My Father..My Hero...

I have had this habit of worrying about things all my life. I have done great things in my life. Yes! I will leave modesty apart for sometime :) But the journey to all my achievements has been full of instances when I have completely doubted myself, worried myself sick over so many small and petty issues, and kept pondering over things when I should have been working with single minded devotion and focus.

The week ending today has also been like this. There was something which got into my mind (still is) regarding my MBA apps and I wasted a lot of time thinking of so many hypothetical situations which may result because of this.

Like always I was talking to my dad about my MBA journey and he said what he always tells me. Son, keep one thing in mind- Your essays will come out best when you approach them with an open mind. Worrying about this and that is not going to take you anywhere. My dad has been my ideal throughout my life. And this is not a cliche. He has lived his entire life setting an example for me to follow.

I have never seen him worrying ever. I have seen him handle the most difficult of times with a rock solid attitude and never say die spirit. He told me once, son- I have never shied away from any responsibility in life, whatever challenges life has hurled at me, I have accepted them and tried my best to resolve them. This gives me the maximum satisfaction in life- trust me this is as true as it can get, I have seen him do this all his life.

I was once reading the first interview which management guru Ram Charan gave. He had said that he never expected anything in his life, things just took course, he just kept doing what he liked doing. It immediately reminded me of my dad, today he holds a position of very high responsibility. But I have never seen him worrying about his career. I have never seen him compromising on his values just in order to get a promotion. He is the epitome of integrity and self confidence for me. He has never carried work home and when at home he just does what he likes doing he most, reading or spending time with us. I have never seen him sulking about his work or his responsibilities. I have never seen him weak.

Without giving me extensive lectures but just by leading his life the way HE IS, he has taught me so much.

These essays are just the beginning of a long journey which lies ahead. Is getting an Harvard degree the be all and end all of life? More than an MBA degree from a top B School, what will truly help me in leading a fruitful and complete life is my attitude. It is the attitude of a human being which decides their course in life. It is so easy to write this, but trust me it takes so much more to inculcate some of the virtues which I have talked about above.

Dad, you are my idol!