There are a myriad resources defining your ONLY path to success and how you can turn your entire life around by reading a single book or watching a short video or even reading a blog post! We have all been there trying to redefine and transform our existence and take it to the next level, scavenging through any form of information to find that magical key. But Wait! Do you know where the lock to this key resides?

I was 12 years old when the first compact disk writers were launched that allowed making multiple copies of compact disks. My friends and I loved playing computer games and while riding my bicycle on a Sunday morning, I asked one of my friends if he would like to start a business with me. With complete stupidity and ignorance we decided to sell expensive computer games at the lowest price to our friends at school , simply by making several copies from one original copy. To us it was like the photocopy machine, and the word PIRACY was only introduced to us after we boasted our first sale to our families. We had to return the money earned after our families aggressively defined various elements of law and ethics to discourage our innocent fervor. The business ended in a single sale, but each time I hear the word piracy, I laugh foolishly in my head and showcase my story of innocent entrepreneurship with utmost joy!

At the age of 17 I was tricked into being a part of a pyramid scheme by one of my closest friends, selling internet learning kits, that promised to deliver money right to my mailbox. We all know how attractive those sales pitches in fancy auditoriums with free food can drain your pockets with false promises. Today when I meet the same friend, we laugh at our gullibility and understand that the mailbox can only be filled with checks when we stop looking through the eyes of others.

A couple years later I decided to become a young real estate agent selling one of the prime properties designed only for the elite. I was a simple engineering student with a worried family wondering about my future in the real world. I hustled my way through limited resources to acquire contact numbers of the prominent elite. I shamelessly contacted each one of these people, requesting a single meeting to present the beautiful piece of real estate they could call another home away from home. With no formal training or guidance, but only relying on my shamelessness to achieve, I learnt the art of cold calling. I maintained a diary making notes, writing messages, setting reminders, while my father was biting his nails exasperatedly determining the value of my engineering education. Did I succeed in selling? Hell no! Did I meet some fantastic successful people? Hell YES! My shameless persistence and stupidity to believe in my own greatness led me to meeting a few prominent members of society and catch a glimpse of their lifestyle. The bonus was I knew more about real estate than any of my classmates and could pick up the phone anytime anywhere with utter shamelessness!

I can only describe a handful of my experiences in life and how each experience is only a a step further on the learning curve on your way to success. Success is a relative term – to some it could be the success of wealth, or the success of fame, or the success of health or even success of having a stress-free mind. We often fail to realize that the one’s who attained success had to first go through immense failure. Failure is often a predecessor to Success.

Am I successful today? It’s a journey that cannot be contained to a single moment. After all, we are humans, and we will never cease to want more from life. I am successful each day when I can lead a healthy life, manage to pay my bills, laugh with my family and cherish this beautiful life while continuing to strive to learn, explore and simply LIVE MORE.

The lock for your key to success resides in YOU! It is your inability to take action relying on dominant notions of society. It is when you fail to stand up to the word against you, and simply do it! Whatever is holding you back from making that small, stupid and shameless act, may lead you to success, but more importantly, it will lead you to a story of a lifetime. Embrace your stupid shameless self and live, because it takes courage to be stupid when others are doing nothing!

Carpe Diem!

 

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