For the past many years, I’ve had an inclination towards spirituality. When I read spiritual books or consumed spiritual content, I noticed that almost everywhere, people credit God for the grace they received in their lives. They say that God is the all-doer, or even if we do something, it is God working behind the scenes. They say that God will show the way. They say that if one door closes, new doors of opportunity will open for you. They say that you need to stay open to know what God is saying. You need to be open to listen and act upon it.
Even before consuming spiritual content, I already had this conviction in me—that God is the all-doer. These books and videos only strengthened my belief. They showed me that it’s not just in my case—God’s grace has worked for so many other people too. That made me even more grounded in my conviction.
When I’m stuck in a situation where I need to choose between multiple paths, I try to stay open and look for signs from God. So here are two stories about signs from God that helped me a great deal.
Story 1: The Entrance Exam Journey
The first story is related to my journey preparing for the NIMCET entrance exam. It’s an exam in India that grants admission to one of the NITs (National Institutes of Technology) for the MCA (Master of Computer Applications) program. Many people believe that once you get into an NIT, your life is settled because of the excellent campus placement opportunities. But for me, cracking this exam was more about proving my self-worth at that time. I was going through a rough patch in my life, and a lot of self-doubt had started to creep in.
I was in Bhopal for about two years preparing for this exam. Bhopal is in a different state from my home, about 800 kilometers away. It was my first time living away from home. It took me two attempts to clear the exam. In the first year, maybe I wasn’t serious enough, or maybe I just lacked confidence—especially because the majority of the syllabus was Mathematics, which had always been my weakest subject. I had a deep fear of it, which badly affected my self-confidence.
Then COVID hit, and I completely lost track of consistent study. I had to return home because of the lockdowns, and the environment at home wasn’t ideal for exam preparation. When I appeared for the exam the first time, I missed the cutoff by just 30 marks. That’s when I realized something important: I hadn’t studied at all during the last four months before the exam. If I could get that close without serious preparation, maybe I had it in me to crack the exam if I gave it a real attempt. So I decided to try again.
In the second year, I was back in the same coaching center in Bhopal. By then, everyone there knew I was a repeater. By Lord’s grace, I also got a part-time remote job at a startup. So, along with my studies, I used to work in the evenings for about 3–4 hours after coming back from coaching.
After some time, I started doubting myself again. I felt like all the other students around me had an edge. They studied in the coaching institute for 12 hours, and then went back to their rooms and continued studying for another 3–4 hours. But I didn’t have that luxury. When I returned to my room, I had to work, so I couldn’t devote that extra time to revision or self-study. At one point, I seriously considered quitting my job to save those hours.
And since this was my second attempt, I knew I couldn’t take it lightly. If I failed again, all the time and effort I had invested would feel like it went in vain. I’d either have to prepare for another year or abandon the path entirely. That uncertainty weighed on me heavily. I was mentally disturbed. There came a time when I just lay in bed for almost two days straight. I wasn’t going out of my room. I was stuck in a loop of overthinking everything that could go wrong.
I remember spending all of Saturday and most of Sunday just lying in bed. Then, on Sunday evening, I got up and thought, “Things aren’t going to get better if I keep doing this.” So I got up and went out for a walk. I remember speaking to one of my friends during that walk, and it really helped me. When I came back to my room, I took a shower, and around 9 PM, I sat down to write the weekly practice exam.
At the coaching institute, we had mock exams almost every day, but Sundays were different. Sundays were for the major tests—the ones modeled after the actual NIMCET exam we were preparing for, scheduled a few months down the line.
The official exam timing was 9 AM on Sundays. It was a 2-hour test, usually conducted physically at the institute. But due to the COVID situation, we were allowed to take the exam from our rooms. We didn’t have to go to the institute. And we were allowed to complete the test before Sunday midnight. I completed the exam by 11 PM that night—and then something very interesting happened.
Around 700+ students from our institute had taken that exam. When I saw the results, I had ranked first. I was shocked. Out of over 700 students, I had topped the list. The last time I had ranked first in academics was in first grade—and there were only three students in that class. So this was a big deal for me. After 17 years, I stood first in studies. It felt like a sign from God, giving me all the answers I needed.
Seeing that result gave me the confidence that I was heading in the right direction.
I realized that everyone’s life is different. Everyone has their own talents, opportunities, and circumstances. And in my life, this exam was going to be cracked along with a job—and that was okay. I was genuinely happy about it.
Later on, I did crack the NIMCET with an All India Rank of 202. It was a huge achievement for me at that time. It restored my belief in myself. It showed me that if I could do this, I could achieve anything else I truly wanted.
Story 2: The Doodle Bros Story
The second story is about a business venture that my friend Harjyot and I started together. We ran that business for around 18 months. The venture was called Doodle Bros, and it was a digital art business. We used to create digital artwork for our clients. People would send us their regular photos, and we would add our creative touch to turn them into digital illustrations.
Selling our artwork wasn’t easy. It might have been due to our lack of marketing knowledge, or maybe something else. But that journey was incredibly rewarding in so many other ways. We learned a lot, and we experienced things we would have never come across in a typical 9-to-5 job.
During that time, we got to connect with artists from various fields, a few television celebrities, some singers, and many genuinely kind people who liked and supported our work.
And the journey of Doodle Bros also began with a sign from God. It was around December 2017, and Harjyot and I were thinking about giving this idea a try. Even the name hadn’t been decided at that point. We created an account on Fiverr—a freelancing website where freelancers can find clients for their services. We made a pact: if we received even a single order in December, we would take that as a sign to start Doodle Bros.
And we did get that one order—from a lady who wanted a piece of artwork. We took it as a sign from God and went ahead with the journey, which turned out to last for a meaningful and memorable 18 months.
So that very first order felt like it was assigned by God. We believed in it, moved forward, and the experience was amazing.
When it comes to life, I don’t think or strategize too much. Almost always, I make decisions based on gut feelings. I sometimes try to look for a sign from God, and I’ve never regretted any decision I made based on that.
There are many other similar stories, and I believe I could write 10 more just based on signs from God. God’s signs can come in many forms—it could be something as subtle as an act of kindness or advice from someone, or something as intense as a near-death experience. But it’s always there.