The Blog of HARSH BATRA

An entrepreneur's thoughts on business & life

Is fortune the answer to life’s riddles?

It is amazing how we are judged not by how we are as people but how much we have. I keep seeing the value given to money and title on a constant basis. Yesterday while I was playing a cricket match I overheard my teammates talking about one of our own. The praise bestowed on this man was that of the millions he has made in his business endeavors, the Mercedes S-Class he drives and how he owns everything one would want to buy. Money, title, social standing, connections, possessions – these are the parameters with which we judge people. Does it not make more sense to judge a person’s character instead of the clothes he wears or the car he drives? Don’t get me wrong, money is not a bad thing! I of all people am a big proponent of making money but money should always be seen as a means to an end, not an end in itself. In a business profit is like oxygen, you need it to survive and be sustainable. In fact I think that you can make a bigger dent in the universe as a businessman than as a non-for profit worker.

Is it really bad to want the finer things in life? No, ofcourse it isn’t! We all want to own a dream house, drive the best cars, wear the best clothes and travel to the most breathtaking destinations in the world. That is why shows on Travel and Living, Discovery or MTV which let us peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous are so popular; it makes us value those luxuries more than those who actually own them. But ask yourself, is happiness really a by-product of everything they have amassed? Continue reading

Do your “thoughts” really define your life?

Purpose, positive thinking, attitude, belief, perseverance; they all seem like part of the same side of the coin. Books like “the Secret” and Napolean Hills “Think and Grow Rich” aim to teach the ability to think your way to attaining whatever it is that you desire in life.You want to make more money/have a better relationship/be happy/rule the world? Think about it, believe it and the forces of the universe will make it happen they say.

But what about the flip side? I would actually go as far as to say that uncertainty, insecurity, fear of failure and inhibitions actually take the better of us. Some fear losing their jobs, some are insecure about their better halves and some feel uncertain about the future; fear is actually a very paralyzing feeling! We all have our set of fears. The point is how do you deal with them? I am reminded of one of my favourtie quotes said by an old man – “I have known great many fears in my life; most of which never happened!”. Continue reading