Azim Premji's Seven Steps To Success

One has the right over one's actions and not the fruits thereof.

It was always interpreted the wrong way and people feel that it is the fruit
that attracts the performer. However, many events in our life bring us face
to face with people - who draw inspiration from the kind of work they do and
the way they do it.

Interestingly, such people are motivated by the values and the vision that
they carry in their heart. Only such people rather rise above others and can
give a broader and better meaning to their life.

This is how he briefly shared his thought with others:

Lesson 1

I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young
people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of
something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to
salt-and-pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize
the importance of youth.

At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I
have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan
your own career and life.

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our
strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on
what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit
was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well
but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in
hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said,
"Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming."

They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The
rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim?
While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also
cherish what is good in us.

That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to
correct our weaknesses.

Lesson 2

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value
than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old
niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried
everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took
the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets.

The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it
took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to
be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my
own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning
our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of
come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we
have struggled to earn it.

Lesson 3

The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has
many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do
not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way
to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an
equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for
that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it
and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.

Lesson 4

The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes,
when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve
all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be
grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much
for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings,
because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first
acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a
relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the
memory of the good things while they lasted.

Lesson 5

The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One
way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves.
Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be
imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must
become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart
and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring
lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp.
That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

Lesson 6

The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It
comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity,
wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with
courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire
that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me.

His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept
at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime.
My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you
will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with
a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces
are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long
enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

Lesson 7

The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change,
do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must
open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by
the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand
for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty,
integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values
are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts.

At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the
achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long
the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short
cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the
destination.

And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas
even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.

There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning,
the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper
off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up
the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's
assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so
rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back
tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I
can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my
politeness?

In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel
without a cause. Today, I realise that my rebellion was another kind of
conformity. We defined our elders to fall in line with our peers!

Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond,
we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in
control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other
person wants us to do.

I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success
in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in
life.

"Remember, those who win are those who believe they can."