Art of Moving On

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Exit at the Peak

Most people leave a partnership only when things fall apart, waiting for an open fight or total failure before taking action. Leaving a bad situation is easy because the choice is forced upon you. Leaving a good situation is much harder. When daily operations are smooth and results look decent, stepping away feels counterintuitive. Yet comfort can easily mask a deep misalignment in core principles. You do not need a crisis to justify moving on, and choosing to step back while everything looks fine is a mark of true maturity.

When Principles Clash Beneath the Surface

Values form the foundational operating system of any venture. When core principles align, daily friction turns into constructive growth. When they clash, external success is merely a temporary distraction. Two sides can easily achieve short-term milestones together while holding entirely different mindsets. However, that underlying gap steadily widens over time. Recognizing this drift early prevents silent differences from eventually exploding into major disputes.

This philosophical rift becomes sharpest in a social enterprise. One side often measures return on investment through community upliftment and lives transformed, while the other evaluates progress solely through financial margins. A social enterprise cannot become overly profit-driven without abandoning its core identity. Purpose vanishes when money becomes the single metric of success. When founders, board members, or investors begin viewing progress through opposing lenses, parting ways early protects the primary mission of the enterprise.

Stated Goal Versus Actual Practice

The hardest exits happen when there are no broken contracts or explicit arguments. On paper, official goals and formal vision statements match perfectly. In reality, daily choices tell a completely different story. Living in that gray zone between stated intent and actual practice creates continuous internal friction, forcing you to compromise your standards just to keep peace. Choosing to walk away under these subtle conditions requires intense personal courage.

Unheeded Warnings and Illusion of Short-Term Spikes

Stepping back is also vital when you foresee an inevitable failure ahead, even while genuinely hoping for a miracle. You offer well-intended warnings, but there are simply no ears or hearts willing to listen. In such moments, temporary wins can be deceptive. A brief flash of progress is merely a sharp spike that tapers far quicker than its rise, often flattening completely with no chance to recover. Holding on during a artificial surge, while warnings fall on deaf ears, only binds you to a predictable collapse.

Diving In with Full Awareness

Stepping into your next chapter with complete clarity is far better than surviving in ambiguity. Leaving a conflicted environment allows you to dive into new commitments knowingly, with open eyes and uncompromised intentions. It shifts your energy away from fighting an invisible daily battle toward building an environment where words and actions truly mirror each other. Accepting short-term personal pain today restores your long-term self-trust and conviction.

Preserving Bridges for the Future

Moving on quietly based on honest reflection ensures that goodwill remains intact on all sides. Because there is no public confrontation or villain, both parties can celebrate shared achievements without lingering bitterness. The professional ecosystem is remarkably small, and sectors are deeply interconnected. An investor, colleague, or partner you separate from today can easily become a well-wisher or collaborator tomorrow or vice versa. Handling a conscious transition with dignity keeps trust alive and leaves doors wide open for whenever paths cross again.

Borrowing the signing off lines from my earlier piece (click to read it)

Quit when People ask “Why” not “When”

From Spark to Silence: The Fire of Spiritual Growth

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Over the last weekend, I sat with a wonderful group of young volunteers at a hall in Benglauru’s tech hub, Electronics City. Amidst the constant hum of traffic and tech talks, a deep question came up. How does a person truly grow from having a simple first spiritual experience into achieving deep inner wisdom? We discussed how this path is not a smooth line, but a series of difficult transformations where you cannot skip any single step. Spiritual growth is a beautiful journey of changing your awareness. It is not a straight line, but a deep change in how you see yourself and the world. Every stage requires a painful breaking of the old self to step into the new. Thanks Mythili for capturing our discussions (I would not like to call the session as my address) and writing this out for me for wider sharing

Anubhuti – First Spark

Every spiritual journey begins with a sudden moment that opens your eyes. It could be a feeling of deep peace while looking at a sunset over the river, or a strange coincidence that feels like a sign from the universe. In this moment, the normal daily life fades away for a second. You experience something that your logical mind cannot explain. This makes you realize that there is a deeper layer to reality than just the material world. You cannot bypass this beginning, because without this initial shake to your system, your mind will never wake up from its deep sleep.

Jignasa – Eager Search

Once you experience this spark, you cannot forget it. Deep curiosity begins to grow inside you. You start reading holy books, exploring philosophy, or learning about yoga and meditation. You look for answers to explain that first unusual experience. This transition is highly painful because your old comfortable beliefs start to shatter. You move from a normal life to a life of active seeking, and the realization that you actually know nothing about reality causes immense mental restlessness.

Sadhana – Daily Practice

Soon you realize that just reading books is like reading a hotel menu without eating food. You need actual practice. You commit yourself to daily habits like mindfulness, chanting mantras, selfless service, or breathwork. You cannot jump straight to peace without doing this hard work. This stage brings intense suffering because you must break your own ego, face old habits, and burn away deep emotional blockages. It feels like a painful death of your old identity.

