Does Discipline makes you Deserving

MAY

28

This is a post from my other blog. It was written on 21-Aug-2006; almost a decade ago! Republishing it here - 

Deserve, as I understand the word, means something that you believe should happen. It only expresses a strong desire. Ravana deserved to die – because you think he was wrong and therefore, must be punished. I deserved a promotion because I did so much work. Deserve however, should not be mistaken for somebody’s definitive right over something – moral right, emotional right, social right etc.

When I had left my seat at NITIE, it was because I believed I deserved an IIM. I believed that I have the capabilities of being a good leader and simply because I am naturally gifted in it, it makes enormously more sense for me to go to only the top institute so that I don’t dilute my ability. It makes sense for Arjuna to be trained only by Drona. Nobody else would give each of them what they deserved.

However, the closest I came to IIM was a call at IIM-K. It wasn’t that I was bad. I believe I had reached the position where I was a very strong contender. But I was not consistent. On the day of the exam, I was not good enough. Not once but twice, I did not perform to my capabilities on the day of the exam.

If I get down to analyzing why it happened that I could not perform when it mattered, it was because I was operating in a range. 94% to 99%. It could have been any of them and on those two days – it was 98% once and 95% the other. What I lacked was consistency.

And why did I lack consistency – because I lacked discipline.

To think of it, I lost out on something that I deserved because of lack of discipline. And today, I run that risk again, unless I learn from my mistake.

Here is what I think of it now, on 28-May-2015

Do not agree with this anymore! I did pursue my entrepreneurial venture in a fairly disciplined manner. But discipline alone does not guarantee success either. And therefore the failure above should not be attributed to a perceived lack of discipline alone either! 

Discipline is what helps you get through the execution bit! If you are disciplined, you'd execute better but the strategy, the idea, the environment; everything matters! 

In the case above, the strategy was wrong! I never really understood the art and science of writing exams!