I remember the first time I looked up for the real meaning of the word. What is Ambition? Why did it hold so much significance in the resume I was going to prepare?
Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my good friends and she asked me ‘Harish, what is your ambition?’ Haah. The question hit me like a speedy bounce from Dale Steyn. I am still recovering from its impact while I am writing this.
When I joined BlogAdda, 7 years ago, I was going with the flow and slowly I realised that I could make a difference in people’s lives. I could help a blogger realize their potential and make them live a dream that they would have never thought of. Who would have thought that a blogger could win a return trip to Paris or Malaysia for 10 days? The ambition of making a blogger live a dream which they would never have imagined became successful.
What is your ambition now, life asked me after that and I said, ok I want to help the amazing bloggers in India be known internationally and I want to tell Dad ‘You have slogged enough for us, let me now take the mantle and you sit back and enjoy the fun’
I remember Nirav telling me that ‘Harish, one day we will do an event of our own. Get the best of bloggers both from India and abroad and make it an event to remember’. This was in 2010, when I attended India’s first word camp and met the guru’s of blogging, Matt Mullenweg and Om Malik. Fast forward 2014 and here we were planning to hold India’s first Blogging Awards and conference #WIN14.
On the day of the event I remember Manu and Bhat Sir talking to my parents and after a long time I could see my dad’s eyes swelling up with pride.
As Shekhar Kapur said at #WIN14 . We were en route to create a nation called Blogistan. Ambition #Unlocked.
Brands were warming up to the concept of bloggers as influencers. Had the pleasure to work with some amazing guys.
I first interacted with Anaggh when I used to travel in train & it was the early days of Twitter. At that point of time, we used to jokingly talk about the rise of each others followers. Today I would be a joke if I talk about followers with Anaggh. Coming to the point, I finally met him at Bru World. A conversation which I hold of utmost importance till date. I had a new ambition.
I have to admit that I was never a public speaking guy. Even in events I would be among the ones who participated in conversations rather than initiate one. But it had to change.
Speaking about what I have learnt over the years in front of a group of people was a new challenge I set myself up for. It finally happened when the first bloggers meet happened in Kolkata. Have made some good friends in the journey till now and Sammya was one of them. He helped us make this happen. In one corner of the room where I was speaking sat a man, who again likes working in the background and has been a believer in what we do. I look upto him when I need advise. Be it 7 in the morning or on a lazy Sunday evening, he has been there. After the talk while going back to the Airport, he told me “You know what Harish, this talk was almost close to flawless”. Thank you Kavi Sir for being there always. Over the past few months, the scale of disappointment has gone down a bit but knowing me you know I will surely make it up with a scintillating performance in the coming days.
What next I thought this morning?
Well, there are a lot of new players and companies with similar ambitions in the fray. Some of them are headed with people who once shared the ambition with me. Have a few things up my sleeve and I want to make the most of it. Its time to create something which will redefine the market & create a new benchmark.
“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” Maya Angelou had said this and this is something I believe in.
Nirav Sir, thank you for teaching me the real meaning of ambition and thank you for being there always and pulling me up whenever I was going down the spiral.
If someone asks me today, what have you got from all the goodness that you have done? I will tell my family’s love, the opportunity to work with stalwarts and to learn every single day.
There have been a lot of people who have been a part of the journey and have gotten off when their destinations arrived. There would be more surprises I am sure from people who I had pinned a lot of hopes on. But life has to move on and I will move because at the end Ambition is what it is!
👏👏👏👏👏