The Plan B

We Indians consider getting a good degree and a good job as the top priority of our life. The better the job the better is our social status. In running after to get a degree and then a job we forget about ourselves. We forget our hobbies, we forget what we really like to do. We opt for medicine or engineering because our parents want us to do so. We want to get in to the best institutes as our cousins have graduated there. The heavier the pay package, the happier our parents are. We too take pride in what we do and what we earn. Stitched clothes are replaced by branded clothes, digital watch is replaced be exclusive watch. We not only enjoy the long drives in our new four wheeler but also the comforts of our 4-BHK apartment. We become so used to these luxuries that we almost forget what if one day we stop earning.

When the company stops loving us, we think this is the end of world. We think every path will lead to the failure. We even curse God, as we think he has made us to go through the difficult times. Our mind has plethora of thoughts such as; I have lost my job and so have lost my identity. What will I do now? What will happen to my family? I have so many responsibilities. How will I manage everything? What will the society say? What will my parents think? What will my relatives say? Will my friends treat me the same way, they use to do when I had a job?
But, here we forget that this is the time to be stronger and to face the reality. This can’t be the end of world but may be a kick start to a new phase of life. This could be the time to realise our strengths and weaknesses. This is the time when we will know our real friends. This is the time to think of the Plan B which never existed.
We never think that we would ever need a Plan B. When the oil prices slumped, I realised the importance of having a plan B.We always assume that the company where we love to work also loves us back. We ignore Narayan Murthy’s suggestion that

“Love your job, but never fall in love with your company because you never know when the company stops loving you.”

We don’t analyse the uncertainties and so never plan ahead. Hence, when we face some setbacks which we are never prepared for, we lose hope. We don’t realise that in the long run what matters most is the way we deal with the setbacks and move ahead. I think the way we handle our setbacks defines our personality, and at the end defines us.

“Even the accomplished suffers setbacks sometimes. The more bitter the lessons, the greater the successes will be.”

Lucio Tan