During my school days, our Maths teacher, Mrs Verma, once gave us a very interesting maths problem.
It was like this “A snail has to climb a 60 inches pole. If it climbs 3 inches in 3 minutes but slides 2 inches in the next two minutes, will it ever reach the top, and what time will it take to reach the top of the pole?”.
Don’t worry, I will not ask you to solve the problem.
There is a profound lesson hidden in this problem, and that is, in our journey toward our goal or purpose, we may slide back and fall periodically, just like the snail. But every time you fall, make sure that you rise up and move ahead just a little more than the point of fall.
“Don’t fall backwards but fall forward”
Falling forward means, No matter how many times we bite the dust, we get up and march forward, making sure that the net displacement towards our objective is positive. That we are inching towards our purpose no matter what and even if the magnitude is miniscule.
Every downward fall may seem like we are moving in the wrong direction. However, remember this, just like a kite is pulled downward to make it go farther in the sky, sometimes we too have to take a fall to surge higher.
This is the nature of life’s adventure to have a wavy ride, and as an investor in our own life, we have to be positive and bullish always while constantly investing our efforts to conquer the many summits.
What do you think!
Vikas Sharma, CFP®, is a first-generation purpose-driven entrepreneur with over 19 years of experience in financial services, personal finance, and the advisory space. He is a Certified Financial Planner, an IIM Calcutta Executive Alumni, and holds an MBA in Finance and a Postgraduate qualification in Financial Planning.
Currently, Vikas is the Co-Founder & CEO of The Logical Advisor (TLA Academy Pvt. Ltd.) and Goalchi Capital Solutions LLP, where he integrates life, purpose, values, and money to create meaningful financial journeys.
He has worked with a leading Asset Management Company, mentored 1,500+ IFAs and Relationship Managers across India, and educated 10,000+ investors through Financial Wellness programs. His work has consistently focused on reshaping advisor and investor behaviour to enable sustainable success.
Vikas also coaches and mentors financial advisors nationwide, helping them build purposeful and successful careers.
