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Book Review: Diary of a Successful Loser by Mohan K

Diary of a Successful Loser by Mohan K is a good thought-provoking book that can help you in overcoming the obstacles in personal and professional life. But remember, it is not a straight info-laden self-help book. It’s rather a stealth-help book, which means you got to know about issues and then solutions through the real incidents from the author’s life. A ‘technique’ way different from the banality of self-help books that overstuff philosophy and others quotes for every situation.


The USP of Mohan’s book is that it doesn’t overstuff you with anyone’s blind philosophy, instead the author puts his own views. Segmented into 5 chapters, Mohan narrates his tale of life that grappled with quirks of fate, career ups and down, setbacks, heartbreaks, self-expectations and more. A close look reveals that he was quite successful with his time…yet he being so humble that he chose to label himself as a successful loser. The title is contrasting but that’s okay.

The book commences with a contemporary tool that fools all of us: social media. Mohan discusses the back stage story of social media…as how and why people showoff so much there. You might feel inferior upon seeing others achievements in a glorious way. However, it’s a part of a trap called ‘success worship.’ Mohan loathes it. Success is different. It’s a personal story that differs from one person to another with time.

If someone’s personal story could be inspiring for millions of people, you can pick up of Mohan’s. The author takes readers through his school days to living American dream to settling back in India with his family. Mohan studied in KVs of India while his father was getting transfer after every couple of years. He is a son of an Indian air force pilot. He wanted to join air force or army but couldn’t due to bad luck. Anyways, he opted for computer science. It worked. Got a good job and then living abroad, including the American dream. Soon he became an eligible NRI bachelor. Got married to a daughter of an IAS officer, nevertheless, it turned out to be a ruthless heartbreak.

Since Mohan was a tech guy, he was on and off between India and abroad for his personal reasons and family allegiance. But life was never a cake walk for him. He had his own set of grief and complaints and setbacks…at times the story is heartbreaking, next moment emotional, but it gives a clear message that no matter how life treats you…never give up. The more openly you embrace your challenges, the stronger you become.

After every incident or life experience, the author sheds light on positive takeaways. For instance, he loses Surya on one ill-fated flight, and there is this tragic story of Satya Nadella losing his son. The message is simple and powerful: Do not let a tragedy define who you are. You should show the world that you are able to move forward despite the tragedy and are not bogged down because of it.

‘Diary of a Successful Loser’ by Mohan K is personal, fictional, and helpful. Written in simple narration, the book picks up tempo as the author delves deep in his stories that brought him a bundle of emotions called life experiences. Looking for books/accounts that can inspire you with a touch of personal stories, go nowhere…pick it up.

Buy your copy from Amazon/Kindle.

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