Achiever's Success Story
“Tanish Chheda”
Introducing the unstoppable Tanish, an aspiring entrepreneur and a young achiever at the age of 16. His success story dates back to the year of his board exams, where he achieved an excellent result of 97.2%. But more than the result, his story is about his journey. Inspired by his father, he believes in the Pareto principle which asserts that 80% of outcomes result from 20% of all causes. Tanish shares with us, “I knew that just studying was not going to get me anywhere, so I clearly prioritised what all I wanted to achieve that year.”
What is fascinating about his story is that he did not enroll in any extra coaching or tuition classes, and on top of that, participated in a number of extra-curricular activities like MUNs. One apt example is his society’s annual cricket tournament – NVPL 2020, where he dedicatedly practiced with his team for months, even during his prelims! He says, “There were days when I came home from practice late at night and I had a prelim the next day. Agreed, this was an adventure, but I got some good sleep those nights, which in turn helped me focus while writing the exam the next day. So you see, win-win!” He also played an hour of cricket every single day, even the days before his boards! While his other friends were busy studying, he took the time to build his mind and fitness, and even win the tournament! It is fascinating to know that a 10th grader could afford to devote so much time to things outside academics. But, this was exactly the mentality that Tanish had aimed to redefine.
Decoding his success story, he suggests that study is not everything; the fun you have and the life experiences that you gain outside your textbook matter much more. They are these experiences that will not only shape your personality but also your values and beliefs. And one such lesson which Tanish’s childhood taught him is not to focus on the marks, but the intelligence and the skills. He did refine his time management and prioritising skills, which further helped him achieve such a feat.
He knows that everyone may not be as bright in academics like him, so his advice to the coming batches would be to focus on the things that are really going to matter in their life, and not be saddened by any academic pressure in the process. Whatever your goal may be, set it out precisely, and then focus only on the process. From his story, we learn that if your goal and processes are clear, then the biggest of setbacks cannot bother you, but if you are not focused, then even the slightest of distractions can draw you away.
Currently, Tanish is pursuing the IB Diploma Program in class 11, and is back with the same adventure! He is working on several projects which will benefit him much more than what he can possibly learn at school. He has added the “4 am club” in his bag to help him manage his time and channelize his creativity. He hopes to inspire many others and make his family proud one day!