A time for everything...

I was so confident when I was waiting for my results. I had cleared all the exams in first attempt and was sure I was going to clear this one too.
I was confident that I was the best one in my group, infact my confidence was bordering arrogance.

Then, the results came and I had failed my CA Final exams. This was my first failure in a very very long time and I was not sure how to handle it. At that time, I was cursing the Institute and my only regret was that my professional career had been delayed by 6 months.

In the hindsight, I do think it was for a good reason. Those 6 months of preparation, studies all over again. Those 6 months of people asking me and everytime I have to reply that I failed... Those 6 months taught me humility... taught me how to handle failures... taught me to get up again...
In the hindsight, it looks like that particular attempt was not the right time for me to clear the exams. Of course I cleared the exam after 6 months and was a full fledged professional.

When I grew in love with her, it took a long time for things to work out... some struggles... those struggles looked unfair at that time... In the hindsight, maybe I was not ready for things to work out in the first time. Maybe it was the right time I was supposed to wait for...

Once I missed a project because I got my travel documents just 15 minutes late. Trust me, that was the most disappointing moment at that time... In the hindsight, maybe that was not the right time for me to go.

I always wanted to have a particular bike model for myself. I have never had the pleasure to drive a brand new bike of my own. Then, when the time came, I ended up buying a car instead. Maybe the timing was right for a car and not for a bike...

We grew up listening to our elders say - "Nobody gets more than what he deserves and before he deserves"

I have grown to become a strong believer in the timing part. I strongly believe that whatever happens, happens exactly when it is supposed to... never before, never late... exactly when it should...

We may try hard, put efforts, pray... do everything in our powers... We may be able to decide the "What" we desire... but we definitely can't decide the "When"...
Things will only happen when they are supposed to... There's a time for everything....

Beware... This is where your cunning mind will take over...
"Gulshan, if everything has to happen at its own time, then why should I work and put in efforts. Even if I don't do anything, it will still happen... right?"

No...
You still need to put in the efforts... Exams don't pass themselves, projects don't get closed by themselves, assets don't build themselves, success doesn't come by itself...
There's a "When" for every "What" you desire...
Funny thing is that we don't know when the "Whens" will come, so we actually need to be working on the "Whats" continuously so that we don't miss the right "Whens"

Think about it... there's a time for everything...

I'm just the messenger...

Just imagine that you are a postman in India way back in 1940. As you are going for work, an old man calls you from behind. The old man is Mahatma Gandhi, he gives you an article to be delivered to the press for printing and sending out to the rest of the country. You take the article, walk down to the press and deliver it.
The message was printed and sent out to the whole country and thousands of people transformed through it.

Now, you did exactly your job, but, did it make any difference to you? Years later, you will tell your grandchildren that you were the man who had delivered the message to the press... and the children will ask you - What did you do after reading that message???

Just because you delivered a message from Gandhi, you don't become a Gandhi.

Just because I deliver messages of life through my learning, I don't become the wise man. The only way to become a better person is to first implement those messages myself before I go around spreading them.

We are living in a time and age ruled by social networking. With all the technology around us, its very very easy to get powerful, emotional, knowledgeable quotes on the fly. On an average day, I receive atleast 25 quotes on FB and Twitter talking about the most profound learnings of life.

You actually feel good broadcasting such messages to the world... And that is a good thing. You don't know how many people will grow out of it... My question is... Did you grow out of it???

Its no point posting a message on love and romance when you just had a fight with your loved one and are not speaking to him / her...

Its no point posting a message on friendship when you are not on talking terms with most people in your office / college...

Its no point posting a message about God while you sit in KFC...

If you are not adding a value to the message, you are just like the postman who took Gandhi's message and delivered it... He met Gandhi, He had Gandhi's wisdom in his hands, and yet he continued to live the same life...

I don't copy paste and share on social networks. If I ever share a link, it is a thought or a quote which is a result of my own introspection. I never share my teacher's knowledge as it is. If it is my teacher's teaching, then I make sure that I have lived by it long enough.

Are you still being just the messenger???

There are no accidents

Was watching Kung Fu Panda again yesterday. In the movie, the panda will accidentally fall in the middle of a ceremony and get selected as a warrior. The master who selects him will insist that there are no accidents. Later in the movie, they disclose that being a big fat panda was actually an advantage for him because the bad guy couldn't use pressure points to hurt him (too much fat). Also, at many other points in the movie, this same thing was repeated that there are no accidents.

It was a nice bright day and I was heading for my office. It was a client meeting that day and some clients were coming from abroad, so obviously I was dressed at my best.
While driving on the road, for no reason, my bike just skid and I lost control of it. There was nothing wrong with the bike, I didn't make a mistake, the road was as clean as a runway, and still, for no reason it skid.
My new pants were tattered and I had roadrash on my knee, shins and palms.
What do I do??? Do I go home or continue to office?
I just went to office like that and did some quick first aid. Then I waited for the stores near my office to open up and bought myself a new pair of pants. The funny thing was that client visit was postponed by a day. My boss doesn't know about this accident even today.
What's important is that I got tested that day. With my understanding today, I can see that it was not a random accident that happened, rather, it was a test for me.

One day, I was going somewhere in a hurry, and slightly touched another bike. I kept going thinking that its a small thing, apparently the other guy didn't think so. He started chasing me, forced me to stop and started abusing in the middle of the road. And if any of you think that you are good with bad words, you should have heard his ample streams of profanity pouring on me.
What should I have done??? fought back? run away?
Those who know me well can imagine, for the rest of you, you just have to believe... that person and I hugged and parted ways as friends 15 minutes later.
With my understanding today, I can see that it was not a random accident, but a test for me to see how I handle a potentially explosive situation.

I know what you are thinking - Gulshan, a loved one died at a very young age in a freak accident. How do you say that was not an accident? What learning are you trying to take from that?? What kind of test is that???

Honestly, I can't answer that right now. If I could, my life could have been very different. I'm not saying everything happens for a good. I'm only saying that everything happens for a reason and there are no accidents.
Just because we, at our current maturity, are not able to see the reason doesn't mean there is no reason.

At our today's maturity, we may not have an answer to that, but I have faith that in time, the answer will reveal itself, because everything happens for a reason and there are no accidents.

Think about it...