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By: Pravin Shekar
Tags: Alternative Learning, Leadership Skills, Outlier Marketer, Strategy, Storytelling For Business

What can I tell you about this Baskaran?

I have known him for years, still, am yet to understand him.

Every time we meet, he seems to be doing something new. Something different. Unconnected.

He seemed to enjoy it as well.

Business.

Movie-binging.

Travel to various parts of the world.

Rearing pets. Many pets. Dogs and cats.

Opening another business.

Books.

Advising at least three other companies.

Food-binging.

Exercising.

Cycling 1000 Kilometres.

One more business.

I had decided that the next time we meet, I will give him a piece of my mind. We had a good equation and could be pretty open with one another.

That day arrived.

It was the birthday dinner of a common friend at a resort far away from the city of Chennai. A bunch of decided to stay back in the resort.

Baskaran was enjoying himself. A teetotaller, he was nursing his fresh juice. He was sitting on the beach, on a natural mound. The moon was bright, and the who scene was lit up. The waves teased us, coming and going. He put his feet in and enjoyed the feeling, the calm.

I sat next to him, and we just sat there, silent, for a long time. It was that kind of scene and mood.

He opened up and asked what I was up to. I did mention that it was the same thing I told him a year ago. He smiled.

I gently broached the topic to him.

Me: Baskaran, have you heard the story of the person digging for a well?

Baskaran: Of course, he dug in several places but not deep enough in one place, to strike the water table.

Me: Yes. That relates well to your career as well, right.

He let out such a laugh that I was sure the whole resort would be awake now. He continued to laugh until there were tears in his eyes. It was a gentle laugh; that much was clear. He was not laughing to make fun of my question. I sat there perplexed, looking at him.

After a while, he said:

Baskaran: The reason I laughed was that six months ago, right here, Rajesh had asked m the same question. Rajesh asked me why I was doing so many things.

I am sure you have the same question to ask me.

Me: Yes. Why are you into so many things?

Baskaran: Well, one, I like doing many things, one thing at a time. There is only one life, and I have decided to live it to the fullest. On my terms.

What or who defines success? For me, it is me. That’s it. This is not being selfish. This is being wisely selfish. Only I know what I want. What I need.

I will not allow another person or process to define that for me. I will not value myself on standards set by others.

Two, I consider myself a problem solver. So, if I am only aware of one way to solve a problem, and that does not work, I am stuck. With my varied experience, though, there is a possibility of gleaning specific examples or steps from other ventures/initiatives/events and putting them together. That almost always works for me. And for my clients.

And Three, I have multiple sources of influence. The serial binge-watching, for example.

This is what Sherlock Holmes had to say in one of the episodes (S3E4):

“Sometimes, to solve a case, you need to start another.”

This was the same answer I gave Rajesh, and do you know what he did after that.

Me: I don’t know. The last I heard, Rajesh was in Tokyo.

Baskaran: He quit his job. Took up professional speaking, workshops, and consulting. He now travels the world doing what he likes, when he wants.

Rajesh lives life on his terms now. Yes, there are some short-term sacrifices, but the long-term gains are phenomenal.

So, I live for myself as I serve others.

I decide. I learn. I imbibe. I mix and match.

I have my hands in many pies.

I. Am. Happy.

**

Whose standards are you living by?

Isn’t it time to ask yourself that question?

Decide what you want.

Reset the parameters.

Live

Life

to the

Fullest!

**

Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer, parallel entrepreneur and a raconteur.

Connect with me at Outlier @PravinShekar.com

For creative collusions, join: http://bit.ly/JoinMyOutlierTribe

Pravin is the author of multiple books: http://tiny.cc/PravinShekarBooks

Devil Does Care, Marketing lessons from The Art of War, Marketing lessons from Mythology, Getting paid to speak, a Virtual Summit Playbook, Climb your way out of hell, a collection of travel pics/romantic poems, and stories from the heart!

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