Best way to keep a competitive edge

Be true to yourself and live your life as deeply as possible. If you can be disciplined in your own life, then the integrity that you hold for yourself will ripple out into the organizations and non-profits you support. That integrity will then serve as the foundation of all future work.

In reality, there is no need for any competitive edge, because there is no competition. More and more we should be trying to collaborate with other organizations working towards similar goals. Fundraising is always looked at as a competitive sport because many non-profits are vying for the same donor dollars. Love, on the other hand, is abundant everywhere. Love is the only currency that grows and expands the more you give it away.

Yardstick of success

Did I do everything I could to make the world a better place? Was I authentic in my actions, my speech and my thoughts?

Goal yet to be achieved

Remaining present and still throughout all interactions in life.

Best practical advice

Love all, serve all. This is the key to happiness.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

When I was thinking of volunteering in Africa for two years, I asked my brother for his advice. On whether I should go or not, he said that I had no choice, that it was already written in my name.

My name, Sukhdeep, means the light of happiness. My brother's words made me reflect on how some of our desires are governed by unknown forces.

Mentors

All of life is a learning experience. This leaf, this breath, this present moment, even you... are all of my mentors. It seems in every interaction there is something to learn if we can only see ourselves as students. If we can humble ourselves, and allow ourselves to see the world without our own beliefs and dogmas, then we could see so much beauty awaiting us in each moment.

What motivated you to get started?

A few days after 9/11 I found myself in the streets of New York. It dawned on me how many people on the planet were moving their lives towards hatred and violence. Afterwards, I returned to my consulting job and saw how many people there were moving their lives towards greed and ego. I saw all of this as a movement towards suffering.

A senior partner of the firm I used to work at would pass by my desk everyday. Everyday he would ask me how I was doing. My reply was always the same, "I'm doing great". Months went by and he continued to ask me the same question every day. One day, he asked me the question again, I replied like I always did, but this time he responded with another question. He asked me, "What's wrong with you?" He couldn't believe that I could be happy everyday even in this high stressful job. What he said next shocked me. He proceeded to tell me that he didn't remember the last time he felt good about his life. In that moment I found life's greatest lesson. He had more power and more money than I could dream of and yet he didn't have the one thing that mattered: happiness. Right then I vowed that no matter what happens in life, I could not end up like him.

A few months later I found myself in India for my brother's wedding. I made it a point to interact with as many poverty stricken individuals as possible. What I learned was astonishing. Families of five lived in homes that were the size of my bedroom closet. They had no running water, meals were always scarce, and they had no toilet facilities in the house. The women, along with the men, all had to defecate out in the open. Water born and air born diseases caused much suffering in that region of the world. In fact many people actually died each year from lack of resources. What I saw was my mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers all living a life of poverty.

I thought back to my corporate life and realized that I had spent all of my time fulfilling my own selfish desires. My life up until then was consumed by helping rich shareholders generate even more wealth.

I had it made. The company I worked for was paying for my car, my gas, my apartment, even my food. I could tell anyone what the Dow Jones index was at, I knew the stock prices of many of the major corporations. I knew the NBA official standings, what teams were making the playoffs, what players were being traded but one statistic that I had no interest in was how many people were dying each year because they didn't have enough food to eat. I realized in that moment that my priorities in life were completely out of balance. People were actually dying from poverty and I had no idea how many, yet I could tell you exactly how much money NBA players and the top CEOs made. The question that hit me then was what is most important in life? I vowed that my next action would be to help the people that needed help the most. The first thing I did was quit my job.

Like best about what you do?

Learning, constantly learning. I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people on the planet. I feel as if there is true friendship between us. I sense that they genuinely wish happiness for me as I wish happiness for them. I learn from them, they keep me grounded on this journey, and I feel strength from their support.

Like least about what you do?

Attempting to become a good human being can be a difficult thing. Many times you have to look at yourself honestly to see what needs to change. Overcoming ones own fear, greed and ego can be a difficult challenge, yet extremely worthwhile in the end. Love is the anti-theses of greed and ego. The more you overcome yourself, the closer you come to genuine Love. The more in Love you are, the happier your life naturally becomes.