We live in a country where Guru Purnima is an auspicious day and worship Mentors as Gods. On this day, I have experienced the three best things for which my future self will be grateful. And I am dedicating today for the same.

As I am taking the name of Guru Purnima, let’s talk something about it.

Significance of Guru Purnima

I won’t go into the spiritual aspect, as it may lead to confusion. Because every mythology runs around one idol of importance, and we forget the timeline. However, we should take the essence from the events and those scriptures.

Some say we remember Gautam Buddha’s first teaching to his first five disciples in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath on this day. Others say that an Adiguru emerged today before 15,000 years and started teaching his seven disciples on this day. And he is none other than Lord Shiva.

But one thing is common in both claims. It is the relationship between a teacher and a student. Moreover, the union of teacher and student is to help the student grow.

So, first, I want to share one event that will help me grow. What do you think is necessary for the growth of anyone? Isn’t it valuing your time than anything else? One of the best experiences is related to this.

I Fired My First Client With Unrealistic Expectations

The first client is so special for every freelancer, and I am no different. And every freelancer dreams of getting their first project and can’t afford to lose them. What if that first client turns out to be the one with unrealistic expectations? And I had the same problem with my first one after restarting freelancing after 2.5 years.

Here are some of the challenges I faced,

1. He wants me to commit all of my time to him as a full-time employee for meagre pay. — for all of my services.
2. Most of my time got wasted when I wasn’t able to raise my voice.
3. More time got wasted due to more iterations. — It happens when you accept to work for less amount.

I tried twice before to convey my feelings and to make the necessary changes. But I failed, and the reasons are clear, as every freelancer understands. But today, I decided to convey my intent precisely. And I gave the client many options like connecting the people who will work for lesser pay full-time. Also, the freelancers that charge a lesser amount than me. Finally, I told him that I would finish the work I started for a certain amount, and I got liberty.

Do you have such clients whose budget affords the cycle but want a Harley Davidson? Then, you should fire them. And don’t hesitate to charge what you are worth. If you accept anything less than your worth, you will get more of those works.

Now is the time to move to the second-best thing.

Being a Nice Human

Most of us are leading good professional life by handling clients efficiently and all that stuff. But if you consider personal life, very few are as good as they are in their professional life.

I am no different as I am also a human, and we commit mistakes. Two of my good friends are in the same situation.

One of them is younger than me, and I am trying to help her come out. So I am always empathetic to her. However, there is one more lady who is older than me in the same situation. Here, in this situation, I have taken her condition lightly as she is a jolly person. And I responded in the same way without being empathetic.

However, a beautiful soul in the group shared many insights on understanding the other person better by supporting her. And I learnt many things about the psychology behind brand positioning and ads and many kinds of stuff. I will discuss it in another blog post.

And the final one.

A Memorable Event in My Life Very Relatable to Guru Purnima

One person saw my piece of content shared on LinkedIn and approached me to teach her to write better. TBH, I don’t know anything about teaching someone to write better. Also, I got an opportunity to self validate myself. I asked her if she would pay me 5K if I teach her to write better. And she agreed to that. But I refused by mentioning I can’t promise her any results in a given timeline as it is way ahead for me to go with that stuff. She is a wonderful human being and mentioned that it wouldn’t be nice to learn without paying Guru Dhakshina. And I told her she can pay me anything she pleased with the feedback, and she agreed.

Final Thoughts

All of this wouldn’t be possible without being a value giver and without being a selfless giver. One of my articles about a person I admire a lot made her share it on her linkedin. (she is the same person from whom I learnt many things today) And the person who reached me read that post and dropped me a text. — The Butterfly Effect.

Do you want to meet the person from whom I learnt today? Let me know by commenting below. I am hosting a webinar on August 1st where she is going to steal the show. You can stay tuned to know about that person.

Finally, I wish you a very happy Guru Purnima.