The Pebbles.

There are numerous people around us to tell us why we shouldn't do something. They tell us not to take risks, not to upset the balance which is imaginary. This is one incident that impacted me.

As part of my job, I had to visit a person in Nagercoil and train some of his employees. After the training, I sat with him and the conversation spiralled out of the gamut of my job. This was an inspiring person who was always motivated and bubbling with energy. 

He told me his story, his rise as a businessman to become one of the wealthiest men in the region. I told him I wanted to do something like that myself and I laid bare a few ideas I had been toying with. When I said, ‘This is what I want to do, but I don't know how to make money out of it’, he laughed.

‘Forget the money.’, he said, rubbing his head, ‘It will come’. This made me pay more attention to his words.

‘When you are in the dark, you don't know where the bell is,' he said, expecting acknowledgement from me. I did not stir.

‘But you have so many pebbles’, he said and smiled. I smiled back.

‘Keep throwing the pebbles. At least one of them will hit the bell’, he said, ‘Once you hit the bell, there’s no stopping you, and this analogy is not applicable to those who want just money'

What he said was inspiring to me but there was something else that had always been nagging me.

‘What about the expectation placed on us? Family, friends and relatives expect a guy of my age to earn substantially,  to have a car, to have bought a house and be paying monthly instalments for a home loan and many such things’

‘Yes, such people are necessary.’, the man said coolly.

‘You mean, people like me or people like the relatives?’

‘We can employ both,' he said and laughed. I couldn't help but join him.

‘Some people hit the bell after throwing many pebbles, Some people hit it with fewer pebbles. That’s okay’

I nodded.

‘Most people don't even throw pebbles. Don't be one of them and don't listen to them’