How one top student in India built a successful career as a CIO in the US

Life is an accumulation of small things you do along the way. It's an everyday continuous approach to making yourself, better day after day, year after year.

I'm the CIO at True North Advisors. I serve on the management committee of the firm,
and also I'm responsible for the investments. My story started when I grew up in India.
I was an incredibly shy and introverted kid. Tossed a coin to figure out if I wanted to do science, if I wanted to become a doctor.

Part of my story is getting through into a really competitive educational institution. Kids study six years to get in, I did it in two years. When I was at IIT, I developed a real love for finance.
So applied to business schools to go get my MBA here in the USA and was really fortunate to be able to get a scholarship and come to the US without really any work experience.

That was sort of a seminal turning moment of my life. The confidence that you get from being able to achieve something monumental that early was significant for me.

Life has opportunities. Be bold and take action because you only have one life. One is to find the right mentor that can take you through your journey your life. Finding someone that can help you on the journey to focus on things you are good at, things that you like to do and things that will be rewarding to you. That sweet spot is what you're trying to find.

Being able to be completely humble and open to criticism. Acknowledging what you've done wrong really helps you to be the best version of yourself. Define your own way of happiness
and if you're doing something that really fulfills you, that you love to do, you're going to be really successful in life.

I actually have a fourth thing too, which is if you are young, Metallica and Iron Maiden are good, but Bob Dylan, it's a lot better. So try that out when you're older.