“Passion beats a paycheck any day,” Priyanka Gupta, an IIT Kanpur alumnus said in her now-viral post on LinkedIn as she shared why she quit her high-paying corporate job to become a fitness coach. A resident of Bengaluru, Priyanka said in her post, “I left a big MNC and my IIT pedigree attachment. Now I help professionals stay fit and live longer.”
After graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 2005, Priyanka said that she “started chasing that golden ticket to financial stability.” It was the “most apparent path,” Priyanka said as she had to support her family.
She worked for five years, following which she took her first break and by then, Priyanka “got bugged by entrepreneurship”.
“I wanted to start a home-cooked food delivery business. It didn’t start,” she said, adding that she had to get into a 9-5 job again because she “could not get enough courage”.
While pursuing a corporate life, Priyanka settled into her comfort zone but “there was this itch” to pursue her passion: “The kind that makes you crave something more, something you can truly call your own.”
So, in 2012, Priyanka finally “took the plunge” and launched her first startup. It was “scary” for sure but it certainly was worth it, in her words.
“Turns out, passion beats a paycheck any day. Sure, money’s nice and all, but there is nothing like building something from scratch that you truly believe in,” Priyanka said in her post.
Although she couldn’t continue with her first startup for whatsoever reasons, Priyanka shared the “powerful lessons” that she learnt along the way.
“Passion fuels purpose. Sure, financial rewards matter, but true fulfillment comes from pursuing something that sets your soul on fire,” she said.
Most importantly: “Embrace the roller coaster. Entrepreneurship has its highs and lows. Learn from your setbacks, celebrate your wins, and enjoy the ride.”
Amid a hectic schedule, Priyanka asserted that it is essential you must prioritise your health. “It’s not just about physical fitness. A healthy body and mind are essential for a fulfilling life.”
To conclude, Priyanka said, “So yeah, maybe my journey isn’t your typical IIT grad story, but it’s mine. And I have just begun.”
See her post here:
Priyanka Gupta is a nutritionist and health coach. In 2020, she founded Veg Fit which “enables busy executives to adopt fitness as a lifestyle, helping them attain elevated productivity, an improved quality of life and a slower ageing process,” as described on their website.
Source Agencies
