Hard work - The Only Shortcut to Success | Mr.Venkatesh Bhat | TEDxYouth@RJM

Summary

The speaker shares his inspiring journey from struggling academically and being diagnosed with dyslexia to becoming a top professional in the hotel industry. Despite early setbacks and a challenging start in his career, he emphasizes the importance of hard work, determination, and passion for one's work as the keys to success. His story is a testament to overcoming obstacles and achieving excellence through perseverance and the support of mentors.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of hard work and determination in achieving success, despite early academic struggles.
• 🏆 The speaker's career in the hotel industry began in 1996 with Jola Sheraton and has been successful for the past 25 years, highlighting the power of perseverance.
• 📚 The speaker's childhood was marked by academic challenges, including failing multiple times and attending different schools, which shows the resilience needed to overcome setbacks.
• 🎓 The speaker's father's insistence on a good education, particularly in English, played a significant role in shaping their future prospects.
• 🍳 The speaker's early job in the hotel industry involved working in the butchery, which was initially challenging but ultimately broadened their skillset.
• 🥼 The speaker's experience of working with gloves to peel prawns led to a realization about the necessity of overcoming difficulties without excuses.
• 👨‍🍳 Despite being a vegetarian, the speaker learned to handle various kitchen tasks, demonstrating adaptability and a commitment to mastering their craft.
• 📈 The speaker attributes their success to working smartly and for long hours, which tripled their growth in the industry.
• 📝 The speaker was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability, but this did not hinder their rise to being one of the highest-earning members of their class.
• 💼 The speaker never received an offer from a foreign country but has thrived in India, proving that success is not bound by geographical limitations.
• 🙏 The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to value the blessings of elders and to always maintain a strong work ethic.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial career start year?

The speaker started his career in 1996.

What challenges did the speaker face during his childhood in terms of academics?

The speaker struggled with academics, getting detained in classes and failing multiple times, particularly in an ICSC school in Chennai.

Why did the speaker request a change of school from ICSC to a state board school?

The speaker felt he was unable to cope with the ICSC school's curriculum and believed he would perform better in a state board school, where he could also study privately.

What were the two significant influences in the speaker's school life according to his father?

The two significant influences were Mr. David Pakiana, the principal of the school, and the speaker's English teacher, Mr. Shroff.

How did the speaker's father envision his future career?

The speaker's father envisioned him taking care of hotels and restaurants, which led the speaker to work in his father's hotel.

What was the speaker's first job in the hotel industry and what challenges did it present?

The speaker's first job was peeling 20 kgs of prawns, which resulted in rashes on his hands due to an allergic reaction.

What was the turning point for the speaker in realizing the importance of hard work?

The turning point was when the speaker was given the task of peeling prawns and experienced the consequences of avoiding responsibilities and excuses.

How did the speaker's experience in the butchery department contribute to his skillset?

The speaker learned to handle various kitchen tasks, including preparing fish and beef, despite being a vegetarian, which expanded his skills and understanding of different cuisines.

What was the significance of the speaker's experience in Southern Spice restaurant?

Working in Southern Spice was significant as it involved long working hours and high business volume, which was a challenging yet valuable learning experience.

How did the speaker's dyslexia diagnosis impact his life and career?

The dyslexia diagnosis initially posed a challenge, but with the support of mentors and his own determination, the speaker was able to overcome it and achieve success in his career.

What advice does the speaker give to others based on his personal journey?

The speaker advises that success requires passion, love for one's work, and a lot of hard work, emphasizing that anyone can be successful with these qualities.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Overcoming Early Struggles to Achieve Success

The speaker reflects on their journey from a challenging childhood with academic struggles to becoming a top professional in the hotel industry. Despite initial failures in academics and a switch from ICSC to state board school, they found their calling in hotel management. They recount their early career at Jola Sheraton and the determination that led them to excel despite not being a top student. The speaker emphasizes the importance of hard work and perseverance, highlighting their experience in various departments, including butchery, which taught them valuable life lessons about responsibility and overcoming difficulties.

05:00

💪 Embracing Hard Work and Overcoming Dyslexia

This paragraph delves into the speaker's realization of the necessity of hard work and dedication to succeed. They recount their experience in the butchery department, where they learned to overcome physical discomfort and excel in their tasks. The speaker also reveals their diagnosis with dyslexia, a learning disability, and how they did not let it hinder their progress. With the support of mentors and a strong work ethic, they managed to outperform their peers and become the highest-earning member of their batch, proving that success is attainable through determination and smart work.

10:02

🌟 From Failure to Triumph: A Message of Inspiration

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares their transformation from a struggling student to a successful professional, inspiring others to believe in their potential for success. They emphasize the importance of passion, love for one's work, and the willingness to work hard. The speaker encourages the audience to seek blessings from elders and to always maintain a strong work ethic. They conclude by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share their life experiences and lessons learned, offering a message of hope and motivation to all.

Keywords

💡Hard Work

Hard work is the concept of putting in consistent and diligent effort towards achieving a goal. In the video's narrative, the speaker emphasizes that hard work is the key to success, as it was for him despite initial academic struggles and dyslexia. The speaker's journey from a struggling student to a successful professional in the hotel industry exemplifies the importance of hard work in overcoming obstacles and achieving one's goals.

💡Success

Success, in the context of the video, is defined by the speaker's achievements in his career and personal growth, not merely by financial gain. The speaker's definition of success is tied to his ability to overcome challenges, work diligently, and excel in his field. The video illustrates that success is a result of perseverance and the willingness to take on difficult tasks, such as the speaker's transition from a failing student to a top-performing professional.

💡Shortcuts to Success

The term 'shortcuts to success' refers to methods or strategies that are believed to lead to success more quickly or with less effort. However, the speaker in the video suggests that there are no true shortcuts, as his success was achieved through dedication and hard work rather than by taking the easiest path. The concept challenges the idea that success can be achieved without effort, highlighting the speaker's belief in the value of hard work.

💡Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects a person's ability to read, write, and spell. In the video, the speaker reveals that he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which was initially perceived as a barrier to his success. However, through hard work and determination, he was able to overcome this challenge and achieve success in his career, demonstrating that dyslexia does not have to limit one's potential.

💡Academic Struggles

Academic struggles refer to difficulties faced by students in their educational pursuits. The speaker in the video shares his personal experience of struggling academically, including failing multiple times in school. These struggles are contrasted with his later success, showing that academic performance is not the sole determinant of one's future success.

💡Career

A career is a professional path or occupation that one pursues over a long period. The speaker's career in the hotel industry began with a diploma from a private catering college and progressed to him becoming a top-performing professional. His career trajectory illustrates the growth and development that can be achieved through hard work and dedication.

💡Hotel Management

Hotel management is a field focused on the operation and administration of hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality services. The speaker's career in hotel management began with his education at a private college and led to various roles within the industry, including working in the kitchen and managing a restaurant. His experiences in hotel management are central to the video's narrative and demonstrate the practical application of hard work and determination in a professional setting.

💡Passion

Passion refers to a strong emotional connection or enthusiasm for a subject or activity. In the video, the speaker mentions the importance of having passion for one's work as a driving force for success. His love for his career in hotel management is suggested as a key factor in his ability to overcome challenges and excel in his field.

💡Determination

Determination is the quality of being resolute and committed to achieving a goal, despite obstacles or setbacks. The speaker's story of overcoming dyslexia and academic struggles is a testament to his determination. His unwavering commitment to succeed in his career is highlighted as a critical component of his success.

💡Grit

Grit is a term used to describe perseverance and resilience in the face of long-term goals and challenges. The speaker mentions the importance of grit in achieving success, suggesting that it is the ability to keep going despite difficulties that ultimately leads to accomplishment. His personal journey reflects the concept of grit, as he did not let initial failures deter him from pursuing his career.

💡Private College

A private college is an educational institution that is not operated by the government. In the video, the speaker discusses attending a private catering college for his hotel management diploma. Despite the challenges of not being from a government-run institution, which was preferred by big hotels, the speaker's success story shows that the quality of education and personal determination can overcome such disadvantages.

Highlights

The speaker adopted a difficult topic easily through God's grace and hard work, emphasizing the importance of perseverance.

Began career in 1996 at Jola Sheraton, highlighting a 25-year successful journey in the hospitality industry.

Achieved top rank in the class, showcasing success in education despite a challenging childhood.

Struggled academically in ICSC school, faced detentions, and sought a change to a state board school.

The speaker's father valued education and the influence of certain teachers, particularly Mr. David and Mr. Shroff.

Despite initial academic struggles, the speaker successfully completed private schooling and pursued further education in hotel management.

Graduated from a private catering college in 1996, a time when IHMs were more recognized in India.

Landed a job at Taj Cora, Mandela through persistence and the support of a mentor.

Started in the kitchen, a challenging environment for a vegetarian, but adapted and excelled.

Learned to work hard and smart, overcoming initial difficulties and developing skills in various kitchen roles.

Worked long hours in Southern Spice restaurant, gaining experience and understanding the demands of the industry.

Received a diagnosis of dyslexia, a learning disability, but did not let it hinder personal or professional growth.

Mentors and colleagues, like Chef Natasha and Chef Mauli, taught the importance of working hard and smart for success.

Despite not receiving offers from foreign countries, the speaker has become the highest-earning member of their graduating class.

Shares the message that passion, love for work, and hard work are key to success, regardless of personal challenges.

Encourages taking blessings from elders and maintaining hard work as a core value for achieving success.

Conveys gratitude to the school for the opportunity to share life experiences and lessons learned.

