Aditya Birla Group - Today is hard, Tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. #IIMTrichy

Challenges are part and parcel of life. A life without problems will be too dull. Challenges test your resilience towards difficult or un​​known situations.  I have faced various challenges in my life, ranging from issues arising from education, social or even work-life balance, which had made me strong and made me what I am today.

Although there are various accumulated diverse experiences, I wanted to talk about a specific situation in my life where I needed to show my resistance and persistence to move forward and also which taught me a great deal about life and gave a new perspective towards it. 

About 2 years back, I was trying to put together a startup with one of my friends. I had quit my lucrative paying job and had invested all my savings into the company. As the months passed, we burned through our initial capital and with little to no revenue, I was utterly broke. I needed to earn money to take care of my necessities as well as I had to focus on the startup. To be able to do that,  I left my rented flat to save the rental money and started living out of my friend's living room couch. Not having any money in my bank account and no backing of my parents, I needed another source of income. At this time, I started taking freelance projects to fund my basic needs. I would work the entire day on the startup doing market research, making supplier calls, product development, remote team meetings and at night I would do my freelance projects like graphic design, video editing, photography projects, web development. It took me almost 3 months of hustle to get back on my feet with stability in my finances and money in my bank account. Even today when I look back at the time I feel mesmerized, I didn't know how I did it, but I overcame a challenge that seemed impossible to me. If I had just given up then, then maybe I would have turned towards my parents and had to leave my startup and join a job. The 3 months of hustling taught me to Never Give Up. Each challenge that you set for yourself should help you to become better. They make you wiser and improve your capabilities. Challenge yourself to greater heights and try to become a better person. 

I think it is the perfect occasion to quote Jack Ma  "Never Give up. Today is hard, Tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” 

Thank you Aditya Birla Group for this wonderful initiative!