You Are Who You Surround Yourself With

There’s a saying that who you surround yourself with can shape who you become. I never truly grasped the depth of that until I found myself sitting across a variety of people in very different walks of life—some by choice, some by chance.

10 Minutes with a Drunkard: Freedom from Worry

Years ago, I was returning late from a freelance meeting in Baluwatar. I stopped at a tea shop near Baneshwor, waiting for the rain to slow down. Next to me sat a visibly drunk man, singing old Nepali songs, smiling as if he had no care in the world. I didn’t say much, just nodded when he offered me roasted peanuts. For those 10 minutes, I watched someone genuinely unbothered by deadlines, bills, or responsibilities.

It made me wonder—what if we all had just a little of that carefree spirit?

9 Minutes with a Sadhu: Detachment in Chaos

During a trip to Pashupatinath, I once sat beside a Sadhu under a tree while waiting for a friend. He asked me what I do. I said, "I’m a software engineer and content creator." He chuckled and said, “Create peace before creating code.”

He spoke about how material things never satisfy us for long. In 9 minutes, I felt like giving up half my possessions and disappearing into the mountains. Of course, I didn’t—but it planted a seed: maybe success isn’t always material.

8 Minutes with a Politician: A Lesson in Contradiction

Back when I was involved in building a system for an event, I had to coordinate with a local political figure. I sat in his office for exactly 8 minutes. I won’t lie—it left me frustrated. The way logic, merit, or hard work was dismissed made me question the value of all the years I spent studying, teaching, and building systems.

It reminded me: not all systems reward effort equally.

5 Minutes with a Businessman: The Value of Value

I once had a coffee meeting with a businessman who asked how much I charged for a project. I told him. He smiled and said, “That’s what you think you’re worth. Not what the market thinks.” In just 5 minutes, he challenged my whole approach to pricing, branding, and positioning myself.

Since then, I’ve started seeing value not just in code, but in confidence.

4 Minutes with a Scientist: The Depth of Curiosity

At a tech conference, I got into a conversation with a physicist who worked in AI modeling. His words flew over my head, but he spoke with such passion that I could only nod in awe. In just 4 minutes, I realized how much I don’t know—and how much I still want to learn.

4 Minutes with a Good Teacher: Becoming a Student Again

One of my mentors—an old professor who taught me back in college—once told me, “Teaching is just learning with your students.” He sat down with me after a guest lecture and we chatted about technology, youth, and purpose.

Those 4 minutes reminded me why I teach today: not because I know everything, but because learning never ends.

1 Minute with a Good Friend: Heaven on Earth

Lastly, I remember a moment when I met a close friend after few years. We didn’t talk much. Just had couple of minutes of talk revisiting the moments when we were at college, looked at each other, and laughed for a minute straight. That one minute—no plans, no ambitions, just presence—felt like heaven.

The Takeaway?

Some companies change our mood. Some shift our mindset. A few can change the trajectory of our life.

In tech, I’ve learned that code runs efficiently when it's clean and optimized. Life’s the same. Surround yourself with people who clean your thoughts, optimize your purpose, and debug your doubts.

Choose your company like you choose your code—wisely.