Setting And Smashing Goals With Sujith Varghese

Welcome to 2021.
Probably the most welcomed year in recent history, given the fact 2020 has set the bar really low for what can be labelled as a good year.

The previous year had mixed reviews. Some people found their hustle, some had to go through tough, tough situations and some had internal obstacles to conquer. Something everyone can agree on is that 2020 was a new experience and more could’ve been done that year.
In presence of the new year, we decided to start off 2021 on a productive note – by helping our readers achieve their goals. And to assist with it we spoke to the highly-motivated Sujith Varghese.

Sujith is a 3-time TEDx speaker, nominated for fitness influencer of the year 2020 by FIT awards and won the masala awards 2020 for ‘Most Inspirational personality’ among his many laurels on his wall of achievements.

His story is a story that has moved hearts and motivated people enough to move mountains. Now, Sujith lets us in on his secret to conquering obstacles.

• You’ve pulled vehicles, won awards, spoken on stage; is there anything you think you cannot do?
  “Something I can’t do is that I couldn’t stop ‘rolling’ the way I do since the last few years”.
  
  
• Quite the sense of humour you got there.
  Your life has changed immensely since the accident. What motivated you to pick yourself and move forward?
  “It all happened unexpectedly. I was in Bangalore, college was amazing, everything was great and next thing I knew, I was in a hospital. It was a major shock and initially there was this acceptance phase of, “This is real? This is permanent?” and the sort. After a few months, I slowly came to realize this is lifelong because until then I was expecting people around me and the situation to change. When I saw the doctors and my people had given up hope of recovery, it was then I decided I would refuse to let this be my end. With this accident, I saw a side of life I’ve never seen before. I knew if I put my mind to something, I can achieve the unimaginable and since then, I’ve been in competition with myself.”
  
  
• Who has been your support system throughout the journey?
  “Definitely my mother. I would not give anyone this position. God gave me life but her support was what helped me get the courage to bounce back”.
  
  
• What are the current objectives you are working on?
  “I’m a banker, motivational speaker and a fitness influencer. Right now, my objective is facilitation for people of determination. I have been reviewing gyms across UAE in terms of accessibility and I blog about them. Other people of determination have reached out about wanting to work out like me but they were unsure how to go about it. So I thought, why not make a difference for them?”
  
  
• People and perspective has changed towards you obviously. What’s something you want to prove to them?
  “The way people interacted with me before and after my accident changed completely. It left me heartbroken but it also gave me the motivation to bounce back. They were placing limitations on me, thinking I wouldn’t amount to much in life, so I decided I had to prove them wrong. It was their perspective of what was possible but I was more capable than their assumptions”.
  
  
• Favourite sporting icons. Who inspired you to get into fitness and sports?
  “Mohammed Ali, Kobe Bryant and Usain Bolt. I had a passion for boxing from a young age, I used to play basketball in my school days and Bolt intrigues me with his personality and speed”.
  
  

• How does Sujith spend his downtime? Any hobbies besides these?
  “After work you’ll find me in the gym obviously. Besides that I’m a musician, I write raps and I’m getting into music production. Earlier this year I was approached to write a song for a documentary for people of determination and this track inspires me immensely. These are my thoughts converted into song which is out now on my YouTube channel”.
  
  
• It’s almost 2021. Do share your New Year resolutions with us.
  “I don’t like resolutions because you are done with them after a while. For me it’s a life-long lifestyle change, if at all I make a decision. For 2021, I plan to put out a lot of music than before.”
  
  
• Why do you think people cannot achieve their goals?
  “Many times we start a goal with a lot of determination, only to see it forgotten few months down the line. There are numerous factors to this, one of them being not setting a deadline. People don’t understand the importance of setting a deadline and how that goal is to be broken down into actionable smaller goals. People say, “Yes, I have a goal and I will achieve it”. Great, but when? Another factor is having belief in your goal, even if others say it is ridiculous. Not having that belief in your goal will cause you to abandon it when things get tough”.
  
  

• What would you like to be known for?
  “I want to be an example for proving people and their assumptions about me wrong. Thereby inspiring others to achieve what is said to be beyond reach. Life put me in a situation I did not choose but I will rise above the obstacles.”
  
  
• 1 key attribute that achievers have.
  “A lot of people don’t do this nor talk about this. A morning routine is definitely what sets achievers apart from the crowd. How you program your mind first thing in the day has a huge impact as it sets the tone for the rest of the day”.
  
  
• Your milestone graph doesn’t seem to be dipping. What’s the next goal you aim to conquer?
  “My graph won’t be dipping anytime soon. If I was on the stock market, mine would be the most upward trending graph, infinitely (laughs).
  It’s the work that I’ve done that empowers me to keep moving forward. So even in those dipping moments, I won’t stop because someone else’s hopes are pinned on me. A crazy milestone for me was to pull a car and I did so at Nibras international school, just to show people that you can do anything you set your mind to. What’s coming up next is something big definitely and I’ll surely keep you in the loop for it”.
  
  

There you have it; 2 key take-aways from the man of determination. Put a deadline on your goals and be dedicated to it. If you haven’t set a resolution yet, now you have no more excuses.

Tag us in your resolution-smashing content on Instagram @sunsandsports.
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