Category Archives: Gyan

54

Suits: Lessons Learnt

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Disclaimer: This is not a review and no spoilers ahead.

 

I have started watching the television shows lately. I know, I am a bit late to enter this arena but I will try to catch up. Right now, I have just finished the 5th season of Suits. Apparently, it’s not suitable for kids under 18 (that doesn’t mean it has any Adult content but they won’t get it). And if you are over 18, I just have 4 words, it’s damn effing awesome. You can’t afford to miss this one.

The Plot is: a maverick lawyer (Harvey Specter) working in a corporate law firm hires a fake lawyer (Mike Ross) who turns out to be as good as the maverick lawyer. And the consequences the firm faces for hiring a fake lawyer.  The entire plot revolves around the life of 6 main characters. Obviously, it has multiple sidetracks to keep the viewers engaged for the five seasons. And the sixth (probably, the last) is on its way.

This show gives out a hell lot of lessons to learn from different characters.

Lessons Learnt from:

Harvey Specter is a kick-ass lawyer working at Pearson Hardman. He is someone who goes by his instinct which turns out to be a calculated risk paying off well in the end. He is the best goddamn closer.

  1. You always have a choice.

“Harvey: What are your choices when someone puts a gun to your head?
Mike: What are you talking about? You do what they say or they shoot you.
Harvey: Wrong. You take the gun, or you pull out a bigger one. Or, you call their bluff. Or, you do any one of a hundred and forty-six other things.”

  1. Dreams are just a figment of imaginations on the other hand goals are SMART. They are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

“I don’t have dreams, I have goals.”

  1. Read people. Know what they want and give them what they need. Use your emotional intelligence to turn things to your favor.

“I’m against having emotions, not using them”

  1. Always have the eye of the tiger.

“That’s the difference between you and me, you wanna lose small and I wanna win big”

  1. Sometimes you have to bold enough to make the right decision which might look wrong to others.

“Sometimes good guys gotta do bad things to make the bad guys pay.”

  1. Don’t leave anything to chance.

“I don’t play the odds, I play the man.”

  1. Looks can be deceiving

“Just because a pretty girl gives you a story, doesn’t mean it is true”

  1. You can’t make the first impression twice.

“First impressions last. Start behind the eight ball and you’ll never get in front.”

  1. Always have a Plan B

“When your back is against the wall, break the god damn thing down”

  1. Attitude matters a lot. Always have the right one.

“I don’t pave the way for people. People pave the way for me.”

  1. There is no substitute for hard work.

“The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.” 

  1. Don’t make excuse. Accept the defeat with grace and give credit to the one who deserves it.

“Winners don’t make excuses when the other side plays the game”

  1. Confidence is everything.

“I could be drinking a juice box and still kick your ass.” 

  1. Don’t command respect, earn it.

“My respect is not demanded it’s earned”

  1. Love yourself.

“Have you ever loved someone so much you would do anything for them?

Yeah, well, make that someone yourself and do whatever the hell you want.”

Mike Ross is nobody with photographic memory who becomes somebody after playing Robin to Harvey

  1. Live with your decisions and face the consequences.
  2. Be self-righteous and admit your mistakes.

Louis Litt is funny and interesting. He is a character with different shades of gray (just to clarify, I am not referring to 50 shades of gray)

  1. Do whatever you can to get what you want
  2. Adapt to the varying circumstances

Jessica Pearson is the Pearson (founder and managing partner) of ‘Pearson Hardman’, one of the best law firms in New York.

  1. Use your power wisely
  2. Do whatever you can to protect the things dearest to you

Donna Paulson is Harvey Specter’s secretary acting like Sherlock Holmes at times

  1. Always be loyal to your work.

“Loyalty is a two-way street. If I’m asking for it from you, then you are getting it from me”

  1. Don’t engage in a personal relationship at work, there is no coming back.

Rachel Zane is Mike Ross’s love life. She is sexy and hot; and she rants a lot in Season 5 (Oops, was that a spoiler!).

  1. If you are going to love someone, love that person to the moon and back
  2. Never give up. You may try and fail but never fail to try.

So what are you waiting for?

 

P.S. I can guarantee one thing, after watching Suits, you will definitely feel like becoming a lawyer 😀

“Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of how awesome I am”

INDEX: 11 20

71

The Goal

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Disclaimer: Proceed only if you do not believe in “Everything is lust and mirage (Sab moh maya hai)”.

 

We all know how we are born (I know, they forgot to wear the protection), but for a moment let’s think about the “why” part – the meaning of life.

I don’t know if you remember it or not, when you were a kid, elders used to ask “what do you wanna become when you grow up?” and we used to say – Doctor, engineer, lawyer, bus conductor, blah blah. And the answer to the question changed with time. But one thing always remained constant – whatever it is, we just want to be successful. So the interim conclusion is “The goal of life is to be successful”. Success is something that everybody wants in life, but what is success? What are the parameters to measure success?

I have listed few people who are / were extremely successful in their life.

