Some points that you already know…

The write up is based on a talk given to students of KMBB College of Engg and Technology in the last week of Jan 2016 on the occasion of the inauguration of Apogee their Tech Fest.  A translation of the same has been published in the Odia newspaper The Samaja on Feb 07, 2016. Sharing it on my blog because of the requests that have come in from English readers.    

A few minutes earlier when I got to know that I had to give a speech today, my thoughts went back to my college days – when I was an engineering college student like you. Aspiring for success in my life after engineering college – like the way, I am sure, you are doing now. I asked myself what are a few messages can leave with you in 10 minutes, which I have internalized over the years and which may add value for you for a lifetime. I would expect that you have heard of some or all of points or read about them somewhere before. However I feel like sharing the same with you.

To start with, my first message is ‘Aim Big’. BHAG. I am a b-school guy, and I love my jargons. B-H-A-G stand for Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goals. Aiming big is critical to superlative success. Everyone who has left a lasting impact on mankind – Lord Buddha, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and many others..- all had a huge aspiration to change the status quo. We must aim big to change our, our families and our societies’ status-quo. Thinking Big is also a way of saying thank you to the great people who have brought the world to where it is today. Think of electricity, piped water, the aeroplanes, life saving medicines, internet – we have them today with us because many people in every era wanted to make the world better place – so they created newer and cheaper ways of improving the quality of our lives. Similarly thinking big and helping the world get better is a gift for the future generation. So remember B-H-A-G for the rest of your lives. Have big goals – in our areas of interest. Aim to extend the frontiers of your chosen field – whether you are a teacher, a sportsperson, an entrepreneur, a software professional, a social activist, a politician or anything else.

Big goals, can sometimes be intimidating. We forget, that our idols who have achieved big things in life were like us one day – with the same doubts and weaknesses. One of the proven tricks that ensures that a big goal is a motivator (rather than an intimidator), is breaking it down to a many smaller goals. For example if you want to top the university or pass all papers without any back papers, then start by studying 10 minutes more every day compared to the previous day. Break down you syllabus into many small portions and finish one portion everyday. If we improve a small bit everyday, in 2-3 years our life will be totally transformed. And in a decade we will become a legend (at least in our own eyes) over a period of time.

With consistent, incremental growth everyday, in due course we will enjoy hard work. There is absolutely no substitute for hard work and smart work. People who work hard multiply their talent a hundred times, while the people who don’t divide it a hundred times. I would like to mention that the more talented you are, the harder you need to work. The more talented people need to operate a much higher level where competition is much higher. So to live off to your promise (or fulfill the responsibility that comes with talent) you need to work hard. I will give some examples from cricket, which is our national religion. The cricketer who represent India are more talented then the cricketers who play Ranji, but the national players work harder than the Ranji player to retain their spot in the team and also fulfill the responsibility of giving smiles to the cricket fans. Sachin Tendular’s life example is also a reiteration that the more talented people need to work even harder to fulfill the promise and responsibility of their talent. He is known to be very regular for nets and practices hard. He played for a few decades for the country and scored a hundred hundreds in international cricket, a record which will remain intact for the next few decades. In contrast, another equally talented but less disciplined cricketer (and joint world record holder with Sachin in school cricket) who scored more centuries in their first few tests, could not sustain their performance and lost their place in the Indian eleven.

Sustained hard work is possible, by having great habits. Great habits and self-management go hand-in-hand, they are two sides of the same coin. By great habits, I include simple things. As an example like when to get up, what to eat, being on time, planning & reviewing one’s day, devoting time for fitness, reading something everyday, listening keenly, meditating, personal hygiene, be disciplined, keep a diary to jot down your inner thoughts, etc. Great habits and being organized, provide a skeleton which help us go through our routine activities with minimal fuss; and give us lot of spare time and energy to do creative things and to help us pursue our dreams better. Great habits and better self-management is easier when we improve our self-awareness. There are many tools available – it is wise to pro-actively reach out to them. Reading and being receptive to self-help books, is something that I deeply detested at your age. However, in hindsight, I consider them quite valuable and will encourage everyone to make good use of them.

