My Background

"Don't get carried away with the idea that everyone can achieve something at age 20, 30, or even 40. Remember that everyone travels their life's journey in their own zone and at their own pace. In today's world of instant gratification, it's important to sift through the noise and identify what matters, which made me realise that life is a marathon, not a sprint💡"

Hi there! 😊

My name is Shreesha Govinda, I am 29 years old and hail from a small village called "Idkidu" in the coastal part of Karnataka, India. Obviously, my parents are farmers and our family income was completely dependent on that (for all you finance lovers, a classic example of a lack of diversification of income sources😁). They didn't have much exposure to traditional education, so they had few options for generating income sources (I'm talking about 40 years back). Growing up in a lower-middle-class atmosphere has had a huge impact on shaping who I am today.  I'm not saying that I've achieved everything in life, but the journey to where I am today was unimaginable 10 years ago, and I truly believe that my upbringing played a significant role. In my opinion, for people from our background or below, dreaming big is very, very expensive (I mean it 😢). Due to my parents' limited exposure to the outside world, their only teaching during my upbringing was the value system, which in hindsight I am very proud of. Despite having almost no disposable income, they never hesitated to give back to the needy in whatever way they could from whatever they had. They gave me complete freedom in all my life decisions (education, finances, career choice, etc.) and never set any goals for me. On the other hand, as there was no guidance, I had to figure out every single aspect of my life decision through my instincts and research. It was hard in the early stages, but looking back now, I think it was one of the greatest lessons a parent can give a child because this is so-called "organic growth" at its best.

From the age of 18, I tried to finance my education and living expenses through scholarships, educational loans, government grants, and internships for both my Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (India) and Master's Degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (Belgium and France), which helped my parents to reduce their financial burden on me. Financing my education from various sources helped me to start my journey of financial literacy by understanding the importance of budgeting, managing expenses, being frugal in spending, positive cash flow management, etc. After completing my studies, I was in a much more mature position in terms of understanding the difference between assets and liabilities; and how to go about identifying and building appreciating assets (e.g. fixed deposits, index funds, equities, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, real estate, etc.)

I was first introduced to Yoga at the age of 6. However, the most significant exposure came in 2015 when I underwent a certified Yoga instructor program (specialising in diabetes mellitus) at S-VYASA Yoga University in Bengaluru, India. It exposed me to the science behind yoga, and the positive impact of yoga practice on the human body and mind. In the same year, I, along with like-minded people, started a student yoga club called Yuj For Life in our college. I took over as the founder president and ran the club for two years. One thing I found in common with all my teammates as we all came together was yoga, but the missing factor I felt was the value system, the two main pillars for running a club or an organisation. It was very clear that for any successful organisation, a value system along with core technical expertise is the key ingredient. The club continues to run very smoothly and successfully despite my departure 7 years ago. The credit goes to each and every one of the people who make an effort to carry on the value system. We, all former and current team members, meet annually for a get-together event. 

LLooking back on my journey so far, the biggest risk I ever took was doing a Master's degree abroad. It was a huge risk because I had to finance it through various sources such as scholarships, internships, government grants and education loans by providing collateral. Financially, I leveraged over 6 times our family's annual net income. Of course, it was a calculated risk, but not an easy one. A typical entrepreneurial mindset 🤩. I am always grateful to my family and friends for their support during this time. It was my first time flying and travelling to a new country. Like many of us, I had the huge culture shock of travelling from a developing country to a developed one and it took me quite a while to digest it. I think I am better off for it now 😉 

By the time I graduated and got my first job, I was very clear about some of the critical aspects (noise) we see around us. Everyone's life journey is different. Everyone may not be able to achieve something at the age of 20, 30 or even 40 because of their life stage. In today's world of instant gratification, it's important to sift through the noise and identify what matters, which has made me realise that life is a marathon, not a sprint. It is also interesting to see how stories are created around the dropouts (like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg) who become billionaires and forget about the graduates (like Narayan Murthy or Nandan Nilekani or even Elon Musk) who achieve the same status. One thing I have noticed in these achievers that I try to implement in my life is upskilling because learning is a continuous process; being curious and staying curious are two different things. Upskilling can be through reading books, online courses, listening to podcasts/YouTube, talking to experts in the field, traveling, and so on. Upgrading our strengths/skills helps to build a competitive advantage over our peers, which helps to stand out from the crowd and significantly increases the odds of winning.

If someone asked me what the key lessons of my life have been so far, I would say self-belief, the value of health, relationships, money, time, patience, discipline, consistency, and most importantly, that failure is part of the learning process. I now feel that I am knowingly or unknowingly wired to these and apply them to my daily life. As a by-product of this, I truly understand the true essence of dreaming big and starting small; and taking calculated risks. Just as investing money in shares could help to compound wealth, I feel that the life lessons I mentioned earlier would also compound over time, giving a better life experience.