  • Bill Gates viz. Money – The Richest person in the world with net worth of 79.2 billion USD (I can’t even imagine what I would have done if I had 79 billion, I wish I had at least the remaining 0.2)
  • Vladimir Putin viz. Power – “Forgiveness is between them and God. It’s my job to arrange the meeting.” You don’t get to say something like this on a television unless your name is Vladimir Putin
  • Mahatma Gandhi viz. Respect – Father of the nation, India. He has his face on Indian currency (I dream of that every single night)
  • Shrikant Jichkar viz. Education – The most qualified person of India (I think I would exceed the word limit if I mention his educational qualification)
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger viz. Strength – Won the  Mr. Universe title at the age of 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times
  • Lionel Messi viz. Skill – One of the greatest footballer of all time and winner of FIFA world player of the year five times
  • Stephen Hawking viz. IQ – Paralyzed and has an IQ level of 160, yet he is the man who helped the humanity to understand the universe.
  • Charles Babbage viz. Invention –Father of the computer. Can you even imagine the world without computers? (Boy, we have too many fathers in this list)
  • Vasco da Gama viz. Discovery – First European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia for the first time.
  • Brad Pitt viz. Sexy wife – Behind every successful man there is a woman

Okay, now, how did you arrive at a conclusion that these men are successful? They never said themselves that they are successful; it was always the others who judged whether they are successful or not. Oh, you think the metrics which I used describe success!

Now I am gonna put my wild card on the table. Consider a common man who was not a billionaire, politician, revolutionary or a genius, was he successful? First thought – Hell No (he did not even wham Angelina Jolie).

But what if I say – the man lived his life to the fullest without any regrets, he cherished his life, he had few loved ones who were always on his side, he had done the right thing to the people who crossed his life, he was healthy and happy doing what he was doing; he did what he always wanted to do. Now, what would you say – was he successful? Think about it.

 

P.S: I believe, I deserve a Nobel Prize for answering the biggest question of all time! 😛

In case if you are wondering, I was not high when I wrote this 😀  Jai “dev” Gurudev.

INDEX: 01 10

11

Two Dimensional Gandhi

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As the sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way, the earth orbits around the sun, our life revolves around money (come on, it’s just a piece of paper, really!). The basic necessities of life (roti, kapda aur makaan) viz. food (including water), attire and shelter everything revolves around money.

We don’t know the value of money until we start earning. In the childhood, we would ask our parents for pocket-money to buy our favorite candy. I still remember the grinning look on my face when my grandmother used to give MY pocket-money to my mom on MY birthday (grandma: isko kuch khareed ke de dena). I also remember the smirk on my mom’s face when my granny started giving me my pocket-money in my adolescence (mom: arey iski kya zaroorat thi)

When we start going to high school we feel shy about asking for money from our parents rather we start taking (stealing ahem) without their permission. (You wanna go for a date with your GF, don’t you?) Then comes the college days which is when you start to realize the power of money. The guy with the biggest pocket gets the hottest gal (so much of true love). You always wanted that dream motorcycle of yours in those college days but can’t get it (goddamn self-respect). That’s the time when you enlighten yourself with the power of money. You start to believe in it.

Once you get that feel of it. That’s it, from there onwards everything, every single decision you make is controlled by money, to such an extent that you

  • Even ditch your passion and start searching for a job just for the sake of money. (Wildlife photographer vs. IT Professional)
  • Think before deciding upon a restaurant (or bar, just in case)
  • Consider while going for those lavish brands of clothing (Gucci vs. Aditya Birla Group)
  • Slog for that four walls and a roof (Villa vs. 2 BHK)
  • Kiss your boss’s ass for that sedan (promotion) you always wanted
  • Look at your CTC before you get married (if your would-be is not earning)
  • Decide the budget before going for a trip (Paris vs. Goa)
  • Plan your child (ab bacha kaun plan karta hai yaar), their education according to your financial growth
  • Start thinking about your retirement plan at the age of 25 (WTF)

The few pointers mentioned above consume your WHOLE LIFE, and all of them are decided by money. Let that sink in for a moment.

There was a time when I used to earn 12K and beg after 20th of every month. Now I earn 45K and I beg after 21st of every month. As you see, there is not much of a difference (although there is sufficient amount of hike in my salary). The fact is, the more you earn the more you spend. Human beings are driven by greed and not by need. If I have a Royal Enfield then I want a Harley Davidson; if I have a Hyundai then I want an Audi. That’s how the mind works. Once you get control over that mind of yours; you get control over everything in your life. Then money will be just another parameter (which will definitely have a say but it won’t dictate)

Money can definitely solve most of your problems but not all (I know that you would rather cry in a Ferrari than on a bicycle). There are many important facets of life which money can’t control (I may not be able to list it here, please help yourself http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/50-things-money-can-t-buy.html)

The thing is it’s not about how much money you make or save. It’s all about how wisely you spend it. There is no point in living life king size on first few days of the month when you have to beg like a dog for the rest of the days. And there is no point either in all that saved money when you are stretching your legs in your grave (yeah maybe your grandson can drive you to hospital in a Ferrari)

The point is to make sufficient amount of money and not get hypnotized by it.  Money should not control you, you should control it. You should be in pursuit of happiness and not money (There are few who are confused between the two but don’t worry you will get it at some point of time; if you are in pursuit of the latter, just make sure that you don’t get lost)

I would like to quote James Hunt: “I intend to enjoy myself first. Some of life needs to be for pleasure. What’s the point of having a million cups and medals and planes if you don’t have any fun? How is that winning?”

Mind power \m/ Sab moh maya hai

 

P.S. Oh Shit, I forgot to put the disclaimer. In case your name is “Bill” or “Gates”, you just wasted 5 minutes of your life. You are already above the so-called “moh maya” 😀

And rest of the guys please post where you are begging so that we don’t bump into each other 😛

INDEX: 01 10