WHY PEANUTS ARE GOOD
Pic.: Sherry Haridas
“You know you are on the road to success
if you would do your job, and not be paid for
it.”
Prateek*,
who has just given his twelfth-standard exams, wants to pursue studies in Law.
He has been telling this to me for, almost, two years, now. That’s something
nice about him. He has a definite goal before him.
Whenever
a young-man tells me, with all his conviction, what he wants to do in life, I
feel happy for him. For, with that clarity come the rest of the ingredients
required for success: motivation, hard-work, passion, self-discipline and,
above all, that dogged determination. Many young-ones are not very sure about
what they want to do in life. And, some - even though they are - have a bad
work discipline... They get distracted very fast, get carried away by peer-pressure
and, with slightest set back, tend to get unsettled, discouraged... and they
give up.
So,
I keep telling the young-ones, that they need to be incredibly focused. That,
focus penetrates and helps them channelize their energies... That, it will help
them deal with their distractions effectively. That, most importantly, they
need to have loads and loads of patience, be ready to wait, sacrifice – now –
so that their waiting and sacrifice would pay off rich dividend to them in due
course...
Last
evening, Prateek had come to see me with his dad. His dad is a self-made
business-man. He has been fully supporting and mentoring Prateek in his dream
of becoming a fine lawyer. He wanted Prateek to work, during his present vacation,
in the office of a well-known advocate-friend. But, Prateek wanted to know how
much would he receive as his pay for the work. And, Prateek’s dad had failed to
convince his son as to why the pay, at this stage, should not be a concern... why
this period of a voluntary and conscious apprenticeship was so significant in order
to learn and grow... how it would pay off in a long run etc.
Prateek
was, somehow, not convinced with his dad’s logic. He was a new-age dreamer; he believed
in instant results. He wanted his efforts to be recognized, valued and paid
for... and now!
His
dad had argued: “Your efforts would be recognized and valued, by all means...
But, they might not be paid for, now... at least, the way you expect them to
be... You have to forego that desire consciously, gladly... for the greater
good. You need to wait, sacrifice... trade-off... You need to prepare yourself,
become tough... and, that would be your pay-package...”
Prateek
was still not convinced... So, the son and his father had come to take my
opinion.
I shared
my own story.
I
told Prateek, that when I was in first-year B’Com, my idol, Prof. B.S.Raman had come to teach our hundred-odd-all-boys
class. I was a shy and scared kid, self-conscious, and full of self-doubts. I
had no clue as to what I wanted to do in my life... Essentially, because of my
low self-esteem and a killing inferiority-complex. So, when I saw a hero in
Prof. Raman, right there – sitting lost in that big class-room – I had resolved
to become a teacher like him. Such was the intensity of my desire, that, I couldn't wait to become one... And, before I knew it, I was, already, doing it:
I was teaching my close friends after the college hours... I would do it in the
college premises, at my place, in their places and even on hilltops! They would
praise me, and I would feel good about myself, very, very worthwhile... They
would tell about me to their friends and neighbors, and, before I knew it, I
was teaching my whole village... yes, ignoring my own studies, ignoring my
parents’ well-meant warnings... and, strangely, I was doing it all free!
I
told Prateek, that, what seemed mysterious – rather outright foolish – was
this: At home, we needed money badly. Mom and dad would have felt a lot
relieved had I brought home some money through my efforts... But, despite the
constant cash crunch at home, they never ever insisted that I should ‘bill’ my
students, immediately... They only warned me not to ignore my own studies, and
felt glad that I did a good work and trusted that it would help me in a long
run...
And,
I told Prateek this, too. Even after I came to Mumbai and struggled without a
job for some time, I did the same thing... When I made up my mind to go to
house to house and teach, I did a large part of my work for free, and the
rest for a much lower fee... But, I did it, all along, keeping my long-term
plans in mind... always believing that my work would pay off rich dividends in
due course... believing that it would help me build bridges of trust, friendship
and goodwill...Yes, even though I did not have money in hand, I wasn't tempted,
at all, to make a killing out of my work... I was ready to wait, sacrifice...
and trade off...
I
told Prateek, that his dad was right to the core... That, he should be prepared
to work in the office of his dad’s advocate-friend for free – of for peanuts...
And, he shouldn't mind doing ‘any work’ there, including sweeping the floor or
washing the boss’ tea-cups... Yes, he should do it gladly, lovingly and
proudly... Yes, if through that ‘choice’, he was able to see himself becoming a
great lawyer...
Did
I convince Prateek?
Hope,
I did.
*The name is changed
GERALD D’CUNHA
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