“It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success” – Lionel Messi
What seems to be an overnight success is actually a result of many sleepless nights. I realised it when I started chasing my dreams and took deliberate actions to turn them into reality.
There were times when it was almost impossible to move forward. The only thing that kept pushing me was the biggest purpose of my life. The purpose which my destiny probably had for me.
My aim was not to become Amazon No.1, I have a purpose much bigger than this. Being a best-seller on Amazon is just a by-product of working for my passion wholeheartedly.
It was 2016, when everything changed for me, destiny decided to test my strength and patience. Although, I always wanted to be a great motivational author and speaker but I didn’t have a clue of how to go about it. I used to write motivational articles and poems on my blog for several years. But in 2016, things turned in a way that it created a sense of urgency to actually take massive actions for my dreams.
I had just completed my MBA. Despite having so many great achievements and accolades in my profile, I got rejected from more than 100 job applications and more than 20 interviews. Finally, I landed up in a job where I was getting paid even less than that of my previous job before MBA. It meant starting everything from scratch again. On top of that my parents stopped believing in my capabilities and blamed me for my wrong decisions.
Since childhood, I have been told to study hard in order to find a good job and a safe career like any other middle-class family. I was a topper throughout my schooling from nursery till senior secondary. I was in the top five during engineering, all India top performer during my previous job, topper in my MBA and got a Mark of Excellence award for my contribution to the college. But still, I failed to get a job I deserved.
I come from a very humble beginning and I have seen my parents trying to make ends meet. Being in that situation, when all that I was trying, was to create a better life for my family, I found myself alone and broken. I almost decided to quit, not just on my dreams, but on my life too. Yes, you read it right. I was almost on the verge of quitting on my life.
It was then I realised my blunder. I was lacking confidence and zeal for taking any decision because I was trying to live someone else’s dream, be it in my career or personal life.
That day, I decided to live a life of my dreams. I told myself “It doesn’t matter what job I’m doing right now but I will do anything to turn my dreams into reality”.
It gave birth to the biggest purpose of my life. I realised that I was not the only one who went through all this. There are millions of youngsters who go through such phases of life every other day. I didn’t want them to give up.
I had no intentions of writing a book until I went through this challenging phase of my life. I just didn’t want anyone else to face what I had been through, because I know how bad it is to think of yourself as good for nothing. I know how it feels when your back is against the wall and no one seems to be supporting you. I know how hard it is to acknowledge your self-worth when no one believes in you. That moment you find yourself in a pool of loneliness.
My friends, it’s hard. It tests your patience, faith and belief. It’s hard to gather all pieces of your broken self-image and build it again to be able to stand in front of your own eyes. It’s hard but definitely possible.
This longing kept me moving through the toughest of challenges. I started talking to people through personal sessions and workshops. I did whatever it took to complete this book and bring it to a level where one can use it to rewire one’s life. It took me more than a year of investment to make this book a reality.
People frequently ask me about the secret of “Rewire for Massive Success” becoming a best-selling book on Amazon? And I laugh it off by saying, “Good marketing strategy of course”. But I don’t consider that as a major contributing factor.
When I started working on this book, my prime focus was on three major things:
- A well-defined structure which can be used by any reader in any situation.
- Principles which are simple to understand and easy to implement.
- A book that talks about truth even if it’s rude and bitter (no sugar coating).
Only then, it can have answers to questions which a reader might have. That’s why, even before coming up with the first draft of my book, I started talking to people in order to understand their challenges and bottlenecks. I conducted numerous workshops and personal coaching sessions. Only then, I prepared this step-by- step guide which is very fundamental and to the point. The principles discussed in the book are based on real life experiences and have been found effective by many people. It’s not a general “feel good motivational” book. It’s a guide crafted with relentless efforts and utmost love.
This is the reason people showed confidence in the book and it became a best-seller.
But what I learned during this process is very special.
When you have a purpose bigger than your own existence, no challenge or obstacle can ever stop you. They might slow you down but can never stop you. When you have such kind of purpose in life, you are always hungry and never satisfied. You just enjoy the journey even if it is filled with struggles.
It’s more like a game where your opponents, try to stop you from putting the ball into their goal. But you keep running with ball in your hand with all the strength you have. You do it once, twice, thrice... And you just love doing it again and again.
Please remember this, if you have a purpose which is bigger than you, all your problems will become tiny. Those problems won’t even matter to you anymore. Such purpose will make your life meaningful and valuable not just for you but for this entire universe as well. It will drive you through the biggest of challenges in life.
I have found mine. What’s your biggest purpose?
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)