We can work hard and focus on self-development when we are optimistic. Being positive is an antidote to every tight situation, and it is easier to be positive when we have a sense of gratitude. Invent a reason to be positive and to show gratitude. Be assured that the everything is good for you right now and things will get even better for you. Remember that there are many people who are less privileged (in terms of economic conditions, intelligence, family background, health) who have went on to achieve more that what your goals are now. They were probably very positive and has a deep sense of gratitude. You can do that too. You are in an era of tremendous opportunities India has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, it is ready to take off and you are a part of that story.  Lets also take note that two hundred years back there were no roads, no telephones, no over the counter medicines, no democracy – do you realize the world is a much more efficient place now. This is a better place because of the contribution of so many people. Further, you have been born. You would not have been born without your parents. If we spend a moment to ponder over these and other miracles in our world our cosmos, it will be very easy to show unconditional gratitude and positivity. Every moment be positive and invent a reason to show gratitude. That will give you great self-belief and will help you be more positive, more optimistic and create better vibes, will make it easier for you work harder, smarter and get better results.

A significant side benefit of inventing reasons to be positive and to show gratitude in every situation, is that they automatically quell any fear and negativity that lurk our sub-conscious, the way water quells fire.  Each one of us has fears – however the triggers and the degree vary from person to person. We need to proactively seek out and shoe out the fear and negativity from our system. Invariably, at least in the beginning, our fear and negativity (if any) are because of imaginary situations. If we give them too much energy and worry too much about them, over a period of time they have the potential become a way of life. We start attracting sub-optimal outcomes and then find a ‘good’ reason to justify then. Fear and negativity then become a disease. They externally manifest in irritation, fault finding, complaining attitude, procrastination, skepticism, depression, etc; internally they are poison, they secrete toxins into our system and make us susceptible to poor health. Interestingly, the solution lies within us, which is deciding to force negativity out of our system. That gives us an extra incentive, to force positivity into ourselves and ensure great outcomes in all spheres of our lives.

You may recollect instances of strangers helping you out in hopeless situation.  We receive kindness from family, friends and colleagues everyday. Some times strangers are nicer to us than what we are to friends, family and well-wishers. Goodness is alive in this world. Strive to be good, well-mannered and courteous. Well, once you imbibe gratitude, goodness and courtesy will become a way of life. Remember to be kind to yourself too, nobody needs our kindness more we ourselves do, despite (maybe because) of our fallibilities. Being kind and courteous, is not just a great value. It doesn’t just give you great sleep, it is also a great strategy to have a smooth life. I can promise you that, whatever is your level of hard work, positivity and whatever are your focus on your goals – you are more likely to reach your goals if you are a good and courteous person and if you love every human being genuinely, deeply and unconditionally. Nice people will always get a longer rope, the world and the cosmic energy will give them as many chances as they need to succeed. Well, not just increase the chances of success, being good, courteous and loving will also ensure happiness and better health.

Genuine love for people, will urge us to reach out to people. Reaching out to people and being good at working with people will be a major enabler for both happiness and success. Invariably, all leaders have told that engaging proactively and effectively with peers, seniors, subordinates and people at large is a major ingredient of success. I encourage all of you to learn to use social media effectively. It is a new way of life and we must use it to our advantage. Socialising can be quite time consuming, so I am not suggesting that you be social butterflies. But it is critical that we proactively reach out to people, enjoy engaging with people and nurture and nourish our set of friends, well wishers and extended professional circle. Social media is a must.

Well, those were the messages then, to summarise one – BHAG, think Big. Two, break down your goals, focus on consistent regular improvement. Three, start enjoying hard work. Four, invest in great habits and self-management. Five, be positive and have a sense of gratitude in every situation. Six, be good, courteous and loving person. Make it as a goal in itself. Seven, reach out to people, nurture your network and learn to use social media effectively. If you can remember and follow the seven messages, then at the end of ten years, I can promise you that you will have surpassed the goals that you have for yourself now and you will probably be having other larger goals.

I don’t intend to say, you have to do demonstrate all of these traits all the time. Keeping a tab of a majority of the points most of the times will be good enough for you to exceed your goals. There have been great people, who did not possess one or many of the above traits, in that sense these traits are not pre-requisites – but in case you work on them they will certainly help you to reach your goals with minimal struggle and stress. If I were to take a pick on the most important traits – I would say the most important is staying positive and shunning negativity and skepticism out of our system. Best wishes on your life journey.