You are what you think: Chetan Bhagat explains how thoughts create realities during Youth Meet
“Everything you become in life will depend on your thinking process. Thinking patterns get embedded on an algorithm in the brain. Neurons fire chemicals based on thoughts. Specific thoughts trigger you and that’s how you can change the way you think,” said bestselling author Chetan Bhagat during a session at the first-ever ONGC Youth Meet 2022.
The session that took place on the first day of the Youth Meet, on 7 August, was attended by CMD and Director (HR) Dr Alka Mittal, MD-ONGC Videsh Rajarshi Gupta, Director (Onshore) Anurag Sharma, other senior ONGCians and the young Graduate Trainees. Held under the aegis of CMD Dr Mittal, the two-day Youth Meet aimed to prepare the young executives to take on higher responsibilities as next-generation Energy Leaders. And the influential author cum columnist and a YouTuber was no less in proving it true!
Bhagat’s hour-long lecture grabbed the attention of the listeners after he said, “I’m not the kind of motivator who will say… You can do it. That’s not how it works. Your thinking pattern matters a lot. And you can change it yourself as well.” Sharing his life hacks with the young minds, he said, “The tool I use is ‘Change the Brain’. One has to keep on changing. In business, winners change the game. And that is how a person with a mechanical engineering background became the bestselling author today. I changed the game by writing in Indian English, using the simplest form of the language, which is particularly meant for Indian readers. I meant entertainment of the ones who were learning English and not primarily for those who attained degrees.”
On the occasion, he also quoted the renowned English naturalist Charles Darwin, “It is neither the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent one, but the most adaptive” and cited the example of a cockroach as the most adaptive creature that survives everywhere. “Hadn’t I written in Indian English, I wouldn’t have survived. The more audience I reach the more will I sell. And there lies the idea of ‘change’ in the thinking process. The ideas, concept and content are far more important than the medium through which you reach your audience. ”
The ‘2 States’ writer suggested to the young audience that the first thing necessary for adaptive thinking is to be compose and shift thinking and behavior to accommodate circumstantial changes to attain the best solutions. “Start living for yourself rather than for what others are expecting from you. If you are not happy then how will you make others happy? And so, you need to align yourself physically, mentally and emotionally in order to contribute completely to ONGC.” Referring to his own experiences, he said, “After I became successful as an author I was not happy from inside. I wasn’t investing much into my health and relationships then. Therefore, I want you all to be happy first and then make a young and vibrant ONGC.” Mr Bhagat also stressed on the fact that the culture of an organization is very important and it all depends on the youngsters how they want to bring about the change. “Obviously, you can’t change the entire ONGC at a time but that little contribution of yours at a small scale will make the difference.”
“While we are alive, we are growing and we have to live well. Each one of you is important and you don’t need validation for that. Be yourself and let the world adjust with you,” he added further as a huge round of applause poured in for his impeccable speech.
An interaction session followed his lecture wherein the young GTs asked several questions and shared their own professional and personal problems with Mr Bhagat, to which the latter replied, “Problems never end in life. So, we have to live and manage it.” He also discussed being relevant in the current times and peer pressure. “Ultimately, time and health are your biggest asset and not money.”
