and do

Money - Your Friend or

T he conditioning that I have grown up with is that

heavy home loan. We were happy. However, the happiness

2. Take professional advice and build a good Stocks

health and do not have it or have to pay through

10. First, invest and then spend the remaining amount

their health and their body. This sentence from my

14. Real-life learning starts only after you finish your

These may seem like just 12-pointers but this is my learning

Meet Preksha Singh

Preksha Singh is the founder of Cosmolance Tech

Wealth Inside Out

A fter considerable experience in business, corporate,

indulged in objectionable activities. I realised that my

business, ﬁnancial, and relationship issues stem from

in. Through our initial struggles and resistance

4. Could one of these other interpretations be valid-

2. Choosing The Right Career

considerably more time, commitment, and eﬀort.

Passion, excellence, and a desired lifestyle must all be

3. Invest Only in What You Won’t Need Access

put in jeopardy due to my selling at a loss and incurring

Meet Zubin Mirchandani

Zubin is an award winning Self Leadership Coach with

“It matters not how strait the gate,

L iving the life of a millennial is not easy, and that is the

their New Year’s gift. I was never a demanding child, and

Life is not an accident; we all have a destiny to fulfil