Being born in India in a conservative, religious family led me to develop childhood values that differed much from those of Westerners. Education and honor were placed well above love and pleasure. I was raised to believe that happiness should come from obeying the orders of one’s elders and maintaining one’s family’s honor; that questioning parents was unacceptable; that children should be seen, not heard; and that romance was simply a frivolous Western notion. When I came...

Being well rounded and not being afraid of pushing myself. Most people care too much about their...