New book explains how successful people landed the job they love

A dreary urban image is of a Monday morning A top shot preferably thousands and thousands of people heading to work connected by formal attire ironed clothes and a stiff expression on their face Among them those often missed in this portrayal are slightly happier people who are the product of a new environment doing things they love These driven individuals take risks go beyond the fixed hours and belong to the yellow collar professions as described by Mala Mary Martina in her book I Love MondaysHarbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble at Wankhede stadium last year Pic Suresh KKFor this book the Bangalorebased writer has interviewed sportsmen musicians agriculturists VFX experts cinematographers plastic surgeons and others who have met their dreams so that Mondays for them do not come with the dread of heading to workThe book doesnrsquot follow a conservative structure Known as a serial entrepreneur Martina writes in the introduction that she doesnrsquot believe that choices you made in life should be structuredThis is exactly why there is no specific manner in which you must read this book Start anywhere you like read about any innovator you wish to They all speak the common language of success This book is not a reference guide it is a thoughtful reflection I have had with experts from different fields she writes And reminds the writer to make notes in the margins before signing offKumble the new Indian cricket coachThe interview was done much before Anil Kumble was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team He was interviewed as a retired cricketer and sports mentor It thus becomes even more interesting to know what the master legspinner and only modernday bowler to get an entire team out in an innings has to stay about his drive and dedicationFor Kumble making the choice of continuing to play after school was not difficult as he had made it easy for himself He never let his grades fall and as long as he did well in studies no one questioned his hours devoted to cricketHe studied engineering one of the two options available to middleclass boys in the 1990s But unlike other students he didnrsquot have the the luxury of bunking classes or hanging out He managed his time well and if he decided to study at 6 pm he would start right then and never even five minutes late With this discipline he managed to balance the dual challenges of cricket and academicsOn being able to maintain this fine balance Kumble shared with the author that he has the knack for doing a mental switch When focusing on studies he switched off from cricket and vice versaThe biggest lesson from the life of the cricketer is his mental strength A simple example of telling oneself to wake up at 6 am the next day waking up at 6 am is winning the battle and waking up at 605 is losing the battle This mental discipline is quintessential There is no curriculum for mental toughness she writesAnilrsquos 3 Mantras1 If your child is not playing for the school team yet before you press the reject button on sports give himher a little extra time 2 It is easy to make money but the key to success is to invest money for longterm returns 3 It helps to push the child to play with a wider age group Encourage a 13year old to play with a 19year old This teaches him people skillsI Love Mondays Mala Mary Martina HarperCollins Rs 299 Available at leading bookstores Ricky Kej Grammywinning musician The Mumbaibased musician Martina mentions almost convinced her to take up a career in music The winner of the highest international respect for a musicianrsquos work the Grammy was first trained to be a dentist as his parents both doctors wanted him to study medicineHe studied just enough to see himself through devoting the rest of his time to the pursuit of music starting with Western Classical and moving on to Hindustani Classical He soon realised that making music for Bollywood was not his calling and started earning his living making jingles He took every opportunity to make and perform independent music slowl establishing himself as a name in Europe and India To budding musicians he says gtInvest in learninggtPut up your work online and connect with people both online and offlineCLAIM TO FAME He won a Grammy for Best New Age Album for his work Winds of Samsara created in collaboration with South African flautist Wouter KellermanManoj Rajan agri market revolutionary Though this seems the most ancient profession and has been rejected by millions to take up jobs that suited modernity agriculture remains the largest employer in India and the country remains dependent in several ways from food to fashion It is this gap that Rajan CEO of Rashtriya eMarket Services is working to bridgeOver the years he has learnt the farmersrsquo methods by working with them and also learnt new and modern technology that will enable to increase farm produce Rajan says that now there is a resurgence of agriculture with many more students joining agriculture related coursesCLAIM TO FAME Managing Director and CEO of Rashtriya eMarket Services an initiative devoted to to bringing efficiency and transparency in the agricultural marketing systemVivek Ram VFX specialist Ram has sculpted his future on his own terms He might have worked in some of the biggest Hollywood films but he started to explore animation and computer graphics by the time he was in his fourth yearEventually he quit engineering and still does not have a degree in animation Animation Ram points out is not just about art and computers but much beyond that It is important to understand physiology bone structure skin texturing body language psychology etc to be able to make that inanimate idea a reality he says CLAIM TO FAME Created visual effects for films like The Incredible Hulk Night At The Museum Happy Feet and Land Of The Lost