Chanakya Niti is an age-old chronicle but the consistency that it poses even in today’s era is astounding enough. The world has changed every bit since then but it proves that the basic foundation of human values remain unaltered. It consists of 17 chapters and each of the quotes provides valuable lessons on work and life that every entrepreneur should inculcate to conquer the summit.
Here are some of the excerpts from this priceless piece which will provide you an insight of our rich ancient culture of work and life.
It is silly to counsel the fool and to be in the company of an unhappy person.(Chapter 1)
An entrepreneur is always high on his energy- positive energy. There lays no sense to be in the company of a person who scatters negative vibration every time. It is very well said, “A bad apple in the basket has enough potential to rot all the other good ones”. Also, it is needless to say that an entrepreneur can’t afford to waste his time. There’s no use to read a book before a buffalo. The truth is a buffalo will remain a buffalo no matter what. So, the relevance to this statement is cherry-pick your employees, work with people who want to learn and are thoughtful enough.
Do not reveal your plans before others as others will try to hinder your regime.(Chapter 2)
As an entrepreneur you are always encompassed by loads of people- employees, investors, customers etc. Hence, you should be very wise and must not reveal your plans and secrets to every other guy just to show how good they are. Your competitors may remain hidden anywhere and you won’t have the slightest knowledge. So, don’t compromise your hard-earned company with the mere happiness of being in the limelight. Focus on executing your plans by limiting it to yourself and fame will find you.
You should be shameless when it comes about learning something or dealing in business.(Chapter 7)
The term “Entrepreneurs“is synonymous to “learners”. They are learning every moment; from their failure, from their success, from their customers, and everyone and everything else. The matter is when they absorb themselves in learning, the world around starts seeming impassive. An entrepreneur, thus, needs to be shameless, determined and immune to changes. He needs to keep just one thing in his mind; the detractors of today will be the celebrators of his success tomorrow.
People who use foul language meet quick destruction.(Chapter 9)
Businessmen are often notoriously known for being dominating, bossy and profane. With such businessmen, the scenario with employees often takes a conflicting turn. Employees start getting aloof from that very person and stick to the organization/business for their regular payment. An entrepreneur or a businessman must understand that human touch is an indispensable part, be it personal or professional life. Entrepreneurs who have failed really badly due to their harsh behaviour are not a rare.
If a snake is non-poisonous, then also it must pretend like one with ability to take life.(Chapter 9)
Entrepreneurs are a combination of strength, ambition, determination and confidence! But hey! They are not omnipotent like God possessing all the world-class abilities and talent. They are just like any other guy whose passion defines his position. He may be in low spirits sometimes but he must ensure that his dejection does not become a plight which gives people the chance to manipulate and exploit him. As Chanakya rightly said, even if he is a non-venomous snake, he must act like one with the ability to take life.
If you are looking for knowledge, then give up the hope of finding comfort.(Chapter 10)
Entrepreneurs are remarkably admired for kicking off from the very scratch and scaling it up to the pinnacle. There is a plethora of examples of entrepreneurs who have made it happen by starting from just a garage or a dorm room. Had they searched comfort instead of knowledge, the world would surely not have witnessed the opulence that it’s enjoying right now. To achieve your dreams, you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.
One who plans and prepares himself to face challenges is most likely to succeed against them.(Chapter 13)
At the very commencement of an entrepreneur’s journey, he is aware of the fact that results are undefined and a lot more uncertain. He is accustomed to take challenges and turn them into reality. That’s what the whole journey is all about. The path seems more alluring than the destination. He enjoys the journey and the destination gets converted into high end success by default.
There are two ways to deal with wicked people. One is to crush them and the other is to stay away from them.(Chapter 15)
An entrepreneur is always cloistered by his competitors and detractors. I don’t mean they are wicked people but they are surely some of those who are required to be handled very carefully by an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs know that even if they run a rat race and win it, they’d still be rats. Also, an entrepreneur needs to be judicious and shrewd enough to stay away from precipices.
A man might attend big position after doing something but that is not all.(Chapter 16)
If you are someone who is working really hard, there is no doubt that you are going to shine. But never let that satisfy the quench inside you; Never allow that success to get transformed into egoism and self-esteem. Never loose your determination to master more. There’s no point where knowledge gets terminated. Yes, success is not all, comfort is not all and satisfaction is surely not all.
One must make worthy use of his life. It is short and youth is even shorter.(Chapter 17)
I guess, this is by far the most valuable lesson that any aspiring entrepreneur can assimilate from Chanakya Niti. Life is short and time is very fast. There’s no scope of replay or rewind. There is no guarantee what is going to happen tomorrow or even the very next moment. So, never wait for the right moment to come and tap you. Make your own opportunities and start as early as possible. Always remember, as an entrepreneur, “you are here to put a dent in this universe!”, as said by Steve Jobs.
The relevance of today’s work with these ancient beliefs makes me a complete Chanakya fan. Are you not impressed by his reasoning? It is remarkable that the thoughts that crossed his minds centuries ago are still relevant. His valuable insights can still guide the way business is done! The thoughts still counsel the mode of living life meaningfully! Do comment to let us know how it is relevant in your personal or professional life.
Also Read: Life of “The Wall” Rahul Dravid- 5 Lessons for Startups and Entrepreneurs
