Damn the Competition

Did you ever think about competition and it scared the shit out of you? This happened to many many times.

I was then preparing for Combined Defense Services (CDS). Whenever I though about those competing with me, I tried to be optimistic, thought-- Let's look at it as a challenge and work harder. But, truth was-- the optimistic approach hardly helped in subsiding the fear. I could not stop myself from thinking how difficult it would be to contest with hundreds of thousands of applicants.

The more I thought about it, the scarier it looked and it wasn't helping at all in any way.

So, I decided to just do, what I was supposed to-- Stop thinking and start working.

Although the fear was not eliminated, yet the intensity of work was so high that everything else took a backseat. I continued for a few months, appeared for the exam and wasn't sure what would happen.

After the few months, the result was announced and I didn't care to check. One fine afternoon, I got a promotional letter from a coaching institute for Interview Preparation, which congratulated me for getting through the written examination. I was surprised. I went online, browsed through the list of successful candidates, yes, I was one of them.

Do you know even the toppers are as scared as you and me. Only after the result is announced, they come to know what a genius they are.

So, the crux is:
Damn the competition, and don't care how many are in the queue.

You job is just to do the best.

True Test Of Character

Yesterday, I was stuck in car inside the parking lot of a leading mall for over forty minutes. It was the first time I experienced Friday evening traffic at the Avenues. I could see otherwise well-behaved citizens honking impatiently and pushing ahead out of turn. That made me think- Just a few extra minutes in traffic makes people lose nerves and break rules, what about those who lack shelter and can’t feed their family?

It’s far easy to stay morally upright when your tummy is full, a nice suit to wear and a beautiful car to drive.

Let’s suppose you are standing next to a bakery unfed for two days and don’t have a single penny in your wallet. The Baker trusts you with the store till the time he comes back from the prayer. Can you restrain yourself from stealing? Your answer could be yes.. what you will actually do at that time.. even you don’t know. Few of us have experienced such predicament.

It’s very difficult to hold on to your principles when the time is tough and loss of hope. Trust me! That’s the time to test your true character.

No One Agrees, Still You Can Be Right

All of us like to be acknowledged and appreciated. Everyone loves if her viewpoint is seconded by others. When we encounter differing point of view, sometimes we question our own capabilities. Is it wrong? No! We are just acting human.

Validation of our idea reinforces our belief in it at the same time the contradiction creates a new set of opportunities. It gives us an opportunity to look from a different angle which might result in reaching a more ambitious outcome. The problem is- Most people prefer to give up when criticized, than looking for an answer.

The world has few visionaries who believe in the beauty of their dreams and are tirelessly pushing to make them come true. They are made of altogether different DNA, which is incomprehensible by the common populace. But, when it comes to sharing those ideas, they don’t find many likeminded around. And, they end up discussing them with the ordinary citizens, who were never able to look beyond their daily needs, and end up disheartened.

That should not be the reason to quit. You’d agree, there are not many who change the shape of the world and if you are one of them, then most around you should not agree.

If others believe in what you do, you have reason to feel good. If not, they have surrendered to ordinaryhood. You have to overcome and set a new landmark.

The Privilege of Ordinary Living

Hardly anyone is not attracted towards the glamour of celebrity lifestyle… millions of followers, a couple of islands, tinted limousines, designer clothes, plush watches and to top it all—picture on the front page of a leading daily, if not Time.

A lot of hard work, a bit of luck and consistent pursuit for excellence have given them so much visibility and many of them do deserve our appreciation. However, I feel most of them pay a huge price for celebrityhood. This reminds me of a statement by Michelle Obama how their kids felt after seeing Obama’s photo in the newspaper- “First day, when you see your father on the front page, it makes you proud. When you see him every day, you feel like you’ve lost him.”

Statements like this hardly surface, but commonsense does suggest, it‘s commonplace.

Let’s have a look what we can do and they can’t:

1. We can visit neighborhood temple any time we wish. Sachin Tendulkar does it at 1:00 am. To make a temple visit he has to sacrifice his night’s sleep.

2. We don’t need security right outside the bedroom and bathroom. They literally have no privacy.

3. Aishwarya Rai cannot plan a child because of her professional commitments. Producers will decide when she is going to be a Mom. Thank God! Most of the ordinary employment offer one to three month of maternity leave.

4. If we give into the temptation of having an affair, no one gives a damn. Tiger Woods lost his billions and now his career is on the tenterhooks.

5. Paparazzi don’t chase us to death, as they did to Princess Diana. Do we really care who’s following us?

6. Our tweets don’t take away the chairmanship. Lalit Modi will spend remaining of his life in disgrace and visiting courts.

7. We can freely express our viewpoint without caring what will my sponsor/party chief thinks. That’s what Amar Singh is doing after being fired from SP. Read his blogs.

8. Mostly, our friendship is defined by love, care and support and we cherish it all through our life. Icons are so obsessed with their own self that the only thing defining their friendship is opportunism. You all know, recent disaster is Farah Khan-SRK break up.

9. If you have a potbelly, so what? Still you can try some Pani Poori or Aloo chat without any thought that someone is going to replace you in the next movie.

10. Now, the most important thing. You can cry, laugh or cheer as you wish. A public figure can’t even express true emotion in public. It’s all about image, my dear! Imagine Tom Cruise, if he is caught crying on camera.

So what if we have a small car and no islands? Three cheers to the ordinary life. Let’s enjoy our commonhood!

When the Elephant Walks, A Thousand Dogs Bark!

This centuries old adage from Indian countryside was never before more relevant.

The flood of ideas, the courage to start new ventures, the confidence to jump all the barriers and the passion to create a new world never happened in the history of mankind like it is today. Thank God! I’m privileged to have taken birth in this era and so are you. The most noticeable point is- it’s not limited to Europe or America, it’s happening everywhere from San Francisco to San Diego and from Beijing to Botswana.

You will come across hundreds of soothsayers (as they proclaim to be) to stop you from trying a groundbreaking invention. Not to forget the universe is full of cynics who aspire to outdo you. Many of them would not be far away but in your own home or just nearby. But, are they wrong in their own way? No! Not at all. It reminds me what Paulo says:

“People see the world, not as it is, but as they are.”

Most around us live ordinary life. They have long back forgotten to dream and accepted Life by default. They can’t tolerate anyone designing his destiny. They want you to be one of them, not to stand out.

Should it stop you? Are you ready to relinquish your dream? Have you decided to play the victim of others ineptitude?

I know, it’s not easy to stay immune. Many a times they appear to be correct, particularly when the wounds of failure are apparent. It pains when you hear— I told you. Stop! Ponder! Refuel yourself and go unstopped, because I know you are going to do it.