Life principles are one of the important forces behind every event and situation. They shape your life, and you have to follow the right principles to become successful.

That’s why we like to share with you ‘ten life principles to live by’ from PushEngage founder Ravi Trivedi. He is an experienced entrepreneur, a digital marketer, and an angel investor – with seven investments. Earlier he was a venture capitalist and an equity analyst on Wall Street. He co-authored a book ‘Web Services Security’ and holds a patent for ‘System and Methods Recommended for Third Party Services’. He has an MBA from Duke University, Fuqua School of Business, and a Masters in Computer Science from IISc, Bangalore.

Here are those ‘ten life principles to live by‘:

1. What do you think a person must do to find success in life?

“For a person to be successful, I believe one needs to have following qualities:

a) A single-minded dedication towards goal – This is the most important trait, as there are so many distractions in life. Once you find a purpose, you must work with single-minded devotion and give hundred per cent effort.

b) Discipline and hard work- A common quality among many successful people is that they are disciplined and work very hard towards there goals. I have found this to be true.

c) Never give up – Perseverance is another key part of being successful. We may not know, but many of us give up just when we are about to achieve a goal. But, if you are failing in a venture using a tactic; you should not keep repeating. Just get up and try a different route to the top.”

2. What according to you is the importance of having a life goal?

“Life goal is like having a plan to go somewhere and achieving that. Without that, you are lost and are drifting meaninglessly.”

3. How should one deal with his/her fears of public speaking and failures?

“To deal with your failures, you need to face it boldly and taking the bull by the horn. With enough practice, you can develop the confidence to overcome the fear of public speaking.

In terms of other fears like fear of failing; you should focus on that one path that will lead you to success, and not worry about 99 others that can lead to failure.”

4. What do you think a person must learn apart from formal education?

“Social skills are something that is extremely crucial. I find it lacking in the Indian education system, but present more in the Western education system. Social skills such as:

a. Ability to empathise with others – Listening and understanding others point of view.

b. Ability to network, mix with people, and make friends.

c. Problem-solving attitude – Ability to find a solution among daily constraints.”

5. Which habit do you think most people don’t have?

“Our actions and speech are always different and very few people follow their words. If there is an alignment in our speech and action, then it can do wonders.

Secondly, few people practice mindfulness. It’s a state of introspection, and reflection of your actions. If we do practice more of mindfulness, we will be a better human being.”

6. What is your opinion on hard work and luck?

“Like I said earlier – Hard work is a necessary condition for success. Yes, you can be lucky at times, and luck is also needed. But God gives luck to those who work hard, and don’t give up.”

7. Is it necessary to love what you do and do what you love to become successful?

“Yes, most often this true. It’s an ideal state, but there are always exceptions. It will no longer become work when you love what you do. You will do it with full interest, attention, and dedication.”

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8. How should one plan to achieve his/her life goal?

“You should set a life goal on the professional, personal, and community level for every five years. Life is long, and we should work to accomplish short and clear goals. You can break these goals on a weekly and daily basis. Finally, use mindfulness regularly to review your progress.

Of course, it would be great to find a mentor/guide in the process. They can act as a sounding board and help you monitor your progress.”

9. Do you think books are important to becoming successful? Can you recommend any book?

“Absolutely, reading is very crucial to our success. We should also recognize that many people learn in different ways. Some people learn by watching videos, attending in-person sessions. So as long we are learning new things, it is helpful.

There are several books that come to my mind. But I recommend the following books:

1. Swami Vivekanand’s lectures on Work/Karma Yoga have a lot of very good points

2. Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.”

10. Can you share your favourite quote related to life principles?

Swami Vivekananda’s quotes:

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; a dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone.”

If you like these amazing life principles then make sure to share it with friends and family.