This blog post is based on insights from Vijender Chauhan’s appearance on The Ranveer Show (TRS) podcast, hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia.
Introduction: Why Your Hard Work Isn’t Enough
Have you ever looked at someone who seems to have “made it” and wondered, “What do they have that I don’t?”
We live in an era where everyone is working hard. The 22-year-old UPSC aspirant in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar is grinding 10 hours a day. The startup founder in Bangalore is sleeping four hours a night. The corporate executive is taking calls at midnight. Hard work has become the baseline, not the differentiator.
So what actually separates those who build meaningful, lasting careers from those who burn out or plateau?
In a deeply revealing conversation on The Ranveer Show, educator and interviewer Vijender Chauhan shared what he calls the “Maturity Algorithm”—a framework that moves beyond the “hustle culture” we’re drowning in. This isn’t about waking up at 4 AM or drinking bulletproof coffee. It’s about psychological courage, intellectual honesty, and the uncomfortable work of transcending your own biases.
As Chauhan puts it: “If you don’t have the capacity to endure five failures, don’t even think about becoming an IAS officer straight away.” —Vijender Chauhan
This blog post translates his insights into actionable exercises for anyone at a career crossroads—whether you’re 22 and confused, or 32 and re-evaluating.
The Problem with “Intellectual Laziness” and Why We’re All Guilty of It
H3: Judgment is the Easy Way Out
Here’s a truth bomb that might sting: Being judgmental is intellectually lazy.
Chauhan explains that humans are wired for energy conservation. When we see someone with a beard, a turban, or a particular style of dress, our brain serves us a pre-packaged judgment. “Oh, people from that community are like this.” It saves us the mental effort of actually getting to know someone.
“Judgmental behavior comes from our intellectual laziness. We want to avoid intellectual labor. If we get an easy route where less effort is needed, versus another route where more effort is needed, most of the time we choose the easier route. It’s human nature to conserve energy.” —Vijender Chauhan
This isn’t just about being “nice.” In the context of your career, this laziness is expensive. It limits your network, narrows your perspective, and keeps you trapped in echo chambers where everyone agrees with you.
The Social Media Amplification Effect
Ranveer Allahbadia points out something we’ve all felt: “In the social media generation, human beings’ capacity to judge has increased too much.”
We’re literally being rewarded for hot takes. The algorithm loves outrage. The result? We’re becoming more judgmental than any previous generation. Chauhan notes that in the 90s, hatred wasn’t incentivized the way it is today. People hid their prejudices because society viewed them negatively. Now, those same prejudices get likes.
For Example:
Imagine you’re sitting in traffic and see someone in a luxury car. Your immediate thought: “Rich people don’t work hard.” Where did that come from? Pure bias. You don’t know their story. Maybe they grew up in a slum. Maybe they’re drowning in debt. That judgment costs you nothing in the moment, but it reinforces a mental habit that will eventually limit your own potential.
The Three Exercises of the Maturity Algorithm
Chauhan doesn’t just diagnose the problem—he offers a prescription. These three exercises form what we’re calling the Maturity Algorithm. Grab a notebook. This works better when you write it down.
Exercise 1: The Strengths Audit (What Can Actually Build Your Career?)
Most career advice tells you to “follow your passion.” Chauhan suggests something more concrete: Identify three genuine strengths that could actually generate income.
When Ranveer was 22, he listed:
- Fitness (he had done a fitness course and understood exercise science)
- Communication skills (he was articulate and had hosted events in college)
- Marketing (he’d done multiple internships and understood how to sell)
These three strengths led him to become a fitness YouTuber, which evolved into fashion content, then podcasting, and now business ventures.
Your Action Step:
- List 3 genuine strengths you have that others might pay for
- Be brutally honest: Are these actual skills, or just things you wish you were good at?
- Ask: “Which of these is a product of my privilege?” (More on this in Exercise 2)
Exercise 2: The Privilege vs. Deprivation Inventory (The Uncomfortable Truth)
This is where most self-help advice fails. It treats everyone as if they start from the same starting line. They don’t.
Chauhan asks his students to list 10 identity markers—things like:
- Gender
- Economic background
- Language (English-speaking vs. non-English)
- Region (Urban vs. rural)
- Caste
- School tier (IIT vs. local college)
- Family connections
Next to each, write “P” for Privileged or “D” for Deprived.
