Your focus determines your worth

"He’s always on the go, he loves trying new things and perusing new hobbies. In doing so he finds new meaning to his life. He is of the opinion staying the same means moving backwards. Meet Sagar Mistry, who is currently working in his dream company Asian Paints Ltd as Retail Sales Officer. In conversation with Sagar"

Sagar Mistry (centre) with his college friends

Be patient, work hard, live life to its fullest and lights will guide you home these words of wisdom by Sagar Mistry’s naani has always stayed with him. Be it passing with average marks in Maths during his school days or failing to appear for the first time for his dream company during campus placement, Sagar kept his focus on until he got what was rightfully his. “Lights did guide me home. Although I was bad at Math, I worked hard until I passed with flying marks. I did not even get a chance to sit for my No. 1 company due to a minor glitch. But I hung in there. And now when I have what I always wanted, I am seriously loving it. Hard work, patience and courage does pay off,” smiled Sagar.

You win some, you lose some

Born and raised in Mumbai, Sagar broke the family tradition of being an IITian. He was always a rebel but a good one. “I did not want to get into IIT. Come on, I wasn’t good at Math, how could I have possibly gotten through?” smiled a modest Sagar. But it was just one of the short comings, what he excelled was in languages and extra-curricular activities like sports and acting. He would simply ace them all. “I was really good at striking a conversation with random people. And somewhere I knew it would come handy when started working,” he said.

“Every exam I would barely cross the passing marks in Math,” he laughed. That constant happening did leave a scar on his mind. “I grew up amongst the kids whose fathers were IITians. Obviously, they excelled at Math as well. Some where I developed a feeling of inferiority complex. And I very well knew that it wouldn’t last as I adhered to my naani’s teachings,” he said.

A project of a lifetime

During his college days Sagar was an active member of the Spoken Tutorial project. This ‘Talk to a Teacher’ project of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology was launched by MHRD, Govt. of India. And Sagar was the Project Assistant. Talking about the experience he said, “Each minute and each day that I spent on this project turned me into a better version of myself. Of course, I had to face several challenges. Convincing the teachers and professors of the universities was a major test for me. But it all worked out in the end,” he said. Sagar handled Gujrat and Bihar area, where he had to constantly travel to meet the vice-chancellors of renowned universities and colleges. The main objective of this project was to promote IT literacy for education and improve the employment potential of learners in India, using FOSS (free and open source software). “The project taught me to be more focused, it enhanced my communications skills and made me a better human at larger. At the end of my tenure, the areas I handled turned out to be the best performers. It is something that I will always be proud of,” said Sagar.

"Work ends the moment I leave the office. When I am home or away from work, I always focus on my hobbies. Being a fitness freak, I spend enough time working out, running and cycling. I also love reading, it often keeps me busy"

Sagar Mistry (left) loves to spend time with
his family and friends

One interview is all it took

During his MBA in International Business from a renowned college in Pune, was where Sagar gathered the much needed technical know how, something that would help him bag his dream job. He excelled in almost everything studies and extra-curricular activities. However, he still lacked in Math. But this time was different. Unless he scored well in Quantitative, an essential topic during the placement, Sagar would never get a chance to move forward. “When the time was right, I focused on the numbers. As campus placement was nearing, I would study this subject day and night. Until I gained the confidence I did not give up,” he said.

For the placements, Sagar worked hard mainly on Quant, as for rest, he knew it was his forte. “People’s skill was one of my strongest points. I knew how to talk to people and that came in handy during the GD and PIs,” he informed.

Talking about his placement story, he said, “All it took was just one test, one GD and one interview for me to get placed at my favoured company. Of course, I had to work hard for it. In the end, I guess, you end up getting things that you badly want.”

The real world

The real test began when he passed out of college and started working. He had to undergo a few changes to fit in well in the corporate world. “You need to unlearn and learn new things when you start working. I tweaked a few things in the way I spoke to the clients. Not every client is the same. You need to address them accordingly. When you enter the professional world is when your real test beings,” said Sagar. He is currently handling 200-250 dealers. “When I deal with a client, it just not paints. There is so much more as our company is ever growing. I also have to vouch for our services like waterproofing, filling, putty, adhesive, wood finishing and much more,” he quipped.

In this paced life where stress could take a toll on you, Sagar has learnt to be calm and composed. We asked how do you manage to do that. He said, “It’s simple. Work ends the moment I leave the office. When I am home or away from work, I always focus on my hobbies. Being a fitness freak, I spend enough time working out, running and cycling. I also love reading, it often keeps me busy. And weekends are reserved for travelling in and around the city. This rejuvenates me and gets me all geared up for Mondays,” he signed off

Now that Sagar is two-years-old in the corporate world, he has jotted down a few insights for his juniors...

• Be Focused: Always remember your focus determines your worth. To lead a successful life, you ought to be focused right from choosing the right stream to the current project you are working on. Decide your approach and work accordingly.
• Keep exploring: The world is your oyster, never stop dreaming. Research on any topic, it will surely broaden your horizons. Most importantly when you are appearing for your campus placement, understand all the facts about the company and research thoroughly about their foundation. It comes in handy to make a good impression.
• Patience: Sooner or later you’ll get what you want and you will achieve your dreams. Till then be patient and work harder.

• Plan B: It might so happen that your Plan A won’t work. In that case, you should already have your second plan in place. The fact of the matter is you should never give up.
• Buckle up: Life starts after the comfort zone of your college. The corporate world is the real deal. So, fasten up your seats belts for that.
• Learn and unlearn: Make sure to learn all the concepts in the college. Later, when you start working, unlearn a few of the facts that aren’t helping you.