A 4-Wheel Drive Called Life
I had just graduated from medical school in India some 5 years ago. It was a time where (like all other classmates) I was standing at the crossroads of my career.
Choosing a specialty for a physician is always a difficult decision. Alumni can play a significant role in a career direction. I was fortunate in meeting one such individual. He has mentored me closely ever since I met him. If I have achieved anything in my professional life, I owe it in no small measure to him.
Perhaps, far more significantly, he has provided the impetus to lead an unpretentious life characterized by an unparalleled devotion to work.
His persona was typified by his car. He drove a ramshackle Indian vehicle despite drawing an internationally comparable salary.
I often used to wonder why someone who has no dearth of financial resources chose to travel in such a vehicle. Today I have realized that his car was simply a vehicle for traveling from one place to another. When one’s drive in life is one’s work, the car one drives is simply incidental!
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“Age quod agis” – do what you are doing – the age-old Latin saying says it all. Do what you are doing with full concentration and attention – no pretension and no attempt to impress anyone. An unpretentious life coupled with utter devotion to work are beautiful adornments for any great personality.
“Many people use money they don’t have, to buy things they don’t need, in order to impress people they don’t like.” -Handelsblat