Andhra Pradesh

When work is fun...

It's important to enjoy what you cannot avoid doing -- studying for example.

A king set out to monitor how the people are working in his kingdom. As he moved on his elephant, everybody rose to greet and salute him. But one roadside cobbler was engrossed in his work, unmindful of the king's presence.

The irritated king asked, "Why should I not hang you for your insubordination of not rising from your seat?"

"Honourable ruler of my country" said the cobbler, "Leave alone raising from my seat...! Even if I lift my head, the needle will make a wrong hole and one spoiled shoe would be produced in my country. That's why I did not salute you." He continued, "If you excuse me, I would dare to tell you that your job is to watch us and ours is to work. You do yours and let us do ours." Coming down from his elephant, the king hugged the cobbler.

Concentration is the master key to all success. It is the fundamental law of achievement. "Concentrate and play your game. When you are just thinking about nothing except winning every point, it's shocking to know how little there is to do with tennis," said Andrew Agassi, a master of the game.

The decision

Do you know that we normally make one thousand decisions per day, the first being whether to get up from bed immediately or to stay for some more time? Correct administration of life formulates the difference between "What is happening to us" and "...What we intend to happen."

Education is a process of living and not a hard preparation for future living. Enjoy your study rather than viewing it as a burden, thrust upon you by your parents. When you cannot enjoy your job, you cannot concentrate on it. Students who consider `study' an agonising daily ritual, should know that they are frittering away their 20 years of youth in melancholy.

Before sleep, one should think, "Today is my most pleasant day." Unfortunately we think of problems that started yesterday and happiness that may lie in wait tomorrow.

Some students do not put effort into studies and take life easy, thinking there is no instantaneous incentive for strenuous study. There are no immediate rewards for hard work and one has to wait. It is called `breakthrough'. My lyricist friend, who charges at present Rs. 1 million for penning the songs for a film, was paid 116 for his first song. I was paid Rs. 40 per week for my most successful commercial serial `Thulasidalam'

Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond got 600 dollars for his story `Dr. No.' and was not paid one penny extra even when the film collected 3 billion dollars. Later he earned the royalty through his books that is equal to the gross collections of the said film.

Investment

Every person has some exciting but unproductive desires. The common man prioritises them and the wise man knows `when' to accomplish them. A student in the intermediate stage of his life should know that education is the best investment for a prosperous future. Of course there would be many other tempting alternatives.

Once Bernard Shaw was in a party where everybody except him was dancing. A lady enquired whether he is not interested. He replied, "I like it immensely. But I am thinking about a book that I am writing." Unsatisfied with his answer, she enquired, "You don't know how to enjoy. Why don't you think about it after dancing?"

He smiled and said, "I want to enjoy writing rather than dancing. For that matter, dancing gives me more kick and ecstasy." He paused for a while, "But writing gives me the pleasure, money, fame and ultimate satisfaction. Once I go for the kicks, I fear I have no capacity to come out of the bliss and earn my other virtues."

His statement stands as an example for every student to understand how to prioritise among an interest, action and commitment.

Yandamoori Veerendranath

Yandamoori@hotmail.com

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