Chetan Bhagat – rejected author turned bestseller
Before he was India’s best-selling English author, Chetan Bhagat was an investment banker whose first manuscript was turned down again and again. His story is a masterclass in the trait I call Optimism — and in the science of why some professionals bounce back while others quit.

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By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .