688. India to Germany, a Gamble That Animates His Life

“When I was growing up in India, the custom was that your parents would say what you should do. Now, it is getting better, but it is not the kind of open society of the West. I was the guy who always wanted to be free and not follow the rules, do something crazy, and figure out my own way. From age eight to fifteen, I just wanted to explore the world, make mistakes. That is how I learned a lot of things.”

“I had two options: keep going to the I.T. job I hated, or figure out what I really wanted to do. So, I took a step back and said to myself, ‘OK, Rohan, go into your past memory and find out what it is that you always wanted to do.’ That was one thing. And the other thing was, ‘how am I going to pay all this debt I have put myself in now?’ I took a good two months off. I wanted to figure out the most practical way to get out of the situation. That is what I did.”

“We as humans have stopped thinking on our own and we are just blindly accepting what society is telling us. When you see a small light at the end of the tunnel, where you realize there is much more to ‘me’ than what is going on in your life, and when you start exploring, you start discovering things about yourself that you would never ever have discovered if you hadn’t taken a new route. That is where the real growth and success happens.”

1. Learn to sit quietly, without all the electronic distractions, and listen deeply to yourself.

2. Think back to childhood and remember the things you always wanted to do. Let that guide you toward your deepest desires.

3. Recognize that you are always much more than your current situation. Be alert to that small light at the end of the tunnel.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Remarkable Story About Living Your Dreams, by Robin Sharma