From Being an Underdog Who EvenAvoided Family Gathering to Becoming an Inspiration: Manu's Tale of Resilience and Self-Discovery

Hi. This is a story #3 from the series where I connect with people to discover their stories and learn what inspires them.

This time, I had the chance to sit down with Manu Narayanan V S , MBA Student (IIMK PGP-Business Leadership) at?Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

A Journey of Perseverance and Self-Discovery

(This story is as shared by Manu)

Hi, I'm Manu, and I'm excited to share a bit about myself with you. I'm currently a student at IIMK, but my journey to get here has been a long and rewarding one. I grew up in a small village called Neyyattinkara, where I was raised mostly by my grandparents. After completing my degree in Computer Science, I started working as a Software developer. Along the way, I discovered my passion for business and entrepreneurship, which is when I decided to pursue a career in Business administration at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode , IIMK PGP-Business Leadership

Growing up in a family of high academic achievers can be a challenging experience, especially when you feel like you're not meeting the same standards as your siblings. I experienced this firsthand after our 12th standard exams when most of my siblings scored high marks and gained admission to top colleges. In contrast, I failed and ended up in a private institute.

While everyone in my family went on to secure government jobs after their undergrad, I chose to pursue an IT job.

However, this decision left me feeling like an underdog and led me to avoid family gatherings to escape comparisons and judgment. It wasn't until I saw my parents struggling to defend my choices in front of other family members that I realized I needed to stop hiding and take action.

Although attending a private institute and choosing a different career path wasn't what my family had in mind for me, it was necessary for me to pursue my passions and reach my goals.

Through this experience, I learned the importance of staying true to myself and pursuing my own definition of success, even if it meant taking a different path than my siblings. I realized that the opinions of others should not dictate my choices, and that it's essential to have the courage to follow my own path.

Following an accident that left me with dislocated vertebrates in my spine, I had to take several months of bed rest, and eventually had to quit my job at Flipkart . Many people have asked me why I left Flipkart to join 印孚瑟斯 , and the truth is, my health issues forced me to start from scratch.f

During my recovery, I realized that I needed to take my career and health seriously, and started to bring discipline into my life by regularly working out and preparing for CAT. I joined Infosys to take care of my expenses while focusing on getting back on track.

Through this experience, I learned the importance of listening to my intuition, taking care of my health, and pursuing my goals with dedication and discipline. While my accident was a setback, it ultimately led me to make positive changes in my life, both personally and professionally.

To maintain a balance between my personal life, academic pursuits, and extracurricular activities at #IIMK, I prioritize and plan my schedule accordingly. Firstly, I set clear goals for myself in each area and then allocate time accordingly. I make sure to devote a specific amount of time each day to my academic pursuits and focus on completing my coursework and assignments within the allotted time. I try to set aside time each day for self-care activities like exercise, meditation, and spending time with loved ones.

I believe it's important to take breaks and recharge to avoid burnout. As for extracurricular activities, I choose the ones that I am genuinely interested in and passionate about, rather than trying to participate in everything.

I try to make the most of my time by prioritizing the activities that align with my personal and professional goals.

My grandfather, who was diagnosed with lung cancer, gave me some valuable advice: always listen to your inner voice, as it will lead you in the right direction.

This advice resonated with me and helped me find the motivation to persevere through the challenges I faced during my recovery and career change.

During my time at IIMK, I aspire to develop my leadership and interpersonal skills, while also expanding my knowledge in areas such as finance and marketing.

I hope to achieve these goals through actively participating in various clubs and committees, as well as seeking out mentorship opportunities from faculty and alumni.

Starting my own company and making people's lives easier has always been my goal. I have made several attempts to bring my vision to reality, but so far, it's still in the prototyping stage. Apart from this, I am also passionate about food, travel, and cooking. Therefore, I would like to start a food and travel blog and create cooking vlogs, as they are activities that I enjoy doing every day.

Coming from a large family and having lived in different cities across India, I have been exposed to a diverse range of cultures and traditions. This has helped me develop an open-minded approach towards people from different backgrounds, and has made it easier for me to interact with the diverse community at IIMK.

I am able to appreciate and respect the different perspectives, customs, and beliefs of my peers from various parts of India and the world.

In 2022, I decided to start my own company, which was unprecedented in my family. To my surprise, we won a grant from Kerala Startup Mission for our innovative idea, which was a huge validation for us. Though we have made some pivots in our business strategy, we are currently in the prototyping stage, with a hope to launch our product in the market before I leave IIMK.

Manu's story is a testament to the power of perseverance, self-discovery, and embracing one's unique path in life. His experiences have shaped him into the person he is today, and his dedication to personal growth and self-improvement is truly inspiring.

Indeed Manu's journey tells about the uncountable expectations of people from us and how we must break ourselves free from what binds us and take the road less traveled to fulfill our purpose.

I, Ameya Agrawal am a student of?Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. You can read more about me at --?https://ameya.skillslate.org/

(The whole interview will be uploaded soon)

There is a guy who is writing his daily experiences from the past 8 years and is sharing it with people over WhatsApp and other social media platform for free as a mission to spread the habit of self-motivation.

You can also join this movement by clicking?--

#ALeapWithin?#ALeapWithinatIIMK?#HumansOfIIMKBL?#HumansofIIMK?#IIMKaleidoscope