Learn about the one thing that is closest to magic

And can help you achieve almost anything you want.

I had just started my career in the low paying advertising industry in the city of Mumbai, India.

My salary was peanuts (low quality peanuts) and I had to shell out half of the peanuts to pay off my education loan for my post graduation. With that and the painful commute, I could hardly save a single peanut.

At that time, my house had an old dusty desktop PC. The typical one with CPU and monitor and keyboard and everything. And since a long time I was dreaming about buying an all-in-one PC. A fancy computer that would help save space, that would be large screen enough for me to watch videos sitting on my bed.

At this point — I met my new boss at work. In an office where staying till 10 PM was a norm, here was a lady who wheezed out at 6 PM. I could literally hear murmurs and gossips about ‘’How can she leave so early!!’’. I was surprised and jealous.

She held minimal meetings and seemed surprisingly calm about the craziest situations.

Out of curiosity I couldn’t help but ask her, ‘’How do you manage to leave so early? My health has taken a toll for past 1 year. I have been continuously working late and eating all the possible junk. Even then I can’t seem to get over my work.’’

She smiled and said, ‘’First of all, who told you working late equals working hard? It’s inefficiency. And second of all, who told you, you HAVE TO work hard to succeed?’’

Eh? That’s it? I wondered. She seemed to read my mind. ‘’See the reason why most people don’t get what they want, is because they don’t even ask for it. They think if it’s more money, it will be hard work. Or if it’s a big company, it will be hard to negotiate. So on and so forth. Try asking for what you want. What you deserve. And see how that works like magic.’’ she explained with some patience.

I decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose anyway? Peanuts? Ah, I was okay with that. I set an intent that in next 6 months, I will buy that all-in-one desktop computer. I kept reiterating it in my head, every single day. I kept researching models and prices and decided the budget in my head to be Rs. 25,000 (INR).

And magically, our appraisals got announced at the end of 6 months. That wasn’t the typical appraisal announcement period, but that year, they were delayed. I got a 40% hike and my arrears came to be the exact amount that I dreamt, for buying my all-in-one computer. Too much of a coincidence?

I finally purchased my dream computer and from that day onward — stopped feeling like my salary was peanuts. Setting an intent was the most powerful lesson I learnt ever. It helped me get through tough professional situations where I thought everything was almost over. It helped me negotiate dream salaries at my future organisations because I always believed in the number I deserved, in my head. I slowly even overtook my friends who had a head-start in their career, monetarily.

Intent — very simply explained and yet mystical, is an energy we put out in the universe. The book, The Secret, very aptly explains the science and the real life stories around it. And all it needs, is you not questioning your beliefs, taking those bold risks, knowing that you will swim through on the other side.

Intent is not recipe for sure shot success, and don’t take it to be that way.

If you haven’t tried it yet, please do. My exercise these days is to set an intent to meet all those whom I love, on the other side of the pandemic. Everything will be okay. Soon.

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