Introducton

When writing a book, certain questions wander about in one’s mind. What will it be about? Why am I writing this? Will it turn out as I imagine it?

This book was an initiative to help dissuade typical set perceptions of people, especially youngsters, with regards to working towards a successful life. Life and success, both don’t pan out as planned, both hit a curveball when you want to hit a century. Success then, comes to those who figure out a way to hit the century regardless.

The book serves as a collection of interviews I took with twenty people from different walks of life, who were from very mediocre backgrounds but grew up to be leaders in their fields: Men & women with determination & grit, few having battled societal norms and even their own misfortunes but ultimately emerging as victorious.

I’ve endeavoured to capture significant phases from their early childhood and teen years, typically never published before, to give readers a glimpse into their formative years, which more often than not had a bearing on what and where they are in life today.

At a time when most youngsters today are prepping up for the rat-races, be it in academics or the early stages of their career, it is important to sit back and indulge in some introspection. These could be the most formative years of your lives. Be competitive, but be flexible. Be like water; you put water in a teapot and it becomes the teapot, you put water in a cup and it becomes the cup. Become your success, don’t be consumed by it. Never stop thinking to exceed yourself in life. Be hungry, be curious and most of all be prepared, for possibilities which you didn’t know existed.

Excellence should not be limited to the subject of discussion in academics or a corporate job. Few of the most successful people in life didn’t fare well in either, and yet went on to be hugely impactful to millions of people today.

Creativity, Compassion, and Courage, These are the three Cs which all these twenty people identify with in their lives. The book serves as a reminder that greatness is achieved not through the mere conception of it in our minds. It bears fruit only when combined with these three requisites along with a drive to do more than what has been done.

As a 17 year old who is going to enter the world of possibilities, these stories inspire me and challenge me to not only fulfil my dreams but also build new ones along the journey which I will undertake. Nothing must seem impossible and no dream must be unreachable, it all stands within the grasp of one’s hand, all that’s left to do is reach out and grab it, all possibilities of it.

Here’s hoping you leverage their life stories to make an impact on yours!