rebuilding character....brick by brick

Today was the day of ressurection. However minute it might seem to some, it meant something , to me, to my friends and to the team. Finally( although this was only the 3rd project, it seems as if we;ve been working on it since ages) our team got thru the proposal stage of INDEX, the market research fair of IIM L where we work on live projects. OK INDEX doesnt pay me for any publicity but still ;).
After some setbacks off late, this comes a wonderful refresher. And although I really dont want to end up sounding like an egotistic braggart, for once I'll say that like all the other proposals this one too had significant contributions on my part in form of night outs. And I know how bad it hurts when you are putting so much of effort behind something and you end up 10/10 that means 10th out of 10 teams. It hurt, it shook from within, may be like some other team members I wasnt very vocal about it but it pinched me whenever I turned on my side everynight while sleeping. But it seems for once things are in perspective and as Joel Backman proclaimed in The Broker (John grisham for the uninitiated) "go print it in bold in headlines, the broker is back in the city".

Working in a team has its own learnings. No I will not get into those handling HR issues, inter-personal skills and blah blah. You get to know the unsung heroes, the ppl who remain miserbaly quiet but are actually the smartest of the lot. You learn to work with ppl whom you absolutely detest, do not want to talk to and wish that he wasnt there then. You realise that the biggest roadblock for an IIM giy to be a part of teamis Ego and the greatest aid is patience. And of course inthe end you also realise how to behave "professionally" keeping work and perosnal, ethical, moral, social, economical and all those 'al' issues apart.

learning is a never ending process, more so at a place like Hell, where your next door neighbours are devils :). Some things , inspired loosely by the sun screen and with due credits, live and exclusive from hell:-

There'll be days when you'll be 1/10 and there will be days when you are 10/10. it is on those 1/10 days that you should not forget that not so long ago you were 10/10, helps a lot in keeping the egos at bay and feet on firmly on ground.
There'll be occassions when your friends will piss you off. Instead of cursing them think of all those occassions when you pissed them off.
Hold on to your friends. You'll realise their importance when you'll be alone on a beach on new year's brief.
(my favourite and from sunscreen) Dont be reckless with other people's hearts... dont out with those who are reckless with yours.
Do not , I repeat, do not allow people to take you for granted.
Do not thik to much about life or love or work or anything else. Things ususally fall into place and even if they do not , well thinking about them day and night will only contribute in form of added grey hair.
Be quick in saying sorry to your friends. But before that make sure you know who your friends are.
Carry some grudges. Do not allow them to fill you with feeling of revenge but do carry them.
Congratulate yourself when you win. Curse yourself when you lose. But do not over do either one of them, life is just so short for spending on these petty issues.
Remember one time when you were down and out, shaken by life. Remember one person who cared to ask how you are feeling. That person is your true friend. hold onto him. He'll be there .....always.
Remember last time when you shouted on a freind and the next morning he came to greet you with a wide smiled good morning. he is another one of those rare species of true friends.
If you live life on this paradigm "kisi ko kabhi itni importance na do , itna trust n karo, itna depend na ho jao ki uske kuch galat karne se tumhaara mood off ho sake", then well I am sorry, you are missing on a good part of life.
Eventually, quote from Z "we all are friends but before that we all are human beings and like all human beings we are supposed to make mistakes and like all friends we are supposed to forget and forgive them"
And last but not the least, do not listen to an insipid, inanae, deeply emotional blogger when he is doling out advices.

rohit