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I recently got a chance to speak at Illinois Institute of Technology's Graduation day.  Sharing thoughts at an event like a graduation ceremony is usually the reflection of one's own lifelong learnings and experiences. But this post is not about my speech. This is about the speech of my friend and mentor Tathagat Varma (TV), which I found quite inspirational. The detailed speech can be found here , but sharing quick summary and a sketch note as below. His top three advise for graduating class were: 1. Be a Learner    It is important to be a lifelong learner. If we sit on the laurels of the past, we are eventually destined to become irrelevant.    The real "learning" will only happen when you start putting all that to practice and realize that there are things that you don't quite know, or you begin to question what was taught in the classroom. 2. Be a Maker    If you want to continue being relevant in your careers, make sure you discard the charms of...

I was recently invited at the Illinois Institute of Technology, India's 19th graduation ceremony as a dignitary and had to address the graduating masters students. [Update on 26th-Mar, the video of speech available on YouTube] Sharing the part of the speech that i could reproduce as below: I always see myself as a sportsperson disguised as a corporate professional. I have never been a natural advise-giver but in the spirit of trying, i will share some things today. Stay in the present, enjoy the moment: In Jan 2018, I ran Mumbai marathon. A full marathon is a distance of 42.195 Km. Depending upon your speed, it may take up to 3, 4, 5 or 6 hours. Marathons are also considered as metaphors for life because a runner has to typically deal with so many ups and downs while on track. I was running in my zone and completed till about 30 km when I bumped into a runner who looked very exhausted, his shoulders dropping and barely able to move. I decided to break my momentum, slow-down and tal...