Life – A series of near misses

I’m currently reading a book by Howard Schultz who is the Chairman and CEO of Starbucks; it’s titled “Pour Your Heart Into It – How Starbucks built a company one cup at a time“. It’s a book about how he was introduced to the company when it was just a retail store selling bagged coffee beans! He talks about his journey from a young boy who was brought up in the projects of Brooklyn, New York to the employee of a coffee store; and about Starbucks’ journey from a small retail store in the heart of Seattle to the multi-billion dollar empire around the globe that it is today. It is a fascinating account, especially because it’s right from the horse’s mouth!

Towards the beginning, he talks about how he had gone from New York City to Seattle to meet the owners of Starbucks to interview for a position and help in the shaping of the growing company. After the dinner meeting, the next day he received a call declining the offer. Howard Schultz at this point, mustered up all the passion he had about the company and protested and somehow convinced the owners how he could offer everything Starbucks was looking for etc, etc. Long story short – he got that job. And he writes the following:

A whole new world had just opened up in front of my eyes, like the scene in The Wizard of Oz when everything changes from black and white to color. This barely imaginable dream was really going to happen…

In the fifteen years since then, I’ve often wondered: What would have happened had I just accepted his decision? Most people, when turned down for a job, just go away.

Similar scenarios have subsequently played out in my life, in other setting and with other issues. So many times, I’ve been told it can’t be done. Again and again, I’ve had to use every ounce of perseverance and persuasion I can summon to make things happen.

Life is a series of near misses. But a lof of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see, and pursuing that vision, no matter who tells you not to.

In daily life, you get so much pressure from friends and family and colleagues, urging you to take the easy way, to follow the prevailing wisdom, that it can be difficult not to simply accept the status quo and do what’s expected of you. But when you really believe – in yourself, in your dream – you just have to do everything you possibly can to take control and make your vision a reality.

No great achievements happen by luck.

I’m just about done with the book, but all I can say that it is facinating to read how a gigantic corporation like Starbucks got started and it is amazing to trace through its developments and understand yet again that any successful endeavor requires hard work, blood, sweat and tears!

As it’s rightly said, Rome was not built in a day.

Live in the Present Moment

In keeping with the idea of POM-POM, which refers to Peace-of-Mind and Plenty-of-Money – a concept that I have dreamed of for a long time – here is a post inspired by a couple of pages in Richard Carlson’s book titled “Don’t sweat the small stuff… and it’s all small stuff”.

To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment. Isn’t that true? Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where we are – always!

Many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending too much of our priceless lives worrying about a variety of things – all at once… all at the same time. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed and hopeless. We postpone our gratification, our stated priorities and our happiness saying to ourselves that “someday” will be better than today.

A Good Friend

In kindergarden, your idea of a good friend was the person who let you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

In 2nd grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you stand up to the class bully.

In 3rd grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the bus.

In 5th grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who saved a seat on the back of the bus for you.

In 7th grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before.

In 12th grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college, assured you that you would get into that college, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go.

At graduation, your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulate you.

The summer after 12th grade, your idea of a good friend was the person who assured you that you could make it through anything, helped you pack up for college and just silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving behind, and finally on those last days of childhood, went out of their way to give you reassurance that you would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most importantly sent you off to college knowing you were loved.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who gives you the better of the two choices, holds your hand when you are scared, helps you fight off those who try to take advantage of you, thinks of you at times when you are not there, reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past behind you but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer, stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way for you, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become a better person and most importantly loves you!

No matter where we go or who we become, never forget who helped us get there…