Do not just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order. There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if our mind is full of tensions.

Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoons kept in your month. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health & relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing spark – don’t take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 25,00 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?

It’s okay, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, Enjoy with your friends, fall in love, little fights with your loved Ones. We’re people , not programmed devices.

Do not be serious, be sincere

-Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis