Abishek Ravichandran shares how his defensive style of play and consistent effort helped him reach India’s No. 1 ranking in U21 and win bronze in 2010, while also acing one of the toughest competitive exams in the country. Inspired by the theory of marginal gains, the talk proposes that a loftier goal can be achieved by making many small, incremental improvements across different areas, rather than relying on one or two major changes. In this approach, the speaker focuses on constant, small-scale progress that accumulates over time to create a significant overall transformation, leading to substantial success. Abishek Ravichandran is a former Indian Table Tennis player and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist. His defensive style was a rarity among the offensive players of his generation. He quickly became India’s U21 No. 1, consistently ranking in the national top 5. Key milestones include a South Asian Junior Tournament victory, a memorable win over World No. 12 at the World Championships, and playing a pivotal role in India’s bronze medal win at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In his early 20s, Abishek pivoted from sports to pursue Chartered Accountancy (CA), declining a high-paying PSU job. After completing his CA and a corporate stint, his passion for the game fueled a brief 2015 comeback, which included competing professionally in Sweden. Today, Abishek merges his athletic and financial expertise to focus on financial management for athletes. His journey highlights the balance between a sporting career and practical decisions, shaped by an enduring love for Table Tennis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx