To
All My Lovely Siblings,
Here
I go. I want to emphasize upon a lot of things that I feel are important and
I’m sure many of you would have felt the same at certain point of time during
your journey of life. I want you to be creative in your thought process and
stress hard in trying to get the message here. Please don’t blind yourself with
my thoughts because you have the power to think uniquely and in a much more
advance way. I have confidence in you and want you to develop more thoughts by
going through the following that I believe are important to survive in today’s
world.
1) Think
‘Global’
The
world global encompasses a lot of things. It brings in thoughts about different
people, different religions, different languages, different cultures, different
customs and practices, different countries, different….. But, if we start
thinking about all the different things and try to keep tabs at all the
different aspects of this world, it becomes overwhelming after a while. It’s
very difficult to learn all the differences between all the people and nations
of this world but much easier to find out about the commonalities between
‘successful people’ and ‘successful nations’.
I
personally never think about the differences even though I do talk on occasions
for the sake of it. I always thought the differences were meant for us to
appreciate more about other people, other cultures, and other nations but
realized I was wrong. I always thought that the differences were meant to
create more tolerance and the feeling of respect and love for other people,
other cultures, other religions and other nations but I found this was
incorrect too. If you look around you won’t have to try hard to see it’s the
differences that create ‘real’ problems in this world. People who encourage
them and nations who foster these people will degrade eventually. I believe I’m
becoming a little complex here. I don’t want to confuse you and make you
believe to stop taking pride in what you are, what religion you belong to and
what country you belong to. What I want to communicate is the fact that the
pride shouldn’t interfere with your love for other people, love for other
cultures and religions, and love for other nations. Please read the message I
wrote to all my friends sometime back when my mind was troubled to see what was
happening globally.
“I want to share what I've observed in these years. We are
living in a time that's changing at a dramatic pace. Technology is creeping
into our lives like never before. It's an era of knowledge that the world has
never seen before. Thoughts have crossed all the limitless boundaries in
pursuit of making things happen.
We have made progress beyond our wildest imagination. Why do you think that it has been possible? Is it our strong belief and commitment in religion that's leading us to progress? Or is it our blind belief in customs and rituals that's leading us to victory? Please take time to clear your mind with any pre-conceived thought and belief or anything that will hinder you to be objective in making my effort somewhat understanding. I belong to a generation where my religion is governed by the principles of freedom of thoughts and expressions but not necessary being rebellious in achieving our aims, love for all people and respect for people of all belief, faith and religion.
According to me this world has made progress by being able to combine talents from all religion, race, color and sex. Talent is not limited to one particular religion or place. It's a beauty of one's own commitment in making this "mother earth" a better place to live not only for yourself but for many more generations to come. These people share the common passion and incessant desire to work hard in bringing lives together to live peacefully and be able to tolerate each other's views and opinions without being too critical about them. On the other hand there are people who are just trying to do the very opposite and repeat everything that has happened in the past. Well, these people have definitely not learnt from the past that's full of stories of people destroying the creation on the name of religion. These people have been brainwashed so that they just believe in what they are told to accomplish the most heinous crime on the name of religion.
I want you to think deeply as to what good these religion theories have given us. They bring different traditions and beliefs that are good. But, if people start thinking that they are the best and their religion is superior to everyone else; that's where the doors start closing.”
The
other aspect of thinking global is to see and think as to what is happening
around you and not just your city or just your country. I want you all to focus
very hard on these for many more years to come:
·
Develop mastery and command over
the universal language English. It’s imperative for all of you to get into the habit of reading,
writing and discussing in English. Any person, organization, nation that will
not encourage the progress of English will meet its doom anytime in the coming
future. We are living in a world where English rules and we are in a better
position because the medium of instruction is in English. We have to make sure
we read, read and read. I’ll lay special emphasis on literature and encourage
reading poetry, short stories and novels. Reading the newspaper is equally
important and please develop a habit of discussing news and current events
amongst yourself and with your family just like you discuss any favorite
subject of yours with your friends.
·
Learn Economics. No matter what field you belong
to you have to learn economics. As time will pass by you’ll find yourself into
situations where that little knowledge acquired might prove to be beneficial.
Economics is after all how people deal with ‘scarcity’. It could be scarcity of
things, scarcity of resources, or scarcity of money. Please learn the subject
and you will start appreciating global events and their impact. Recently, you
would have noticed the news that America
·
Be curious. Curiosity keeps a person going.
The world around us is amazing and a lot can be appreciated if we are curious. I
took an online course and found an interesting quote saying: ‘Study the art of
science and the science of art’. The curiosity factor plays a dominant role in
bringing out the real creative genius residing within. Always remember a
creative person has more solutions than a logical person. Creativity results
from curiosity and makes life interesting. That’s what I call living life to
its fullest.
·
Take good care of your health. The saying ‘Health is wealth’
will always be valid no matter what time of life you are in. Be very
disciplined with good health related practices. It’s never too late to learn
about human body and how it functions. Learn ways to develop better health of
yourself and your loved ones. Discuss new ways to tackle problems and get to
the roots to find causes related to the problems. Develop good oral hygiene. I
know for sure that nobody flosses and that’s so important. I learnt that
flossing helps preventing gums problems like gingivitis more than just brushing
twice a day. Make sure you learn flossing and don’t sleep without brushing and
flossing. Indulge yourself in any kind of physical activity you enjoy and
maintain the schedule. Regular exercise brings longevity and helps in reducing
stress. Learn Yoga and basic meditation. You will notice enhancement in your
concentration and improvement overall in your mental and physical health. Also,
I want you to eat healthy and not indulge in smoking, and drinking. Please
don’t develop these habits and resist the temptation as much as possible. Drink
socially but I will emphasize never to get into hard liquor habit. Hard liquor
is damaging and trust me it makes a man act like a dog. The question is do you
want to abuse yourself and be a ‘dog’ or enjoy socially. Red wine is a great
drink for your overall health, but sadly people lack the wisdom to acknowledge
it.
2)
Lessons learnt from Azim Premji,
Chairman of Wipro.
This
is from one of the speeches given by him. Enjoy it; it’s very powerful and I
enjoyed every bit of it and I’m sure you will appreciate it too.
“I
am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with
young
people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of
something
only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black,
to
salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to
realize
the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly
appreciate
some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them
useful when you plan your own career and life.
The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.
The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.
The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.
The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savor the memory of the good things while they lasted.
The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than us. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.
The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.
The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.
And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?
In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realize that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defied our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do.
I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life.
Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.”
The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.
The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.
The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.
The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savor the memory of the good things while they lasted.
The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than us. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.
The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.
The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.
And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?
In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realize that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defied our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do.
I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life.
Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.”
Thank
you for finding out the time to read the thoughts and hopefully they will help
you in one way or the other. Enjoy life and please share some of your stories
with me that you think were life changing for you. If you are in a situation
where you need some help or guidance, please don’t hesitate to email me. I
cannot promise that I know all the solutions but I’ll try my best to direct you
in the right direction.
Yours
Lovingly,
Abhinav
Dada
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