As I turn 50 today,
many people have asked me how do I feel reaching this milestone. This made me
reflect back on the journey I had so far to see if there are any unique
perspectives I have gained over the years that I can pass off as
"wisdom" to the next generation(s).
Alas, the list is
not very long but I take confidence from George
(Seinfeld fame) who says in one episode "If I condense my whole
life so far into one day, It WILL look interesting!"
Reading books - Dad was
always bringing books home, so from a very young age I started reading
books. He didn't bother if we were studying text books or reading comics.
He believed that books are a great source of "learning" and he
encouraged us to figure out what to learn from these books on our own. I
recall a verse from either class
6th or 7th Sanskrit text book - "Pustakam Hasthabhooshanam" (A
book is an ornament of the hands - Is it "of the hands" or
"for the hands", will have to google later). For the current
generation you can probably replace the word "book" with
"Kindle".
Living in hostels - I got
admission into a government sponsored free boarding school after I
completed my 7th grade which meant I started living in hostels from 8th
grade onwards (from age 13!) away from my parents. I developed crucial
social/soft skills, how to be independent, etc. by living in hostels from
a young age. I recommend hostel life for young adults (Age 17 onwards) for
self-discovery and personal growth.
Knowing when to have fun -
When I didn't get a good rank in my first attempt at engineering entrance
exam, I made the crucial decision to drop a year and go for the second
attempt. That one year I really
studied hard to get a good rank, which enabled me to pursue Computer
Engineering at NIT, Surathkal. That one year of hard work, helped me to have fun for 4 years of
engineering and I still managed to get decent marks to land a job even
before I graduated (campus selection). I really didn't struggle much on
the career front, with a great
career spanning across 27 years and 4 continents. So, "Keep having fun until you set
yourself a goal but once you set a goal, give 200% effort to reach that
goal", because putting right effort at the right time CAN set you on
a long, successful journey.
Do not underestimate the
power of simple words like
"Thank you", "Sorry" as they make your life
easy and the liberal use of the
second word will help you to have a great married life!
Don't take yourself too
serious and develop sense of humor (Look yourself in the mirror to
recognize how ridiculous you look when you are angry)
Your boss, peers and
subordinates may think that you are an idiot some time or the other, but
for your kids you are always a hero, so make time for them when they are
young (when they grow older, they also think you are an idiot, until they
have their own children!)
Knowing when to quit: I have
written a lot of Gyan for today and I realize it's time to stop now. I
will go now and enjoy myself with a few of my friends as my 50th birthday
comes to close. Thanks for stopping by, Be good and do good!
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