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Sixth,
keep renewing yourself. This prepares you
to anticipate change and be ready for it
when it comes. Constantly ask yourself what
new skills and competencies will be needed.
Begin working on them before it becomes
necessary and you will have a natural advantage.
The greatest benefit of your education lies
not only in what you have learnt, but in
working how to learn. Formal education is
the beginning of the journey of learning.
Yet I do meet youngsters who feel that they
have already learnt all there is to learn.
You have to constantly learn about people
and how to interact effectively with them.
In the world of tomorrow, only those individuals
and organizations will succeed who have
mastered the art of rapid and on-going learning.
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Seventh,
surround yourself with people who are open
to change. If you are always in the company
of cynics, you will soon find yourself becoming
like them. A cynic knows all the reasons
why something cannot be done. Instead, spend
time with people who have a "can-do"
approach. Choose your advisors and mentors
correctly. Pessimism is contagious, but
then so is enthusiasm. In fact, reasonable
optimism can be an amazing force multiplier.
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Eighth,
play to win. I have said this many times
in the past. Playing to win is not the same
as cutting corners. When you play to win,
you stretch yourself to your maximum and
use all your potential. It also helps you
to concentrate your energy on what you can
influence instead of getting bogged down
with the worry of what you cannot change.
Do your best and leave the rest.
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Ninth,
respect yourself. The world will reward
you on your successes. Success requires
no explanation and failure permits none.
But you need to respect yourself enough
so that your self-confidence remains intact
whether you succeed or fail. If you succeed
90 per cent of the time, you are doing fine.
If you are succeeding all the time, you
should ask yourself if you are taking enough
risks. If you do not take enough risks,
you may also be losing out on many opportunities.
Think through but take the plunge. If some
things do go wrong, learn from them. I came
across this interesting story some time
ago:
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One day a farmer's
donkey fell down into a well. The animal
cried piteously for hours as the farmer
tried to figure out what to do. Finally
he decided the animal was old and the
well needed to be covered up anyway it
just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over
and help him. They all grabbed a shovel
and begin to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was
happening and cried horribly. Then, to
everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally
looked down the well and was astonished
at! what he saw. With every shovel of
dirt that fell on his back, the donkey
was doing some thing amazing. He would
shake it off and take a step up. As the
farmer's neighbors continued to shovel
dirt on top of the animal, he would shake
it off and take a step up. Pretty soon,
everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped
up over the edge of the well and totted
off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you,
all kinds of dirt. The trick is too not
to get bogged down by it. We can get out
of the deepest wells by not stopping.
And by never giving up! Shake it off and
take a step up!
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Tenth,
in spite of all the change around you, decide
upon what you will never change: your core
values. Take your time to decide what they
are but once you do, do not compromise on
them for any reason. Integrity is one such
value. These have contributed to our success,
including our parents and others from our
society. All of us have a responsibility
to utilize our potential for making our
nation a better place for others, who may
not be as well endowed as us, or as fortunate
in having the opportunities that we have
got. Let us do our bit, because doing one
good deed can have multiple benefits not
only for us but also for many others. Let
me end my talk with a small story I came
across some time back, which illustrates
this very well.
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This
is a story of a poor Scottish farmer whose
name was Fleming. One day, while trying
to make a living for his family, he heard
a cry for help coming from a nearby bog.
He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.
There, mired to his waist in black muck,
was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling
to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the
boy from what could have been a slow and
terrifying death. The next day, a fancy
carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse
surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman
stepped out and introduced himself as the
father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you, "said the
nobleman. " Yes," the farmer replied
proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let
me take your son and give him a good education.
If he's anything like his father, he'll
grow to be a man you can be proud of."
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's
son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical
School in London, and went on to become
known throughout the world as the noted
Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of
Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's
son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved
him? Penicillin. This is not the end. The
nobleman's son also made a great contribution
to society. For the nobleman was none other
than Lord Randolph Churchill, and his son's
name was Winston Churchill. Let us use all
our talent, competence and energy for creating
peace and happiness for the nation."
(Source : Shirish Ghude, Plant Personnel
Manager, BASF)
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