I am a soldier by profession, but more importantly, I am a student of life. As a retired General of the Indian Army, I have seen conflict and peace, victory and loss, leadership and sacrifice, success and failure. But before all of that, I was once like you — a young boy full of dreams, fears, and uncertainty about the future.
Let me begin with some truths often untold:
The Majority of you will not be in the job that you would want to be.
The majority of you will struggle to find a decent job. The majority of you will fail in some or more of your endeavors.
Your life will have disruptions of some kind at different stages.
The world is not a level playing field, and life is not always fair.
There is good news too.
In the same circumstances and under tough competition, people do flourish, not all of them had connections.
I had my share of failures, too, but today as I look back, I see a great career behind me and a contented life. This is not based on the rank I achieved; it’s based on something else.
The disappointments were personal, not because someone else judged me, but because I knew the result did not reflect my true potential.
But here’s what changed everything: I looked inward.
I stopped blaming the system, luck, or timing. I asked myself, “Did I do the best I could have?” The answer was clear — I had not.
That single realization shaped the rest of my life. I never looked back again. That is the first truth I want to share with you: failure is a teacher.
Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he finally succeeded in making a light bulb.
I REALISED, I AM THE ARCHITECT OF MY DESTINY AND I ALONE ITS HERO
Over the decades in uniform, I learnt lessons that no textbook could teach. The military is not just about war; it is about foresight, preparation, trust, purpose, and people. The values we live by in the armed forces are not exclusive to the battlefield. They are perfectly suited to help you face the trials of civil life, exams, careers, relationships, and personal growth.
Leadership, discipline, teamwork, personal example, failure, flexibility and adaptability and the grit to persevere when body and mind are giving up are typical to a soldier, but also relevant in civil life.
The Army is methodical and thorough, the Army is value-based, the Army is inspirational, and the Army is about leadership . These are all traits that can be exploited by you to achieve success in your career and life.
Life is a basket of any things, not just career. Get the balance right.
I have one advantage over all of you: I have travelled the road on which you are now
embarking.
There is one thing I can say with some assurance: not many people have enjoyed their career and life as I have.
We will discuss what worked for me.
“Success is not final and Failure is not Fatal”
-Maj General Anil Sengar (Veteran)