1. Trusting
blindly in my business, or any business for that matter, is never a good idea.
Most people are driven by self-interest or profit, and we can’t judge them for
it. What we can be is provokable, so people know we won’t be sitting ducks if
they mess with us. P 86-87
2. “Be
so good that they can’t ignore you”. I start afresh with
each project. I forget who I am and my past laurels. It keeps me grounded and
makes me work harder. It takes time, but if you
are consistently good at what you do, at least you get to call your success
your own. P 87
3. Looking
at the larger picture gives you perspective. Like when a plane takes off, you
realize how small your little cocoon of problems, in fact, is. P 88
4. The
education system, by and large, gears everyone up to adhere to set industry
standards. While this is a foolproof way to get a job and live a normal life,
very few people can break out of the cycle of the mundane to be adventurous,
inventive, and selfless. The safety net of a regular job is too comfortable.
When I declared to my middle-class Indian academic parents that I intended to
not make use of my degree in journalism and instead move to Mumbai to become an
actor, they were apprehensive but supportive. My mother told me, “You have to
lift off the back foot while taking a step forward, or you will not be able to
move ahead.” P 88
5. People
make recommendations based on what they think is safest for you, or based on
their understanding of who you are and what you ought to be. They set invisible
limits on how much you can achieve in your life and pass those limitations on
to you inadvertently. I was told to not do independent films (the films I owe
my career to), to dress like others (making me a fashion-friendly homogenized
clone with no identity), date or marry rich (again, safety net), and not be
vocal about political issues (no matter where you are, you have to pay a price
for voicing your concerns, and that’s a price I was willing to pay). This stuff
is simple; it may not always be easy. P 88-89
6. ~“so what” exercise. I make a statement and ask myself “so what?” at
the end of it.
For instance,
a. X was rude. So what?
b. I felt disrespected. So what?
c. I don’t like being disrespected. So what?
d. What if everyone stops respecting me?
So what?
e. I will be alone and loathed. So what?
f. I don’t want to be alone. So
what?
g. I have an irrational fear of loneliness. So what?
h. It’s
irrational. So what? So nothing. I’m good. So what? So nothing. P 90
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richa_Chadda
https://www.amazon.com/Masaan/dp/B016HZZUPG/ref
https://www.amazon.com/Powerplay/dp/B073PH5QPJ/ref
RICHA CHADHA is an
award-winning Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She made her debut in
the comedy Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, and her major breakthrough was a supporting
role in the film noir gangster saga Gangs of Wasseypur. Richa’s role as the
bellicose and extremely foul-tongued wife of a gangster earned her a Filmfare
award (India’s equivalent of an Oscar). In 2015, Richa made her debut in a
leading role with the drama Masaan, which received a standing ovation when
screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Reference
Ferriss, Timothy. Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World (P. 85). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
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