(Originally published in the IMPACT 12th Anniversary Issue on Inspirations, a collection of notes from over 200 people in the Indian Marketing, Media & Advertisement industry on what inspires them)

When you are struggling to write 250 words on ‘what inspires you,’ it can perhaps mean only two things. Either nothing or everything inspires you. Since I am reasonably sure that I am not an android, it’s the latter in my case. Everything inspires me.

When we are constantly evolving, learning, and unlearning, it is no surprise that we find inspiration from multiple sources at different times—family, friends, known and unknown people, stories, movies, writers, quotes, events, places, beliefs, and experiences. Many of these have inspired me over the years and I continue to find new inspirations—by serendipity or otherwise. And some of them have had deep impact or set a certain course in my life.

Having said that, here are three concepts or principles (for lack of better words) that I have come across and learned over the years, which continue to help me every day as a person.

Beginner’s Mind: The Zen philosophy says ‘in the beginners’ mind, there are many possibilities, but in experts’ there are few.’ I find it comfortable to start with a premise that I don’t know anything. And that makes it easy to keep an open and flexible mind.

Irritation has its own sweetness: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves,” a quote by Carl Jung. The key takeaway for me is the belief that there has to be a constant endeavor and effort to look inward to understand ourselves and our own behavior. Like someone said, “The only way out is in.”

Business beyond the money: Believing that business, as an institution, has the responsibility and capability to influence people and enable them to become better human beings, looking beyond the financial scorecards.