“ We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience”

( Mr.P.Natarajan, B1 - 304, ‘ White House Apts.’ , delivered a speech in response to the invitation of Sr. Citizen Forum in White House, on Monday, the 06th evening of July 2015 when Forum Members were present - It was followed up by a birth day party hosted by Mr.P.S.Subramanyam, B1 - 203, (one of the forum members) in absentia. The Members present wished many happy returns of the day to PSS who is presently camping in Australia at his son’s place - The text of pn’s speech is appended below )

Dear Friends,

“ We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience”

At the outset I thank the Sr.citizen Forum and Members present here for giving me an opportunity to share my views on a topic of importance, ( cited above ).

                                                            

 (Sr.Citizen Forum Members seen rejoicing during a Picnic to Nandi Hills on May 27, 2015 )

Well, we all know what the phrase causal action means. It is a relationship, link, etc. between two things in which one causes the other. The state of well being, happiness or otherwise are all caused by reasons or due to the decisions taken in the past by the individuals. Let me now explain the process of decision making which need to be taken in some structured manner, in relation to the complex nature of the problem on hand.

Let us now look at a case study of Mr.A. who was well employed in a multinational drawing a fat salary and enjoying good perks He was a work alcoholic. His uncle, who visited him one day, advised that he could earn three fold times if he could start his own enterprise. The suggestion appealed to him. Quick steps taken by him resulted in the commencement of his own business which he was able to finance with his past earnings and reserves. There were lacunas and soon he was experiencing losses in the business. He lamented that “we choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience”. Friends pl. remember that it was his own decision to start a new enterprise.

In any moment of decision making, the best thing will be to do the right thing, the second best thing may end up in doing the wrong thing. The worst thing will be doing nothing. Think before you leap is the mantra before we decide. Here is a novel way to exercise caution in the process involved. Remember that you have to wear 6 caps ( of course, symbolically) of different colours in a particular manner:- ( White, Green, Yellow, Black, Red and Blue - this is the order)

(1)first wear the White Cap. The white cap reminds you not to get prejudiced, keep an open mind at start. The first thing will be to identify the decision to be made. next thing will be to start gathering relevant data and all round information about the business involved.

(2) next wear the green cap. The green cap will usher you to put in your own ideas, on the top of data and information already collected. Your own ideas take a geometric progression when you sit in a greenhouse.

(3) Yellow cap next when you wear, being the amber signal, will urge you to analyse the data and list them in a sequential order of importance. In other words, ‘PRIORITIZE’

(4) The Black cap which comes next in the sequence warns you ‘ not to be a black sheep’ or cause hindrances to your neighbourhood or to the society at large. In other words, your decisions should no way trouble or cause hindrances to the people living in nearby places.

(5) The Red Cap which you will be wearing next cautions you to think intuitively and not go necessarily  by the established protocol or traditions. Life is sum of all our choices. This is the maxim to be remembered at this moment of decision making.

(6) When you finally wear the blue or royal Blue Cap, you are in a clear position like the expanse of the blue sky above. you will be able to make the mission statement of your business you want to start. In Peter Drucker’s words, “ Wherever you see a successful business, it is obvious that someone has made a courageous decision “.

Warning:- If you choose two rabbits, both will escape. Let me take up a case study to explain this phenomenon. in a village called Vandavasi, there was an ancient temple, where the villagers pray regularly. but the temple was rapidly losing strength and had reached a dilapidated condition. The people stopped visiting the temple due to fear. The  Managing Committee taking note of the villagers’ fears, did some hotch-potch improvements - say it was just a colour wash. People soon realized this and abandoned  worship at the temple. The governing body met again and brought out four resolutions as follows:- (1) A new temple will be built (2) The new temple will be constructed at the same venue (3) Useful structural materials of the remains of the old temple will be made use of (4) lastly they deliberated at length and passed a resolution that the old temple will not be destroyed because of age old sentiments and beliefs.

This is a classic case study where both rabbits escape when you chase both.

                                                                     

( Natarajans , Mr.K.V.Pai and Mr.T.R. Govindarajan at a scenic point in Nandi Hills )

Friends, let us look at how we take decisions in the day to day matters:-

(i)As we get up we think of the day ahead. visit to banks, shopping, house keeping, etc., may top the agenda. In order to scrutinize the jobs, make a list of things to be done and back-up materials required and to be taken. (2) Analyse the importance of every action and the time involved before prioritizing. (3) Some jobs may pose complexity and anxiety. Here you may have to think of outside help or that of a professional.(4) Value added concepts will also help in deciding the matter. For example, if there were two employment offers, one offering 60% chance of getting a 30% raise in salary and the other outlining 80% scope for a 10% raise in salary, both at the end of the first year, you can simply arrive at the decision by the value added concept. The first offer can be valued as 60 times 30 all in percentages which gives a value added of 0.18; second job offer would end up with a value addition of 80 times 10, again in percentages to 0.08. The first jobs rank in the value addition and can be decided in favour as against the other.

