Harvard alumnus Indian CEO Sameer Maheshwari shares 5 game-changing lessons he learned from middle-class roots

Time of India

5 days ago

Image credits: X/@sameermahesh
While the world may be viewing the growth and development at an equal rate among all, the reality paints a starkly different picture. While the rich are becoming richer and more and more people are figuring out unique ways of wealth, there are many who take every step with caution as they sadly lack a wealthy pair of parents or trust fund to fall back on.
Some might think a life like this is very steep and linear; the ones who take the risks actually do succeed. In a
post
going viral on LinkedIn, an Indian CEO has shared how grateful he is to his middle-class roots that taught him habits that shaped his life today.
Sameer Maheshwari, an IIT Delhi and Harvard Business School alumnus, is the founder and CEO of HealthKart, an online platform for health and fitness products. The CEO, who has 9,947 followers on LinkedIn, expressed his gratitude towards being born middle-class, emphasising the lack of "legacy, advantage and safety net."
However, he added how people born in middle-class families had things far more powerful, such as "strong values, hunger to achieve and resilience to face any hardship" He emphasised how "everything had to be earned."
Quoting the example of cricket, a sport most Indian children grow up playing, he shared that while they played cricket for hours, they didn't get their own bat and had to earn it by showing up and proving themselves.
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"Buying that bat was a milestone- a reward, a motivation, And more importantly, a life lesson: anything worth having must be earned."
5 lessons being middle-class teaches you
Image credits: Getty Images
Maheshwari also went on to share 5 lessons that being middle-class will teach a person that no textbook can. These included:
Value of money
: Every ₹ can go a long way
Need vs want
: That eating out is a treat, not a routine
Saving first
: You never spend ahead of yourself
Gratitude
: You appreciate what you have rather than dwell on what you don't
Comparison
: You are constantly measured against peers, and must learn to convert that pressure into internal strength not insecurity
He also pondered how maybe the lack of resources gave him the drive he has in life.
"The grind gave me direction. The friction built resilience. It made me entrepreneurial, long before I knew what the word meant." He added that the middle class isn't just a label but a mindset and asked people for one middle-class habit or experience that still shapes their life today.
Netizen react to Sameer Maheshwari's post
Image credits: Getty Images
Many on LinkedIn connected with Maheshwari's post and thoughts. Many shared how hard work-based achievements made the results even more important.
"We didn't just "earn" things. We waited, we negotiated, we dreamed about them for months. It made achieving them so much sweeter," wrote one.
"I resonate so much. This "deal chasing" attitude helps a lot in business. There's this common term in my office when we're stuck with something "jugaad kar lenge". That jugaad blessing is a lineage."
"For me, it's a habit of celebrating small wins. Growing up middle class, every little achievement, buying a new cycle, going on a family vacation, felt huge because it was hard-earned. That feeling of joy in progress, no matter how small still drives me today," added another.