7/17/2019 'Lessons from my Life' byAzim Premji

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Azim Premji on 'My Lessons in Life'['Shaping Young Minds Program'(SYMP) organized by AIMA in collaboration with the ombay

Management Association (MA)! Mumbai"

I am #ery happy to be here with you$ It is always wonder%ul to be with young people$ As my hair 

turned %rom blac&! to salt and pepper and %inally salt without the pepper! I ha#e begun to realize theimportance o% youth$

At the same time! I ha#e begun to truly appreciate some o% the lessons I ha#e learnt along the way$

I hope you will %ind them use%ul when you plan your own career and li%e$

 

irst he %irst thing I ha#e learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths$ here is an

imaginary story o% a rabbit$ he rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school$ *i&e all rabbits! it could hop

#ery well but could not swim$ At the end o% the year! the rabbit got high mar&s in hopping but

%ailed in swimming$ he parents were concerned$ hey said! 'orget about hopping$ You are!

anyway good at it$ +oncentrate on swimming$' hey sent the rabbit %or tuitions in swimming$ And

guess what happened, he rabbit %orgot how to hop- As %or swimming! ha#e you e#er seen a rabbit

swim, .hile it is important %or us to &now what we are not good at! we must also cherish what is

good in us$ hat is because it is only our strengths that can gi#e us the energy to correct our 

wea&nesses$

 

Second he second lesson I ha#e learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five

found$ My %riend was sharing with me! the story o% his eight year/old niece$ She would always

complain about the brea&%ast$ he coo& tried e#erything possible! but the child remained unhappy$

inally! my %riend too& the child to a supermar&et and brought one o% those ready/to/coo& cereal

 pac&ets$ he child had to cut the pac&et and pour water in the dish$ he child %ound the %ood to be

absolutely delicious, he di%%erence was that she had coo&ed it- In my own li%e! I ha#e %ound thatnothing gi#es as much satis%action as earning our own rewards$ In %act! what is gi%ted or inherited

%ollows the old rule o% 'come easy! go easy'$ I guess we only &now the #alue o% what we ha#e! i% we

ha#e struggled to earn it$

 

hird he third lesson I ha#e learnt is! in +ric&et! no one bats a hundred e#ery time$ *i%e has

many challenges$ You win some and lose some$ You must en0oy winning$ ut do not let it go to the

head$ he moment it does! you are already on your way to %ailure$ And i% you do encounter %ailure

along the way! treat it as an e1ually natural phenomenon$ 2on't beat yoursel% %or it or anyone else

%or that matter- Accept it! loo& at your own share in the problem! learn %rom it and mo#e on$ he

important thing is! when you lose, do not 'lose the lesson'$

ourth he %ourth lesson I ha#e learnt! is the importance o% humility$ Sometimes! when you get

so much in li%e! you really start wondering! whether you deser#e all o% it$ .e ha#e so much to be

grate%ul %or$ 3ur parents! our teachers and our seniors! ha#e done so much %or us! that we can ne#er 

repay them$ Many people %ocus on the shortcomings! because ob#iously! no one can be per%ect$

ut it is important to %irst ac&nowledge! what we ha#e recei#ed$ 4othing in li%e is permanent! but

when a relationship ends! rather than becoming bitter! we must learn to sa#or the memory! o% the

good things! while they lasted$

 

i%th he %i%th lesson I learnt is! that we must always strive for excellence$ 3ne way o% achie#ing

e5cellence! is by loo&ing at those better than oursel#es$ 6eep learning what they do di%%erently$ ut

e5cellence cannot be imposed %rom the outside$ .e must also %eel the need %rom within$ It mustin#ol#e not only our mind! but also our heart and soul$ 75cellence is not an act! but a habit$ I

7/17/2019 'Lessons from my Life' byAzim Premji

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remember the inspiring lines o% a poem! which says that your reach must always e5ceed your 

grasp$ hat is hea#en on earth$ 8ltimately! your only competition is yoursel%$

 

Si5th he si5th lesson I ha#e learnt is! never give up in the face of adversity$ It comes on you!

suddenly without warning$$ Always &eep in mind! that it is only the test o% %ire! that ma&es %ine

steel$ A %riend o% mine shared this incident with me$ 9is eight/year old daughter was strugglingaway at a 0igsaw puzzle$ She &ept at it %or hours but could not succeed$ inally! it went beyond her 

 bedtime$ My %riend told her! :*oo&! why don't you 0ust gi#e up, I don't thin& you will complete it

tonight$ *oo& at it another day$: he daughter loo&ed with a strange loo& in her eyes! :ut! dad!

why should I gi#e up, All the pieces are there- I ha#e 0ust got to put them together-: I% we

 perse#ere long enough! we can put any problem into its perspecti#e$

Se#enth he se#enth lesson I ha#e learnt is! that while you must be open to change! do not

compromise on your values$ Mahatma ;andhi0i o%ten said! :You must open the windows o% your 

mind! but you must not be swept o%% your %eet by the breeze$: <alues li&e honesty! integrity!

consideration and humility ha#e sur#i#ed %or generations$ At the end o% the day! it is #alues that

de%ine a person more than the achie#ements$ 2o not be tempted by short cuts$ he short cut canma&e you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination$

inal And the %inal lesson I learnt is! that we must ha#e faith in our own ideas e#en i% e#eryone

tells us that we are wrong$ here was once a newspaper #endor who had a rude customer$ 7#ery

morning! the +ustomer would wal& by! re%use to return the greeting! grab the paper o%% the shel% 

and throw the money at the #endor$ he #endor would pic& up the money! smile politely and say!

'han& you! Sir$' 3ne day! the #endor's assistant as&ed him! :.hy are you always so polite with

him when he is so rude to you, .hy don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes bac& 

tomorrow,: he #endor smiled and replied! :9e can't help being rude and I can't help being polite$

.hy should I let his rude beha#ior dictate my politeness, :

:;od always gi#es the #ery best to those who lea#e the choice to 9im: