Swapnil Pawar is an entrepreneur having over thirty years of experience in diverse businesses that he has created successfully. He is a lifelong student of Hindustani classical music and passionate about the musical instrument Tabla. He has recently come out with the book Your Next Self: Repaint Your Canvas. Design a New Identity. Transform Yourself. This book gives a glimpse of the events and people who came in his life and inspired him to completely transform his thought process to lead a life of exuberance and abundance.

I chat with him about his book Your Next Self, what inspired him to write this book, book recommendations, and much more.

Hello, Swapnil! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am an entrepreneur having 30 years of experience in diverse businesses, which I have created and run successfully. As an entrepreneur, I was challenged to take compelling decisions and I chose riskier options with conviction which led me to create financial independence and attain fulfilment in my career and life.

Being an ardent learner of varied philosophies, a keen observer of human behaviour, and an avid traveller, has helped me in deriving answers to my quest for the meaning of my existence. It has also helped me in searching for the answers which life thrusts upon us on a daily basis. I am a devoted learner of Hindustani classical music and very passionate about the musical instrument Tabla, of which I am lifelong student.

My endeavour is to create significance in this short span of life and strive for transformation in the way that I deal with my businesses and my relationships. I really want to share my knowledge and experience with people which can help them in transcending their self-limiting beliefs and create an extraordinary life for themselves.

How would you describe your book Your Next Self in one sentence?

The purpose of my book Your Next Self is for readers to create a metamorphosis within themselves which can help them in personal transformation, for leading a life of magnificence and financial independence.

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

I have shared incidents, events and my real life experiences in this book, and it shall bring forth a realisation in the readers and offer them a new perspective to tread on a different path of living life courageously by discarding the unnecessary baggage they carry of the ‘Past’, create a formidable transformation in the ‘Present’, and alter the course of their ‘Future’ to live a life of exuberance, fulfilment and abundance. The purpose of the book is to peel off the exterior masks which people wear so that the ‘Real You’ can reveal itself.

What was the moment when the idea of the book first came to be? What made you pursue it?

The idea of writing a book was always there and screaming up from within me, and I wanted to write down my thoughts and give them the shape of a book, but the daily activities of business never really allowed me to sit quietly in peace and pen all of them together. I had come across many people who were going through a lot of struggles, were stuck in their limited beliefs, and were giving up on the dreams that they had for themselves. I felt like giving them the methodology and the discipline which I followed throughout my life, so that they can shed their old belief systems and conditioned thinking to create a new identity of the self which could propel them to lead a successful and fulfilled life. I utilised the time during the pandemic-induced lockdowns fully to my advantage to write the full book and publish it in a span of 18 months, which would really impact people and lead them towards the path of self-discovery.

What type of research did writing this book entail?

The research stretches to all the 50 years of my life and the immense learning I got from the numerous obstacles and challenges I faced, and the people who came in my life and inspired me to adhere to my self-belief. This made me a stronger person, and I was able to face any adversities which were thrown at me by life.

What is the message that you want readers to take away from this book?

I want my readers to really do deep contemplations and unmask the different personas they have burdened themselves with. I want them to dismantle their old belief systems which have become outdated, and venture out into the unknown and uncertain areas to find possibilities, and to craft an extraordinary life for themselves.

How have you been coping with the current pandemic and what will be the new normal for you post it?

The pandemic has been a massive disruption for everyone. For me, personally, it has been a phase of massive introspection as I could really slow down the pace of my life, look at it from a different perspective, and plan my future to set out on a definite course which will lead to wealth creation and financial independence. The new normal for me is to become the ‘New Me’ in this new world.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Currently, I have been submerged into deep spirituality and have been absorbing a lot of YouTube videos of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. For life motivation, I am listening to Les Brown and Jim Rohn, and I am also learning human psychology by taking online courses. A book recommendation for the readers would be The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma.

The book ‘Your Next Self’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.