“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
22-year-old Pradeep was given one piece of advice from his counsellor, which changed his life.
But before we hear what that piece of advice was, let’s backtrack a bit.
When Pradeep was in college, he had big dreams. He wanted to be an artificial intelligence architect. But he was discouraged in the pursuit of these dreams by everyone around him.
“Everyone asked me why I was aiming for artificial intelligence. Even my professors discouraged me saying I don’t have the right percentage to go into that department.”
But his Expert at YourDOST told him just one thing – be yourself. This struck a chord with Pradeep.
I was listening too much to my mind. But my mind always overthinks. I began to realize that you need to listen to your heart to be happy in life.
This is when Pradeep set out on his own and made a career for himself. He soon discovered that nothing good would come out of changing himself according to the mindset of others. Once he became successful, people started appreciating him and asking for his opinions on how to go about doing certain projects.
“In counselling, I realized that satisfaction is more important for happiness than success. I came to realize that money cannot buy happiness and that you don’t ever need more than the basic necessities. But if you are satisfied with yourself, and with your job, then you will be happy.”
With this nugget of wisdom that he got from his Expert, Pradeep began carrying a new outlook towards life. He began to understand that people would ultimately support him if he acted exactly like himself. And this thought comforted him during his dark days. However, there was one major problem that still plagued him.
I struggled a lot for 3 months. This is because I started feeling extremely guilty whenever I watched porn or masturbated.
Pradeep tried confessing his habits to his girlfriend, who reacted angrily. This made Pradeep feel worse every time he indulged in porn or masturbation.
“When I cleared JEE Advanced, I was like a free bird. No one spoon-fed me, or put any restrictions on me. So I got into porn and masturbation, which I felt gave me the ultimate pleasure. So I overdid it sometimes. But this ended up making me feel guilty.”
To help him solve this problem, Pradeep approached a sexual wellbeing Expert at YourDOST. This is when Pradeep had self-realization.
“I realized that besides those one or two minutes of pleasure, I was gaining nothing from porn and masturbation. This is how I was able to slowly overcome this habit.”
His Expert also enabled him to find his triggers and work on them effectively. After this period, Pradeep emerged healthier and stronger than ever. What’s more, he strongly believes in giving himself and others second chances.
“I realized my mistakes, and then began to correct them. That is the most important thing. Everyone makes mistakes, but you need to realize what you have done.”
Pradeep has this perspective in life only because he knows that life is always challenging and that you always need to keep pushing forward.
“If you ever think that your life is over, that’s when things become tough for you. So you always need to keep fighting with whatever life throws at you.”
From this period of his life, Pradeep’s main takeaways were related to life and happiness.
I continue to live my life thinking about how to increase my happiness and the happiness of those around me. And I strongly believe that satisfaction is more important than money.
In this manner, Pradeep has fought off all of his issues. His success remains an inspiration to everyone, and he loves sharing his story. He feels that if even one person is inspired by his story, then he would rest happy.
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Pradeep’s warrior tips
1. There is no better time to work on your problems than the present
2. Think about increasing happiness in this world, whether yours or others
3. Don’t think too much, follow your heart.
