Aditya Shroff

[Image Courtesy – Aditya Shroff]

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In this episode I’m talking to Aditya Shroff popularly known through his blog as “The 5AM Guy” who is also an author of the book “The Best Life Ever”. He is also a competitive runner and frequently gets podium positions in various running races. He leads quite a simple but interesting life at a farm in a Village of Gujarat. After doing his engineering from Mumbai, he got a high paying job in Germany but eventually dropped that job and came back to India to work on his passion which is writing.

In this conversation we cover a wide variety of topics – how he took the brave decision to drop the job and work on his passion and live on a farm, his creative process while writing the book. How he got the book published and even got a forward from a celebrity whom he didn’t directly know. How someone, who has a passion can convert it into a profession. All of this and much much more is in the episode.

So without further adieu, please enjoy this conversation with Aditya Shroff.

Links and references from the episode –

Interesting references –

• Polymath – a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.


• Polyglot – One who knows many languages.


• Foundry – A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings.


• Lonavala Lit Fest


• Penguin Publishing House


• TreeShade Books


• Aditya’s Morning Routine —
  
  Meditation ⇒ Pranayam ⇒ 1-2 hours of running ⇒ quick post run snack ⇒ Spiritual activities (prayers) and Yoga/Meditation together with Family ⇒ Breakfast


• Afternoon nap is his must.


• Meditation routine before going to bed helps him wake up fresh the next morning.


• He eats long before going to bed (early dinner by 6pm)


• Meditation he practices currently – Birdseye view practice.


• He believes in minimalistic living.


• He tried out his first writing expedition in 6th standard, inspired by the book James and the Giant Peach Novel by Roald Dahl.


• He tried writing a book again in college, wrote 52 chapters and then lost interest and dropped it. He realised he didn’t like the book and the plot. So he dropped it.


• One piece of advise for first time authors – Be yourself, keep writing and be patient.

Quotes mentioned –

• Engineering is done so that you know, what you don’t want to do.


• Being spiritual has nothing to do with being religious. It’s more related to your own spirit and being aware.


• You can be spiritual even without being religious as well.


• Listen to your body and don’t give in to your mind too often.


• The birds’s eye view meditation practice helps you in not go down in the dumps when something goes wrong and it helps you not feel (egotistically) on top of the world when you are on top of the world. You feel balanced when you practice that. It’s a very fulfilling and liberating feeling.


• When you realise that you don’t need specific material things to feel happy, that feeling is liberating.


• My principal in life is – Either you win or you write.


• Life is much better after a run or a bout of writing.


• If you are not being your self, even if you get success, if it is not making you happy, is it even success?


• Everybody can live the best life ever.

The ways you can connect with Aditya –

• Facebook


• Instagram


• Twitter


• Website

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