When problems get sorted on their own
Every day we face new tasks and challenges. Every individual has his own way of tackling them. Some people just see these as routine so much so that they either ignore them or sleep over them. Even nagging doesn’t move them since they are unable to take things seriously. But then some like me get all worked up and make it a point to take up these tasks on priority. I, for one, don’t relax or feel like enjoying my leisure when I have some pending work to finish. This has become my second nature.
In 1990, when I was working as an administrative officer at an Indian Air Force base, HM Singh was the chief administrative officer. A jovial person, he took life easy, and used to laugh away every problem. One day there was a serious issue and I had to seek his intervention. I went to his office and quickly blurted out my problem. He offered me a seat and a cup of tea while continuing to discuss other issues.
Ultimately, I left for my office without any solution. It was his style not to get worked up, but I was very worried. It was known that he would not panic but try to do whatever possible. Later, I realised that when we don’t react immediately, 80% of the times the problem gets sorted out on its own. I started calling this phenomenon, ‘HM Singh ho gaya’.
Many years have passed but my wife and I refer to this term whenever my problems get sorted out on their own.
One day my brother wanted me to accompany him to an office while I had some other work. I didn’t have the guts to say no to him, but felt bad that I had to postpone my commitment. It so happened that at the appointed time, he called me to say that I wasn’t needed. I couldn’t help telling my wife “HM Singh ho gaya!”
Similarly, we had urgent work in Delhi for about four days. But since my bedridden mother stays with me, we couldn’t leave her alone. I was still toying with the idea of requesting my sister to fill in for us, when she offered to help on her own. “Again, HM Singh ho gaya.”
A relative of mine arrived from Mumbai but forgot to bring his turbans along. He told me we needed to go shopping at once. I kept planning a visit to the shops, but he was so lazy that he couldn’t agree on an hour and ended up returning to Mumbai without buying them. HM Singh ho gaya!
Another relative often asks me to make a complaint to the BSNL about his unserviceable phone. I would do that at once and call him back to give the complaint number, only to have him tell me that his brother had already done it.
I have observed that when I sleep over commitments instead of reacting immediately, someone else takes care of them. Now I prioritise my work and wait and watch. Many times the work gets done on its own. Hence, we must take things in our stride, and hope for the HM Singh phenomenon. But if the situation so demands, we must act swiftly.
WHEN I SLEEP OVER COMMITMENTS INSTEAD OF REACTING IMMEDIATELY, SOMEONE ELSE TAKES CARE OF THEM. NOW I PRIORITISE MY WORK AND WAIT AND WATCH