After a couple of projects that kept me busy for over two months, pushing my own boundaries and found successes, I am back to the space of my passion, helping others push their boundaries. When I opened my email box after about almost 10 days of inaccessibility, I found this interaction… I felt compelled to share with each one of you – those who have that ‘Infinity’ (infinite potential) but have not pushed oneself!

This is a set of two mail exchanges….starting from the latest….For a few starting from the bottom (the first email from Vaibhav may be more appealing…) I am sure it will spur you to push your boundaries. Love.

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On Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 7:04pm, R Sreenivasan wrote:

Glad to hear from you Vaibhav! Inspiring that the email interaction and the session made a difference to your journey. I am sure you have grand goals set ahead. Wishing you the very best to conquer new milestones.

This interaction goes on my website….to inspire more.

Love and wishes,

Sreeni
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On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 3:59 PM, Vaibhav wrote:

Hi Sreeni,

Just out of nowhere, I found this e-mail conversation that happened with you 3 years back. And I was overwhelmed once again to read your detailed response to my query. And how my life has changed over these 3 years.

Currently I am pursuing MBA-FT from FMS Delhi. I joined FMS last year after scoring a 99.4 percentile in CAT 2014.

I am enjoying my life and the complete FMS experience.

Sreeni, in these 3 years, I had no idea about this conversation with you, but your words always echoed and inspired me. They kept me motivated and so you owe a big share for my success.

And only today I realize that it was you who made me ask “How badly did I want FMS??” And only today I can recollect that the anonymous transcripts that I have in my file are from that webinar of yours that I had attended 3 years back.

Thank you very much for your help.

keep going…! All the Best..!

Do acknowledge if you read this mail.

And do connect with me on facebook and linked in if possible.

Regards,

Vaibhav

MBA-FT (Batch of 2015)
FMS Delhi

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On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 11:06 AM, R Sreenivasan wrote:

Dear Vaibhav,

To help you, let me narrate my story.

I gave CAT in 1990, prepared along with my brother. I was then doing my M.Tech from JNU. I did all the hard work, he did the smart one – built on my hardwork! He focused on the end, while I am very focused on the means. He made it and I could not make it. I then joined TCS in 1991. I loved creative work and my work in systems programming at TCS was very interesting. Yet, while my second year into TCS, I saw the seniors there in, and I figured out that, as you grow in the organization, it ends up being managing.

In 1992, I was charged again for getting into IIM – Babri Masjid incident happened a couple of days before CAT, and it was deferred by over two months. I lost steam as I was neck deep in my project as the head. I worked in TCS for three years. I fought tooth and nail with TCS, not to go abroad, as I wanted to get into IIM. I continued my preparation with vigor to again go after it in 1993, and made it to IIMB. I was 28 then (just to tell you that 24 is no big deal)

Hailing from a humble, economically low-middle class family, with a father working in central government, who used to get a salary of 3-4K a month even a couple of years before his retirement, we realized that education is the panacea for our future. Though this realization dawned only after class 12. Parents helped all the way, by supporting whatever we chased.

I immersed headlong into making my career and life only after class 12. Being the eldest at home, I was always trying to figure out what next by myself. Unlike today, then only means of information was newspaper, if you are able to afford. Whether it is IIT or IIM, I got to know about it only when I entered a better institution at the next level. And I tried to catch up with what I missed, a couple of years down the line.

So, whenever I chose to do something, I was very focused and adamant at getting in. Whether JNU or IIM, I was very determined. I am very tenacious and go-getting once I set my eyes on anything. Perhaps the struggle I went through during the growing years and the outlook I got due to it, makes me a fighter. Mind you, inherently I am a lazy fellow. But set a goal, I will go after it like mad.

Preparations for CAT has been a grinding one. Singular minded. Only aim was to be in IIM. For those three years of my pursuit, I did not lose my steam. Kept myself hanging there with immense drive from with in.

People used to ask me why I was so hell bent. Why not go abroad through TCS and enjoy life. Most of my friends from those days who took that path are doing well in life. I wanted to do something on my own and I was not wired to be in that programming and consulting space forever.

From June – December, I knew nothing but CAT and Office. Got to know Diwali only when I heard crackers being burst outside. Home being a one bedroom government apartment that accommodated six people including four children who are into studies, I had to find a peaceful place to prepare. I prepared either at my office staying overnight or I requested the ‘chowkidar’ in the neighbourhood school to open a classroom for me. I used to crash on the office carpet or on the bench of the classroom by 10pm. Got up at 2am every night to prepare till 7am, then got going for the day. This continued the whole of 5-6 months, every day.

The journey as an entrepreneur / edupreneur for the last 16 years has been no different. It is a challenging day, every day. If we want to do things that we have never done before, we will go through the same emotions and grind.

It all boils down to “How badly I need it”. You need to ask, how badly you need it. I am sure you will find the drive and ideas to schedule your next three months to crack it.

I am sure you will. Attend my webinar – “Dream It! Do It!”. All my learning from my journey that keeps me going goes into this session that helps people push their own boundaries.

I hope, you are now determined to go after it with all your might in the next three months.

Dig deeper, you will find more reserves.

Best wishes and love,

Sreeni

PS – I am going to post this question and my answer without your name being divulged on my website – http://www.sreeni.org.

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On Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 11:32 PM, Vaibhav wrote:

Hi Sreeni,

Got your email id from career launcher website and hope you might help.

Sreeni, Just to give you a brief insight, I appeared for CAT-2009 and got 98.1 %ile. Since I scored low in Verbal, so I did not get calls from any of the top 10 colleges.

Finally, I was offered admission in NMIMS-Mumbai, but I gave it a miss so as to give another shot for IIMs and FMS.

I appeared in CAT 2010 also but scored a mere 93%ile. Ambitious very much though, I dont know what to do and how to do with this exam. I am very much ambitious, start really well for things, but in the middle I drop the enthusiasm and the will to take it to the end. Had been trying to tackle it all the way till now, but nothing seems to work.

Finally, on this day, I am a 24 year guy who is working with HCL @ Rs 3 lpa. Don’t know what to do and how to go for CAT this year with hardly 2 months left for preparation.

Please guide me how is it possible to crack this one exam so that my whole life could change. I hate technical job. I have always dreamt of making my career in Business world.

I aim to fly high but cannot see the horizon. Please help…!!

Thanks,

Vaibhav Agarwal

—
R. Sreenivasan,
Co-Founder, Career Launcher (I) Ltd.