What does it really take to be successful? According to industrialist Harsh Goenka, the answer may be simpler than we think.Goenka recently shared a list of habits on X that he believes can help people succeed in life. His advice included speaking politely, eating sensibly, getting enough sleep, working patiently and thinking creatively.He also touched on money, suggesting people should earn honestly, save regularly and spend wisely.Simple enough, right? Well, the internet had a few thoughts.
Harsh Goenka shares his ‘simple rules’
Sharing his list on X, Goenka wrote, “How to succeed in life? Talk softly. Eat sensibly. Sleep sufficiently. Work patiently. Think creatively. Behave decently. Earn honestly. Save regularly. Spend intelligently. Simple rules, but difficult to master.”The post quickly drew reactions, with some users agreeing that these are useful habits, while others questioned whether they should really be called rules for success.For one user, the list sounded more like a guide to a peaceful life than a formula for getting ahead.“Sir these rules are not to succeed in life. These can be the rules to live a peaceful life but not a successful life. These rules are brain child of a ruler or a businessman who want their employees to be like this so that they can never be a threat to their bosses,” the user wrote.Another comment took a more humorous dig at the industrialist’s regular motivational posts.“I’ve stopped reading the Bhagavad Gita, Osho, and Maheshwari. Why bother? Just read Sir Ji’s tweets, you get motivation, enlightenment, and the complete user manual for life,” the user joked.Someone else summed up the list with a food-related comparison: “Sounds like the recipe for a balanced diet, except the dessert is a promotion.”
‘Simple things are ignored first’
Not everyone was critical. Some users felt Goenka’s advice was sound, even if putting all of it into practice isn’t easy.“Perfect list. I would say, it’s too perfect. If everybody followed it, I don’t think we’ll require any laws. But as usual, we’re human beings and we are bound to make mistakes and deviate from this perfect plan,” one user commented.Another agreed with the basic idea but pointed out the challenge of following everything together: “Not difficult to master these simple rules one at a time… the problem is applying them all at once.”The suggestion to “talk softly” also caught attention. One user wrote, “These days talking softly in lot of places is like getting ourselves buried.”Still, several people found the simplicity of the advice relatable.“That’s the irony.. all important things in life are very simple but tough to master,” one person wrote.Another summed it up even more simply: “True. Simple things are ignored first.”And perhaps that’s what made Goenka’s post interesting in the first place. The rules themselves aren’t particularly new. The debate was over something much bigger: whether success is about getting ahead, or simply building a life that works well.