Transcripts

well wonderful today is

[Music]

the topic that i am going to choose is

a little a difficult one which i adopted

in my life

very easily by god's grace hard work the

easiest shortcuts to success

i started my career way back in 1996

with jola sheraton prior to that

from there my career for the past 25

years has been great going uh

i'm one of the toppers in my bach not in

education if you think that i am

successful then in success ratio i am

the doctor in my in my class

prior to all this my childhood was a

little uh

bad

i was studying in an icsc school ranked

super in teenager in chennai i was very

very bad in academics

book

[Music]

school another vancouver particularly he

put me there i finished class three

class four i got detained

then uh

i uh coped up till 800. again and i

failed

[Music]

i wanted to cross the next step

again i went to nine standard nine seven

i failed again i wrote nine standard

second time i failed nine set up then i

went and told my dad dad come on i can't

do this you're putting me in a school

where i'm not able to cope up change me

to a state board school let me perform

i'll do my tension and transcendent

privately

in the school in particular

my dad was very fond of two things in my

school one is uh mr late mr david

pakiana who was the principal of the

school the second was my english teacher

mr shroff

so if i learn english from her my father

thought that my english would be good i

can come up in life so these two things

i said that enough i know enough english

and uh i can speak i can tell behind so

now change my school so i went to

transcendent and twice standard

privately i passed and then i came back

my father said

you are

going to see a take care of hotels uh

number four restaurants

so i went i was taking care of my

father's hotel uh i thought after 12

seconds holiday report i can roam around

the main energy morning six o'clock

he'll come and splash water on my face

and say

so early in the morning i used to wake

up and go open the hotel and take care

of it suddenly one day my mother said

hey

they used to call me baby

who will give you a girl

my god afraid

of

my father was very reluctant he said no

you're going to have fun in life in

college life enjoy

your going

i want to finish my diploma so i went to

a private catering college i finished my

diploma

that time in 1996 there were ihms

instead of hotel management which was in

25 30 places in india that is the

government-run one i studied in a

private college so all these big hotels

should come for campus recruitment do

not take do not prefer to take from

private school they usually see ism

students

by god's grace for my luck so he went

and told the hr manager of taj cora

mandela one mr murlin then i'm going to

send you one guy if you don't take him

taj is going to miss somebody i mean

solar rainfall

i went to the interview i finished my

foot trying and all that they had a

group discussion final interview thing i

scraped through and then i joined

the empty management training program

so

when i went first i they told me that i

i selected kitchen in my thing uh

specialization i selected kitchen so

kitchen select first time i got the chef

executive uh so now i'm a vegetarian

[Music]

[Music]

little difficult for me to handle these

things he said no problem wear the

gloves and start peeling the prawns

the first job they gave me was to peel

about 20 kgs of run next day morning i

had rashes full hands i had rashes

[Music]

in about 15 days all the marks in my

hands vanished

that is the first day i realized okay if

i'm going to give excuses in life if i'm

going to skip my responsibilities if i

think that i can get it easy it is not

going to happen that day i decided i

worked for next one year in the butchery

i left my speciality of south indian

kitchen i was in luchary for one year

today as good as john i can make a

galentine i can do valentine i can do

any chop off a fish off a boat off a

beef anything though being a vegetarian

i can slice a fish a fillet knowing

where the middle bone will come so

it took time to understand as i finished

my training in the butchery they put me

in a southern spice no restaurant so in

southern spice it used to be around

15-16 hours of working because that time

way back in 1996-97 that restaurant used

to do about three lakhs business every

day so it used to be very busy you name

the celebrity beer mr ragini

joined on the same day june 17 1996 we

all joined touch government from various

colleges

of the chinese kitchen

space kitchen

is

that time in the kitchen signing off an

indent was a very big thing signing of

indian test approving your signature

that you will say i need so many things

today kill a sign port of the store

store manager will give that

so for you to acknowledge your signature

and somebody is giving is a big thing

that time

is

he took my resignation he said i'll

accept it

but one thing i want to tell you

one more time

you will be resigning whenever there is

difficulty and you will never ever

release the word trainee from your name

upon a traineeship

training program

he said you want me to accept it you

will go outside you will be a trainee

for life i just learn it

and i'm standing here giving a tedx

speech

so

it takes time it takes determination it

takes uh it takes some amount of

motivation uh it takes

some amount of grit

to accept that hard work is the only way

to be successful

[Music]

um

[Music]

and they wrote a letter to my house

that their son is diagnosed with the

disorder called dyslexia

so

everybody got up dyslexia learning

disability

so he can't come up in life

the persons who came in my life chef

natasha chef mauli everybody they taught

me that working

smartly

working hard working for long hours

smartly can make your growth three times

higher so

[Music]

it's been 25 years since i finished my

hotel management till now i've not got

one single offer from any foreign

country i'm still living in india but

proudly i would say that of all the 130

students who passed out with me i am the

highest earning member of this in this

field today

uh if if money can be

attributed to success so all i would

want to say is uh

a person who's who's who's dyslexic

who's failed three to four times in life

uh can become from babu to vegatish but

i think anybody can be successful in the

world and it is not at all difficult it

takes some amount of passion it takes

some amount of some amount of

love to your love to your work what

you're doing and a lot of hard work

i would only want to tell this that uh

take blessings of elders

it is not important

[Music]

[Music]

make sure that hard work is always

within us so that we can all be

successful if babu can become vintage

but you all can become a million times

vanquished but i thank uh

the school for a wonderful opportunity

to come and share my experiences in of

life in this stage thank you everybody