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I made a mistake that cost my company over $10,000 dollars.Let’s backtrack.When I started my career as a software engineer, I had a big ego problem. Looking back, I should have checked myself before I wrecked myself. But in the end, the $10k mistake that I made helped me grow into a smarter and more humble professional.I was on my first job as a developer.Starting out, I was eager to make a difference to prove my value. Like most developers, I joined a small team. Through long days and a ton of work, I gained responsibility for a small project which quickly became a pretty significant money maker for the company.I was incredibly inexperienced, but I would do my best to quickly and efficiently implement code changes whenever people asked for them. Things happened quickly, and given my limited experience, I had absolutely no idea how to do things the correct way.My code was pretty disastrous, but hey, it worked. By coding like a cowboy, I could hack things together to allow our team to move very quickly. I didn’t have any test coverage, but my boss, who probably should have known better, didn’t seem to care.Things were perfect. But then something catastrophic happened.I shipped an experimental feature late on a Friday evening. Everyone at the company was eager to see the results of the experiment the following Tuesday (Monday was a holiday). Monday morning, I checked my email and noticed several strange email chains.I started to piece everything together, and soon realized that I had completely broken an application for a large subset of users. Our company was very data-driven, so it didn’t take long for me to determine that my mistake had cost our company well over $10,000 dollars.First thing the next morning, I apologized to my boss...then promptly asked if I was going to be fired. Without skipping a beat, he responded with a quote from a famous urban myth:“Why would we fire you? We just spent $10,000 teaching you a lesson.”So, what was the lesson?Mistakes have consequences. They can cause companies to lose customers, money and credibility. But the only thing worse than making a mistake is deciding to never put yourself in a position to make the mistake in the first place. The risk of stalling innovation & learning, and letting your competitors move faster than you is far more dangerous.I’m pretty sure my boss knew that I would break something eventually. I was young, inexperienced, and had more responsibility than I was ready for. But operating in such a fast-and-loose manner allowed me and our team to move incredibly quickly...just at the risk of breaking things, which I ultimately did.I learned more in the 9 months that I worked for that company than at any other point in my career. In my biggest screw up, I learned four key lessons that I think apply across most industries:Don’t launch new things on a Friday (especially over a long weekend)Always understand exactly what is at risk when you’re taking chancesAlways double check your workBut, most importantly, don’t ever be afraid to... “Move Fast and Break Things.”There’s a reason why this has been Facebook’s mantra for years.You should never be afraid to put yourself in a position to make mistakes as long as the risk is worth it. It’s the only way you’ll grow into becoming a better professional within any industry. Playing it safe is no way to get ahead.If you're interested in diving into this a little deeper, feel free to check out a longer blog that I wrote about this story: The Biggest Mistake I've Ever MadeIf you liked my answer, it would mean a lot to me if you upvoted it, by pressing the light blue button below.

But my parents want me to pursue (insert career, love interest, any other goal here).If only I went to a better school, then I would have been really successful.If I was born into a wealthy family, well gosh, of course I'd be a great businessman. But I wasn't.Know what these all have in common? They're excuses.After 31 years of living, I finally realized this:You're responsible for your own life.Want your dream job? Learn the skills necessary to crush it in that role. Take time to sit down with the right mentors who have done it before. Come up with creative ideas like a video resume.Want to fall in love? Talk to the the cute girl that you see in the coffee shop. Get over being shy. Learn to genuinely connect with others.Want to travel the world? Get your passport out, map out places to go, save up for a few months and make it happen.Want to start you own company? Identify a huge problem, come up with the solution and launch your company.This is your life. Take control and be the CEO of it.When you finally take responsibility for your life:You learn to stop blaming othersYou accept your mistakes and learn from themYou start taking action instead of moping aroundYou realize how important it is to be the best version of yourselfYou grow as a personStop complaining. Be awesome instead.For more motivation subscribe to my site CEO Lifestyle.

Mainly because they are done being called “Aliens” in a country in which they have spent years and years of their lives. People don’t come back to India, they come back home.True story.Imagine.It’s 7:00 AM on a Wednesday.You are running late to catch your 7:12 AM train into the city. You put on your stockings, cardigan, jacket, scarf, gloves, and ear muffs because it’s -4C outside. Frost bite is a real possibility. Your toes might just get so frozen that they might fall off.It snowed last night , so don’t forget to put on your snow boots. You don’t want to lose your balance on the black ice and break your ankle.You open the door, and it’s dark outside. The Sun rises only at 7:20–7:30 AM. You start running towards the train station, because trains are generally on time, and you don’t want to miss this train, else the next connection is only in half an hour.You reach the train station. The train is running 20 mins late. So you just stand on the train station and try not to freeze.You leave work at around 6:00PM. It’s already dark outside. The Sun sets at around 4:00 PM. You reach home and start preparing for your dinner.You have dinner at around 7:30 PM, and start to relax. By the way, let’s not forget it’s very cold outside and it has started to snow again. You are not going to step out of your home anyway. The yellow lights make you further depressed and sad. You put on another romcom on Netflix and pour some Wine.Life doesn’t get more depressing than this.ImagineIt’s November 2016. Thus far you have spent over 3 years in the US. You are closely following the presidential elections, because it’s your country. You have your opinions on Gun control, abortion laws, rights of the immigrants. You want to matter.You want to belong.But in reality, you are just an alien in the US. Your opinions, thoughts, desire to belong means nothing to US.How does your opinion on Abortion law matter? They say.Go back and talk about social economic matters of your own country. They say.You spent $70k when you went to the Ivy League University at US.You are using your skills to make the US economy and lives of US citizens better.You pay taxes, including SSN and Medicare to the US.You bought products made in the US.You bought properties in the US.None of this matters.You were, and still are, an alien.ImagineIt’s May 2014. You are 24.It’s Lok Sabha elections in India. It’s the first time ever that you are eligible to vote in the elections.You have your own opinions on the right wing and the left wing. You have identified the candidate that you want to vote for.Just one problem.You are in the US. So you post your opinions on Facebook, like any other insane twenty-year-old.How does it matter what you think? You left your motherland to stay in a foreign country, they say.You do not belong, neither to India, nor to the US.It’s May 2019.You are 29. It’s Lok Sabha elections, but you can’t vote. So why do you care?Imagine.You come up with a great idea to launch a business. It’s going to help so many people. You are absolutely delighted by the idea.You meet an immigration attorney to identify if there is any way for you to open your own company.Your visa is tied to your job, you are told. Doing anything not related to your job will put your status in the country in jeopardy.Alright, once I get my permanent residence I’ll start a business, you think.Just one problem, the queue to get permanent residence in US is 150 years long for Indians.You are done being a prisoner in a prison of your own making.All in all, people do not come back to India, they come back home. Because we belong here. We have a social life which is absolutely amazing and the tropical weather all year round.In your career you are bounded by your own imagination, and you can absolutely start your own thing whenever you want to.Let’s not even talk about money, because have you seen everyone taking international vacations to destinations of their choosing? Maybe it was a little too expensive when our parents were growing up, but now it’s absolutely achievable even when you are working in India.India has many things which US doesn’t offer.But at the top, it would always be the feeling of belonging.Find more stories at accessible through my profile Shivee ChauhanPeople find it amusing when I tell them I have an approved H1B stamped on my passport, and still chose to come back. They greet me with their mouths wide open, a big laughing moment for me.I wish that people making such guesses get to spend 6 years in the US as well. Maybe then they would understand what am I trying to say.