The leftovers leaves
During my time with TCS, I remember leaving at least 2 full months of sick leaves (leaves that got lapsed included) at work. It was not due to the fact that I was super healthy or something. I enjoyed my work and always showed up. Work from home was not even a thing (until covid).
Since I turned up everyday at office, I was able to learn few things and the sick leaves I sacrificed gave me results. By being present consistently, I picked up things I never would have from behind a screen, built great relationships with a lot of seniors who are still in touch even to this day. I really believe Those unused sick days were an investment. And over time, that investment paid off.
Covid - Knowledge + Weight Gain
During covid, I enjoyed working from home, lip smacking food, at least half a liter of coffee everyday, work productivity increased by 200%, physical health decreased by 200%. I scarified my physical health and learnt quite a lot during the times when we were stuck at home and were unable to go out.
I sacrificed fitness for focus, learnt valuable skills at the cost of health.
Diet = Tasty tongue Vs long term health!
Over the last few months, I’ve an extremely strict diet. I have completely stopped eating “anything” outside. Not even a single bite out of curiosity nor compulsion from family. Always home made food, simple light meals or salads.
Do I miss great food - Yes! But its a long term “choice” I have made. This choice enables me to stay sharp at work and most importantly stay healthy. The weight I gained during covid is almost gone.
Do I like to eat that masala puri or bisi bisi Bajji on the road side just after a rain ? Yes. Will I ? No and its by choice.
Multiple Hats = Learning Sacrifices
At my company, Techvito, I’m the founder, the CEO, COO, CFO, CISO, the HR, the Admin, the IT Support, the backup when anyone is on leave, the house keeper, the security guard, Product Owner, Engineering Manager, Developer, QA, Architect, Infrastructure person, Sales & Marketing guy, Customer Support, Point of contact for Escalations, content manager, Content Creator, Trainer & coach, Talent Hunting Specialist**, Peacekeeper**, coffee supplier and more. A full stack founder who can do it all.
The struggle is real. Building something from scratch is a challenge and I respect those who have done it already. My dad, My role model, built a catering business from scratch and ran it “Successfully“ for 45 years (I have now inherited the catering business now).
Today I can wear multiple hats easily and my team is flourishing & growing. I have sacrificed my own learning time for things that interest me the most.
Point being..
We all need to learn to enjoy being uncomfortable. The choices we make today, will pay us in the future. There is no doubts about this one.
"Hard now, easy later. Easy now, hard forever."
And as I always suggest “Choose your hard wisely“. Yes, they are uncomfortable, messy and a lot of times we find it hard but over time, those sacrifices yield compounded results.
Year 2025 particularly has been the hardest year of my life ever(more on this in the future) and yet, 2025 turns out to be the year I grew the most personally, emotionally and gave me the strength and direction I never imagined.
You are the script writer of your movie. Try to make it beautiful.
Thank You!
If you have reached so far, congratulations. Please feel free to share your “Sacrifices“ in the comments.
Let's Connect
Hi, I’m Sandeep Gokhale, and I'm passionate about building high-performing teams at my company, Techvito and I write about Technology, People, Processes and some more fun stuff.
One of my life’s mission is to do whatever it takes to be a better human being.
If you’re interested in learning how to implement upskilling strategies that empower your team to excel, I’m here to help you shape a future-ready workforce that drives success for your business. Let’s connect, Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Until Next time!
