Saving one or scoring two makes all the difference

Finding success in life is a game of probability. You are, right from the word “go” at a scorecard of 49:51. You lose one point and you lose the game. You win two points and the game is yours. So, the entire probability is about saving that one point or scoring two!

The irony is that most of us are busy putting in our maximum efforts in playing defensive and saving that lone point rather than going all out to win the two brownie points. Those two points can, actually, be game-changing for many of us. As soon as a child begins to crawl, parents take it upon themselves to ensure a protective environment around him.

Electricity plugs are sealed with insulated tapes, sharp edged furniture is either removed or covered with protective cushioning and anything even remotely threatening is permanently done away with. Thus begins a life-long process of playing defensive.

The same child, when lays his firststep in the outside world, parents ensure that he not only follows the already established set patterns laid down by the society that lead to the ”defined success” in life, but also insist upon him to join the “pack” or follow the “herd”, thereby putting a noose around the autonomous thought process that every human being is blessed with.

“Herd mentality” replaces “individual thinking” and “go with the flow” becomes the chant to a safe and successful life.

This is despite the fact that great personalities have time and again pin-pointed “flowing against the current” as the mantra that made the lives of these men great. Remember what Indira Gandhi said, “You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.”

What parents and society, as a whole, need to endeavour is to let those who wish to think out-of-the-box to achieve something, take the leap of faith. Government goes out of the way to fund entrepreneurs and start-up projects, but are they really trained to be entrepreneurs?

Education system needs to be overhauled to guide and support those who plan to go the extra mile. Risk management should be the first step towards their tutoring which should involve risk assessment or identification, risk analysis and risk control measures. At an early stage, children should be encouraged to take up challenging projects that include risk management- financial or strategic.

It has been observed in a number of cases that parents under emotional duress or at times, in order to provide an easy access to children, hand over their hard-earned finances without assessing the risks involved in the enterprise, only to regret later. A few cases of which I am privy to, not only ended up losing their lifelong savings but also the roof on their heads because their children emotionally manipulated them to invest in their grand schemes which went awry due to lack of risk assessment and analysis.

It’s a hard fact that luck favours the brave and bravery lies in taking a few risks in life, though calculated ones. After all, it’s those two points that’ll tilt the balance in your favour and you’ll finish the game with fines

sonrok15@gmail.com

(The writer is an associate professor at SD College, Ambala Cantt)