The Hard Truth:
If most of your markers are “Privileged,” you need to transcend those privileges. Don’t just coast on them. If most are “Deprived,” you need a reality check about timeline and risk tolerance.
“If you come from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, or Rajasthan and you’re a boy thinking about becoming an IAS officer—reject that thought twice. Think three times. If after three times it still persists, then do it. But if you’re a girl from the same region and your family offers to send you to Delhi for preparation—grab that opportunity immediately.” —Vijender Chauhan
Why the difference? The girl gains freedom and exposure just by moving to a big city, even if she never clears the exam. The boy is often chasing someone else’s dream (family prestige, dowry potential, “bhaokal”).
For Example:
A student from a wealthy English-speaking family in Mumbai can afford to fail five startups. A student from a poor family in Azamgarh cannot. The first should take bigger risks. The second should start with incremental goals—perhaps SSC preparation before aiming directly for UPSC.
Exercise 3: The Self-Identification Beyond Society (Who Are You Really?)
The first two exercises focused on external factors. This one goes internal.
Divide a page into two parts:
- First 5 points: Areas you can actively improve (actual weaknesses, not societal labels)
- Next 5 points: Your worldview—how you see life, your dreams, your aspirations, your definition of success
This becomes your mirror. Not the mirror that shows you what society sees, but the mirror that shows you who you’re becoming.
Why Travel and Diversity Are Non-Negotiable for Maturity
The Comfort Zone is a Trap
Chauhan uses a powerful metaphor: Tree rings. Just as a tree’s rings record every drought, flood, and season, your personality has rings formed by experiences. A tree that never faces adversity has weak rings. A person who never leaves their comfort zone has a stunted personality.
“Being non-judgmental means stepping out of your comfort zone. Judgmental behavior IS the comfort zone. Being non-judgmental is breaching that comfort zone—going to uncomfortable places.” —Vijender Chauhan
For Example:
The boy from Azamgarh who gets into IIT Bombay but only hangs out with other Azamgarh students in the hostel? He’s wasted his opportunity. The one who lives with students from Mumbai, Gujarat, and Kashmir—who lets his biases be challenged daily—he’s building the maturity that will outlast his degree.
Travel as Education
Ranveer shares that his most brain-expanding moments weren’t podcasts with celebrities—they were travel experiences where he met people off-camera.
“Travel makes us liberal because it teaches us to unjudge. You see things that were forbidden in your society being acceptable in others. You start questioning: ‘Why is it considered bad in my place?'” —Vijender Chauhan
Our own society once banned ocean travel, fearing that those who crossed the sea would be excommunicated. Why? Because travel opens eyes. It threatens the status quo.
The “Ethical Cunning” Required to Navigate Real-World Careers
Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts
Here’s a controversial but necessary concept: Ethical cunning (or “street smarts”).
Chauhan defines this as: “Not hurting anyone’s heart, not damaging anyone’s career, not bringing pain into anyone’s life—yet keeping a little bit of cunning alive for your own protection and for moving forward faster in your career.”
This isn’t about manipulation. It’s about strategic awareness.
For Example:
The girl from a conservative town who uses the “excuse” of UPSC preparation to move to Delhi? That’s ethical cunning. She knows she might not clear the exam. She knows her family has different motivations. But she also knows that two years of freedom in a big city will teach her things she can never learn at home. She’s not harming anyone, but she’s playing the game strategically.
The Privilege of Risk
Those with privilege can afford to be idealistic. Those without must be tactical.
“If you have privilege, transcend it. If you have deprivation, work to overcome it. Not always in your hands—it will be a long, life-long project. But work on this.” —Vijender Chauhan
The Ultimate Success Metric: Respect from Those Unlike You
H3: Beyond Fame and Money
Both Chauhan and Ranveer agree: Quick success isn’t the point.
“Hitler had everything—fame, power, people dying for him. Was his life purposeful? We need to go beyond that. The ultimate purpose cannot be just sure-shot quick success.” —Vijender Chauhan
So what is success?
