How Changing Careers Could Help You Build A Legacy
Vishal Bhandari shares with us how sustainable development became his anchor after his shift to being an entrepreneur
Wishes. Journeys. Pivot. Millennium. Sustainability — are just a few words, from a pool of thousand more that Vishal Bhandari shared, to give us a tiny glimpse into his life. If Vishal could have it his way, he would have been working across different sectors and places to channel a multitude of his ideas and passions. How is it even possible for one individual to pursue so many interests and be everywhere at the same time? Vishal symbolized this intention at BHX Shillong by joining hands with and walking alongside other residents’ journeys to manifest some of their shared wishes and visions (ranging from theatre, music, writing… all the way to sustainability)!
Vishal mindfully asks, “How do we become part of each other’s journeys while at the same time not compromise on our own identities?” He found his answer in an anecdote from a jazz performance — “two musicians were playing jazz and one of them played the wrong note. He was so worried about his error but to his surprise, the second musician improvised to make the wrong note sound right”.
Similarly in life, instead of worrying about the notes we have played so far, if we together shape the ones we will be playing, then it can change the entire rhythm. Metaphorically speaking, Vishal hopes to play different notes with those whose vibes resonated with his at BHX and to carve out beautiful rhythms that these connections can create.
Transitioning from a Merchant Navy job to entrepreneurship, Vishal discovered some of his deeper callings during the turn of the millennium in 2000.
He was particularly struck by the Sustainable Development Goals and the Earth Charter, realizing the role that businesses would need to play to create a more sustainable ecosystem. “Sustainability” became Vishal’s prime point, or so to say anchor, around which all his entrepreneurial ideas and actions would pivot. Even during everyday challenges with changes in regulatory laws, business operations or revenues, when it is possible to lose sight of a bigger purpose, Vishal would always go back to his anchor [sustainability] which would give him direction and guide his intuition. SoulTree is one such idea, grounded in this anchor — to create a product line of personal care and beauty products through Ayurvedic herbs to support the livelihoods of farmers who Vishal worked with within Uttarakhand.
When asked for advice to those startup founders, who like him, have been part of different ventures or ideas — Vishal gets us to evaluate if we have stepped into our 2.0 after either starting something entirely new or building on what we had already started. During our 1.0 or first time with start-ups, the pressures were very different with so many demands, responsibilities and needs to fulfil. Once we have passed that phase, then 2.0 is a fantastic way to spot check and question what it is that really drives our motivations.
He leaves us with two introspective questions to ponder on -
What legacy do we genuinely want to leave behind?
How can we make the most of belonging to communities and networks such as the BHX tribe?