Looking back at my journey, I often ask myself - "What were the key decisions that truly shaped my life and career?"

And I realized that every decision that had a large impact on my life involved taking a risk.

Here are two moments that stand out:

1️⃣ In 2011:
I had just completed my 10th class. I made the bold decision to leave the best school in Kanpur to join a dummy school and prepare for JEE Advanced (IIT-JEE).

Many people told me it was a big mistake. They said cracking IIT-JEE is extremely hard and I was giving up a secure education path for an uncertain future. Truth be told - I was clueless about what I was doing. 

But I took the risk.

The result? I got admitted to IIT Bombay, the best engineering institute in the country.

2️⃣ In 2017:
I took another big risk - I left behind high-paying job offers to start a venture of my own. Many people thought I was foolish. They reminded me that 99% of startups fail. And while I had seen all the statistics, what I didn’t fully understand was the amount of effort, patience, and resilience it would take to build a successful venture.

But I took the risk.

The outcome? My startup generated millions of dollars of wealth for me at a young age. It changed my life forever.

Looking back, these life-changing moments weren’t the result of playing it safe. They were the result of taking calculated risks when everyone else told me not to. And this pattern isn’t unique to me.

1. Entrepreneurs who made millions (or billions) were rarely the ones doing a regular 9-to-5 job.
2. Investors who built fortunes didn’t stick to safe bets like fixed deposits or savings accounts.
3. Business leaders who built massive empires took huge calculated risks, often betting on ideas that no one else believed in at the time.

The difference between earning to pay bills and earning to build generational wealth comes down to risk appetite.

✅ Want a steady income? Go for the conventional routes.
✅ Want life-changing wealth? Be prepared to take life-changing risks.

Of course, not every risk pays off. But if you spend your life playing it safe, you’ll never unlock extraordinary outcomes. Because the truth is - no one ever played it safe and got rich.