Chauhan proposes two markers:
- Respect from people unlike you (different backgrounds, different views)
- Dislike from people exactly like you (who see you challenging the privileges you share)
“Gandhiji came from a privileged, upper-caste, prosperous Gujarati family. But who respected him? The poor, the Muslims, the British he was fighting—people unlike him. Meanwhile, his own community was often unhappy with him.”
When people from your own privileged background troll you for speaking against that privilege, that’s a medal.
The Friendship Factor: Your Real Safety Net
Quality Over Quantity
In a touching moment, Chauhan admits to having lost many friends due to his own mistakes—being afraid to take tough stands, or taking stands that hurt others.
“I’ve set records for losing good friends. But those who stay… having a person in your life who can criticize you, scold you a little, hide you during crises—this is the first time I’m experiencing this element of envy.” —Vijender Chauhan
Ranveer’s advice: Never play musical chairs with your close friendships. Don’t test them constantly. If you’ve tested them once or twice in life, that’s enough.
The 5-Person Average
You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. But here’s the key: Rotate that five as you grow.
Keep some friends who are:
- Older than you (they rub off maturity)
- Different from you (they challenge your biases)
- Willing to call you out (they prevent ego inflation)
“New friends become difficult to make after a certain age. So don’t abandon old friends for new ones. But also, don’t have so many friends that you can’t maintain the friendships.” —Vijender Chauhan
FAQ: Your Questions About the Maturity Algorithm
Q1: I’m 22 and from a deprived background. How do I compete with privileged peers who can afford multiple failures?
A: Start with a reality check. Don’t aim for the moon immediately if you can’t survive the fall. Take incremental steps. If you can’t afford five UPSC attempts, start with SSC or state services. Build a financial safety net first. The tortoise often beats the hare in the long run.
Q2: How do I know if my “strengths” are real or just privilege in disguise?
A: Ask honestly: “If I had been born in a different family, different region, different economic status, would I still have this strength?” If your “communication skills” come from studying in an elite English-medium school, that’s privilege. If they come from consciously practicing public speaking despite your background, that’s a real strength.
Q3: Is being non-judgmental the same as being naive or gullible?
A: Absolutely not. Being non-judgmental is harder than being judgmental. It requires conscious effort to suspend your biases while still observing reality. Judgment is lazy categorization. Non-judgment is active understanding.
Q4: How do I maintain friendships when I’m becoming successful and my friends aren’t?
A: Give your friends the privilege of mocking your success. Provoke them to tease you about your achievements. This signals that you haven’t changed, that they still have power in the relationship. As Chauhan says: “This right I give only to friends—to mock the very things others praise me for.”
Q5: What’s the fastest way to build maturity if I can’t travel extensively?
A: Consume diverse perspectives intentionally. Read books by authors nothing like you. Listen to podcasts (like this one) where people challenge your worldview. Most importantly, practice the three exercises annually. Maturity is built through consistent self-reflection, not just experiences.
Conclusion: Your Life is Not a Geometry Notebook
“Simple lives only exist in geometry notebooks—where you place a scale, draw a line with a pencil, and life moves in straight lines. Real lives are complex, complicated.” —Vijender Chauhan
There’s no straight line to success. There are tree rings—some thin from drought years, some thick from abundance, some gnarled from disease fought off. Each ring represents a comfort zone breached, a bias challenged, a failure endured.
The Maturity Algorithm isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming aware—of your strengths, your privileges, your prejudices, and your potential. It’s about building the psychological courage to be non-judgmental in a world that rewards hot takes. It’s about finding friends who’ll mock your success and challenge your ego.
Most importantly, it’s about understanding that the journey matters more than the destination. You may never be “the best” in the world. But you can be better than you were yesterday. That 1% daily improvement, compounded over years, creates a maturity that outlasts any quick success.
What’s one bias you’re willing to challenge this week? Start there. The algorithm begins with a single step out of your comfort zone.
Source & Credit
This blog post is based on insights from Vijender Chauhan’s appearance on The Ranveer Show (TRS) podcast, hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia.
Original Episode: “Vijender Chauhan on The Maturity Algorithm, Career Growth & Non-Judgmental Thinking”
Platform: YouTube/The Ranveer ShowThe original content has been translated, expanded, and repurposed for educational purposes. All direct quotations are attributed to Vijender Chauhan from the original Hindi/English conversation.
