Nothing is as good as it seems, nothing as bad either.
And the final quarter of the calendar year is here…a time when dreams feel urgent, regrets feel loud, and everything seems like it’s either falling apart or finally coming together.
Targets slip, markets wobble, and it feels like survival is at stake. Then a single contract lands and suddenly it feels like you’ve arrived. But that’s just emotions exaggerating, making both the highs and the lows feel bigger than they really are.
Highs and lows are part of every story, but our job is to keep steering through them.
Think back, did your highs really change everything? Did your lows really end you? Or did emotions just exaggerate both?
→ Remember: Our emotions distort the lens. What’s real is rarely as extreme as it seems.
Pick one high and one low from the last 90 days. Ask yourself: what story did I tell myself then, and what truth do I see now?
→ Do this now: Write one sentence for each: “Here’s what I thought then…” vs. “Here’s what I know now…”
A business isn’t built in fleeting highs or crushing lows. It’s built in steady steps that compound over time. What carries you forward isn’t the swings; it’s the discipline.
→ Take this along: Don’t let wins make you comfortable or challenges make you drift. To thrive, you need to show up every day with the same fire.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Confucius
Thanks for reading!
Alkesh Agarwal
Hey! I’m Alkesh Agarwal.
An entrepreneur, investor & problem solver who loves taking big ideas and turning them into real businesses.
After years of building businesses, I’m here to share my experiences to help you navigate challenges faster, avoid mistakes, and build stronger.
Read: “Antifragile” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb — How systems (and people) benefit from stress and volatility.
Tool to Try: Maintain a “Reality Journal” — weekly check‑ins of what’s going well, what isn’t, and what you’re learning.