Friends, you may ask me why all this fuss - can we not decide based on common sense. Yes, my answer will be common sense will be often uncommon. however, common sense helps to take spot decisions with available resources.

I shall ask some simple riddles and call upon you to solve them using common sense. Riddle No.(1):- Name four consecutive days without resorting to the usual 7 days - viz from Monday to Sunday (2) It is greater than God, if you eat it you will die (3) I come at the end of Time, before the beginning of the Eternity, four times in a week and once in every thousand years. Who am I ? Riddle No:-(4) What is the colour of the sleeves in the vest ?

See, I am able to understand in common why no one is answering. The answers to the four riddles are (1) yesterday, today and tomorrow (2) Nothing. If you eat nothing you will die out of starvation. Of Course nothing is greater than God. (3) the letter ‘e’ (4) A Vest has no sleeve.

A story I remember pertaining to a common sense decision. A merchant approached his good friend and a landlord for a loan of Rs.50,000. The landlord asked for a surety and for a witness. The merchant said God is common to humanity and stands as a surety as well as a witness for him. The landlord knew that the merchant was very pious and god fearing. Hence in the name of God who is common to both, the loan was issued to the merchant. The merchant went abroad and time rolled quickly. The merchant earned a big margin in the new business abroad. To the merchant’s surprise, he noticed that the ten month period would soon be over and without any further delay he tried hard to get accommodation in the ship for his return, but proved to be in vain. He feared any delay to return the loan to the landlord would disprove the faith in god who had stood as a witness. He ordered a bamboo float, kept Rs. 50000 fully concealed and a letter of apology for not able to be present in person, and closed the float on either side with precaution. He had faith in God and in the name of god, he let the float in the flowing water in the direction of his native land. The landlord also had faith in the common god and went to the shore to see if any ship was nearing the shore. To his surprise, the bamboo float hit his foot , he caught it with great attention and opened it. His joy knew no bounds to read the merchant’s letter and Rs.50000 currency with interest due.

This story explains how the landlord and merchant acted on the common sense and took decision in the name of GOD. Of Course God came to the rescue in the business as well as to both the parties in question.

Some don’t decide at all. The indecisiveness really does not help, I can illustrate with a case study. A thief called Black planned to steal in a rich landlord’s house in a village. But when Black came in the night, he saw to his shock that security guards had been posted at all vital places near by the house. However he was able to get an entry into the house by some means. But his leg hit at a sack and fresh onions rolled out of the sack. being a thief he could not resist in shoving as many onions as possible into his bag. but as the security was tight, he was caught and produced before the landlord. Black pleaded guilty and asked for pardon. The landlord put three conditions:- (1) A fine of Rs.100 (2) 25 beatings by a whip (3) eat all the onions stolen. The landlord declared that the thief should accept one out of the three options.  Black was indecisive and chose the condition No:(3) as there is no money involved. But Black realized soon he was not able to consume any more onions after eating a small number. He opted for condition (2). Here also he swooned after five to six beatings by the whip. He with folded hands paid the fine of Rs.100 and begged pardon. The case of Black clearly focusses that indecisiveness of the thief forced him to undergo all the three punishments, Had he been decisive, he could have accepted to pay the stipulated fine and got free with least trouble.

We have now discussed the process of decision making from different angles and also the necessity to think in all directions with relevant data. It is now necessary to know that good decisions come from experience and experience is earned from bad decisions made during the past. It is also true that good decisions need not fetch or guarantee good results, nevertheless we need not grope in the dark when we go about in a decided or committed manner.

Wherever benefits are not deterministic, course corrections need to be applied. Also it is important to develop the alternatives by means of a consensus approach so that we will not stumble when one fails. Finally listen to your inner voice and trust your intuition especially when we launch new business or take up diversification plans.

I wish to sum up by prescribing seven golden rules which would help not only in arriving good decisions but also usher in best results:-

1. Deliberate with caution, but act with a decision, yield with graciousness, oppose with firmness
2. No matter how late it is, it will be never as late as it will be, later on.
3. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
4. Action is eloquence
5. Going slowly does not stop anyone from arriving
6. Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over, if you sit there
7. Chance favours only the Prepared.

Thank You.

          (Isha is quiet at home in Canton, Michigan with her paternal ‘pn-thatha’)                                            

pn