Chart your own course: What one can learn from Modi’s life
Ihave often h a d young peop le come up to me to s e e k advice for their lives. The common thing that I see is the stark confusion people have about what they wish to do going forward. There is always this dilemma that today’s youth has in their minds. Should they follow what they feel like doing or should they follow popular trends? To those young citizens of our country, I always say that one should study the life of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and derive an important lesson — must follow the path that you truly believe in, and do not get distracted by the fashionable trends of the day.
At a time and age in his life when most people around him would have been thinking of securing prized government jobs or even looking to become lawyers, doctors or teachers, Narendra Modi decided to be his own man and work for society. While the methods may vary in today’s day and age, what Narendra Modi did is today fashionably called a sabbatical. He paused to think of what he wanted to do in his life and the path that he wanted to traverse. One must therefore learn the important lesson to take away from this incident - clean the cobwebs of your mind so that you can think rationally and clearly. Pause, even take a break if necessary, to figure out exactly what you want to do with your lives.
Choose after detailed deliberation the path that you can put your heart into, I repeatedly tell the youth of today. Mr. Modi’s life teaches us a lot about this important aspect of life.
One sees the sharpness of mind and the intellect of the man and wonders – what if the man had charted a different, perhaps more conventional trajectory in his life? Would we have witnessed him as India’s Prime Minister today? It is clear by now that Mr. Modi is among the sharpest minds around, and that he could have been a successful person in any other field. And yet, he chose something that was very different from prevalent trends. He dared to be different because he pursued something with passion and vigour, and today’s youth can draw inspiration from this just as much. The path should be one that gives your heart joy and utmost satisfaction, just as Narendra Modi chose to serve the people of India for it satiates his soul to no end.
Life, like in politics, often sees people dragging you down. You will see people mocking your initiatives when it starts, only to realize their own follies later. However, that should not deter you from sticking to the path.
Had Mr. Modi hesitated to pursue his goal of making India open defecation free or to roll out the world’s largest financial inclusion program of the Jan Dhan Yojana, the successes we see today on the two fronts would not have manifested themselves. Do not be swayed by the gimmickry of these naysayers in life; instead, view their gimmickry for what it is - a gimmick. Because they do not truly believe in anything that they say necessarily; they are instead seeking perceived momentary benefits without seeing the larger picture. Their myopic vision should not be allowed to overpower your ambition and desires ever. Let your work speak for itself, even as you may face opposition similar to what Mr. Modi has seen coming at him for believing and holding onto his way of doing things.
Just like Mr. Modi, you may be called names, may be misrepresented deliberately and attacked as well.
However, do not fear attacks and face them bravely, and see how the malevolent force crumbles by itself just as the opposition has scattered into the wind when faced resolutely by Mr. Modi.
Doing your own thing can make you stand out of the crowd in life just as in politics, and people will try to imitate you. These days, some people have rediscovered their roots even in politics, and think they can benefit by being imitators. Some of them suddenly started visiting temples like Mr. Modi, while some others suddenly start chanting shlokas to show that they are perhaps bigger Hindus than Mr. Modi. Never forget though that imitation is the best form of flattery.
Take this copycat behaviour in your own stride as a compliment and brush off the emotional baggage that such imitators bring along with them. Notice how Mr. Modi does not imitate anyone, and is his self always – be your true self just like that.
We can go on and on about Mr. Modi’s life as an example for the youth of New India. Being his own man comes naturally to Mr. Modi much like it is a feature of New India and its youth, a key reason why the two gravitate towards each other so naturally. To sum up though, Mr. Modi has only done what Frank Sinatra meant when he sang – I did it my way.