6 Powerful Life Lessons From Cricket Legend MS Dhoni Dhoni was speaking at an event in Bangalore and while he had so much to offer, we picked out the six best lessons from his talk that can come in handy for one and all, from sportspersons and entrepreneurs to investors and creators

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, popularly known as MS Dhoni or Mahi, holds a special place in everyone's heart. The legendary cricketer has a massive fan following across ages. He is loved not just for his impeccable leadership skills and sportsmanship, but for his humility, calmness and a never-give-up spirit. From humble beginnings in Ranchi to becoming one of the world's top cricketers, the batsman-wicketkeeper's journey has inspired billions of people. It has pushed many Indians, particularly those from small towns and villages, to dream big.

The former skipper is also an active investor and an entrepreneur. He has invested in many companies across sectors such as drones, auto, sports and food and beverage (F&B) including Shaka Harry, Garuda Aerospace, HomeLane, 7InkBrews, Khatabook, Cars24 and Run Adam. He also owns a school called the MS Dhoni Global School, a leading gym chain called Dhoni Sportsfit, a sports apparel company Seven, a sports management company Rhiti Sports Group, a production house and a hotel, among others.

Recently, the Chennai Super Kings captain had a fun-filled conversation with over 150 creators at Prabhav 2023, an event organized by Rigi, a SaaS platform for content creators, in Bengaluru. Dhoni serves as the brand ambassador of Rigi and in January this year, he also participated in the company's INR 100 crore funding round led by Elevation Capital. The round also saw participation from Accel, Stellaris, Sequoia Capital, and angel investors such as CRED's Kunal Shah, NoBroker's Amit Kumar Agarwal, Country Delight's Chakradhar Gade, social media influencer Sharan Hegde, among others.

Here are six life lessons from Dhoni that we gathered from the conversation, for entrepreneurs, creators, investors, sportspersons leaders and others.

Learn to win and lose gracefully

"Sports teaches you how to go about when the result is not in your favor. I always felt that was the beauty of sports. If you win, it teaches you to take it gracefully and when you lose it teaches you how to collect yourself and come back again tomorrow. Sports teaches you much more about the practical life."

Be a good human being

The former Indian captain also spoke about how his goal was never to be remembered just as a good cricketer and how he focused on being remembered as a good human being."Right from the start, I was not into wanting people to remember me as a good cricketer. I always wanted to be remembered as a good human being. And if you want to be a good human being, it's a process till you die."

Adaptability is crucial

"Process is the most important thing irrespective of the results and adaptability is a crucial factor. Let's say we decide on a process, the path you are going to follow. But the key is adaptability. This is because there are things that you don't know about. So, you have to build your knowledge. Awareness is important and you need to keep revisiting the process you are following. You have to follow it till you see something going wrong. People will have different views. Respect those views and take what works. Then revisit and alter where needed."

Innovate and adapt

"Innovation and adaptation have always been the keys to success. I believe that this Voice AI Influencer will revolutionize the way we connect, engage, and influence. It's an honor to be a part of this historic moment." Dhoni was talking about one of the products that was launched at the event, a Voice AI Influencer.

Being disconnected helps

"The only time I look for my phone is before I go to bed, that too, just to keep an alarm. Even games I don't play on my phone, I play them on my iPad. It helps me in a big way. Because whatever we do, there will be an opinion. If you spend a lot of time on social media, the comments can make you feel both good and bad. I always advise the youngsters in the team to stay away from mobile. If you cannot avoid that, don't get into reading the comments. Those who are commenting don't mean anything, it's just fun for them. But, if you are going through a lean patch, be it in cricket or in life, those comments can affect you. And, it's an unwanted pressure."

Problems are the essence of life

"We all have problems, we all face a different set of problems. Problems are the essence of life. Imagine a life where everything is smooth and do not have anything to look forward to. All of us need to have problems. But there are some people whose problems are way bigger than ours. So, if you are well-to-do, you should take care of them. Try to do your best to guide them, so their life is also more peaceful."