Now that you are graduating & moving into the real world of business, a few points to ponder:
1. Global gas & PPTs do continue to work. But try massaging egos and buffing of posteriors as well.
2. If you get a good boss, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become an entrepreneur.
3. Just because your fishing expedition wasn’t a grand success on campus, don’t, for heaven’s sake; fall in love with the first person who walks into your line of vision.
4. You will be afforded with the opportunity of meeting people who think their crap smells of lavender. You don’t need to imitate them. Remember the story of the rabbit – the poor chap died of strain trying to imitate the elephant taking a dump.
5. Learn to be humble; humility doesn’t kill. Remember the African proverb: ‘When the great lord passes the peasants bow deeply and silently fart.’
6. Bide your time & do get married. In the long run, marriage is all about meeting of minds & not mating of bodies. It’s about companionship.
a. For the ladies; prince charming is a myth. Remember the Malayalam proverb pointing out that it is difficult to tie an elephant in the cowshed.
b. For the guys; never lead a girl whose father considers her as a princess to the altar. She usually thinks she’s the queen.
7. Cherish the fleeting moments that you get to spend with your parents. They aren’t going to be around for long. There is no point in regretting later that you did not have time for them. Their union of passion resulted in you; your mother bore you for the whole of 9 months & then both your father & mother groomed you for the next 12 years!
8. Money isn’t everything in life. Don’t chase money. It will come around when you have given up chasing it. Make enough for your needs & some; but not to satiate your greed. Need can be satisfied but greed can never be.
9. I’ve learnt that the beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are; but on how happy others can be because of you.
10. Make your children the focal point of your happiness. Allow them to bloom as per the laws of nature. Teach them that there is a brilliant world beyond the government sponsored education system that we helped to perpetuate.
11. One day, sooner or later, you will have to leave this world. When you came in you bawled your lungs out; when you leave you should be remembered as a smile on someone’s lips in spite of the tears that may flow!
Goodbye.
Take care & be good!
This advice is given by Professor Lionel Aranha to all the graduating students. He is an Adjunct Faculty in the Humanities & Liberal Arts Area of IIM Kozhikode. Follow him on Facebook here.
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