ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am deeply grateful and indebted to my wife, Shefali, for giving me the encouragement and strength to persevere through difficult times in life. Her positive attitude and thoughtful insights have been invaluable. Thank you for allowing me to work hard on this book, as I could not have done this without you. I am deeply grateful for your love and support.

To my two daughters, who looked me in the eye and said, “This is a great idea, Papa,” and took my words and made them their own. To Mom and Pop, who have always supported me, not only with their words of wisdom but also with their perseverance and fortitude to work hard, do right by others, and simply believe. I draw strength from their example of leading a simple life and serving others in their own small way, running a Dairy Queen business in a small town. They get up every day to serve ice cream cones to make their customers happy. What a beautiful thing!

This book would not be possible without the generosity, positive advice, encouragement, guidance, and support of Joni Evans. I am eternally grateful for your friendship at a time when I needed it most. I am on this journey because of you, and I shall always be indebted to you for your calming kindness and warmth. You provided me with the inspiration I needed to explore not only writing about business but also writing about my own life. Thank you, Joni.

Thank you, Neal Maillet, my editor, who saw a spark in a story about a stressed-out guy in a taxicab in India. Through your keen insights, I got a chance to rediscover myself and my inner voice. This book is not mine; it is ours. Thank you also to Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Steve Piersanti, and all my Berrett-Koehler colleagues for helping to bring this idea to life.

To my sisters, Shalu and Neelu: Your positive energy and enthusiasm for this idea has been remarkable and I value it greatly. Growing up serving cones at the Dairy Queen store with you both, I could never have imagined writing a book about life! Thank you Neer, Saurabh, Mehek, Arun, and Rita for supporting me through it all. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

I am grateful for my wonderful and talented literary agent, Laura Yorke, for encouraging me to start my blog on the weekends, for giving me the tools to make this work, and for believing in me. You are awesome!

To my friends—Bob Perkins, Suj Mehta, Craig Weinstein, Ritesh Veera, Jason Grossman, and many others: Thank you for being my audience and providing insights and great advice to help me write this book.