Abhyasa – Living the Truth

The real test of spirituality does not happen on a meditation mat. It happens when you are stuck in traffic or dealing with a difficult relative. Moving into this stage is another difficult transformation because you have to drop your spiritual pride. You cannot pretend to be holy anymore. Your spiritual practices must mix into your daily life. You become more patient, calm, and loving, but only after completely crushing your old reactive nature.

Jnana – True Wisdom

This is the final stage where all seeking ends. You cannot skip any of the previous struggles to reach here, because wisdom is earned only through that fire of transformation. You no longer need to read maps or follow rules because you have direct realization. You live with an inner understanding that everything in the universe is connected. You see the divine energy in every person. You move from knowing about the truth to actually becoming the truth, and a quiet joy stays with you always.

Seamless & Step-wise Journey from “Where” to “What”

Arjun’s Journey to Light

Let us look at the life of Arjun, a busy clerk in a noisy city. His life changes one evening when he sits by a quiet temple pond.

Suddenly, Arjun feels deep silence inside his heart. World around him stops. This is his first spark. He tries to return to his normal office life, but his heart is restless now. He cannot ignore this touch of divine.

Arjun begins his eager search. He buys heavy books, visits different temples, and asks everyone about god. This transition is painful because his old comfortable ideas about life are destroyed. He feels lost and confused, but he cannot go back.

To find peace, Arjun starts daily practice. He sits for meditation every morning before sunrise. This stage brings real fire. As he sits in silence, all his hidden anger, jealousy, and greed come to surface. Arjun cries many nights because breaking his own ego is highly painful. He wants to run away, but he forces himself to sit on meditation mat day after day.

Now Arjun must live this truth. He goes back to his crowded office. When his boss screams at him, Arjun feels old anger rising. But he remembers his practice. He chooses patience instead of shouting back. This transition hurts his pride, but Arjun slowly learns to crush his ego in daily life.

Finally, Arjun reaches true wisdom. He does not sit in cave. He works in his office and lives with his family, but his heart is always in deep peace. He sees same divine light in his difficult boss, his loving wife, and poor beggar on street. Arjun has crossed every painful step to become wisdom itself.

The Journey from “WHERE YOU ARE” to “WHAT YOU ARE“

Dignified Exits Mean Better Business

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Raghav worked as design engineer at heavy machinery firm in Mysuru for six years. He was reliable employee who spent his days solving complex mechanical problems. When his elderly parents in Mandya needed closer care, he decided to take up job in Bengaluru. With heavy heart, he walked into my cabin to hand over his resignation letter. In many Indian workplaces, resignation is often viewed as act of betrayal. Raghav feared he would face cold treatment during his notice period because of what had happened to others in the past under my management.

Adios, my dear friend, until we meet again

I had not always been understanding manager. In fact, I had learned my lessons the hard way through two painful incidents. A year ago, brilliant software integrator named Anand had resigned to join competitor. I took the resignation personally. I stopped inviting Anand to project meetings, spoke to him rudely, and delayed his experience certificate by months. Feeling humiliated, Anand left with deep resentment. Months later, my company needed to integrate a critical API that only Anand’s new employer controlled. When I reached out for help, Anand politely but firmly declined to cooperate, forcing my company to scrap the feature and lose valuable client.

Another incident involved talented junior engineer named Priya. When she resigned for higher studies, I cut her off completely and refused to write her recommendation letter. Two years later, Priya joined major government regulatory body as senior inspector. During routine factory audit, I found myself face-to-face with Priya. Though she remained professional, she did not offer any of the standard leeway or informal guidance that friendly inspectors usually provided. The company had to pay heavy fine for minor documentation errors which could have been easily resolved with friendly conversation.

These costly mistakes made me realize that departing employees are not enemies. I vowed to change my approach. So, when Raghav handed in his resignation, I looked at letter, smiled, and congratulated him. I understood that career growth and family commitments are natural parts of life. Instead of isolating Raghav, I made sure the transition was smooth and stress-free. Throughout the month, Raghav felt valued and respected. On his last day, the team gathered for small farewell with tea and hot Mysore pak. Raghav walked out of gates of the company with deep sense of gratitude and respect.

Three years later, my firm was bidding for massive project from German automotive giant. The contract was worth crores, but there was major hurdle. The German client required very specific quality certification that my team had never handled. I was struggling to find expert who could guide us through compliance process. One afternoon, my phone rang. It was Raghav. In his new role in Bengaluru, Raghav had become chief compliance officer for the very same German multinational.

Raghav had not forgotten warm farewell he received in Mysuru. He gladly spent his weekends guiding me and my team through the complicated audit requirements. With Raghav’s expert guidance, my company cleared audit and won the contract.

This experience cemented the invaluable lessons I had begun to learn. First, employee leaving organization is not end of relationship but beginning of new kind of association. Burning bridges out of ego or anger only harms business in long run, as I experienced firsthand with Anand and Priya. Second, departing employees are best brand ambassadors company can have in outer world. A dignified exit ensures they speak highly of organization, which attracts future talent and clients. Finally, corporate world is surprisingly small place. The person who is junior engineer today might become key decision-maker tomorrow. Treating every departing employee with respect and empathy is not just ethical choice, it is smart and strategic business practice that secures future opportunities.