I Bought The Monk's Ferrari (17 page)

A
ll through the book, I have been speaking about the Ferrari. I have also formulated Ten Commandments for acquiring the Ferrari. Readers must be wondering whether I am totally out of my wits to ramble over a mere four-wheeler manufactured by the Fiat Group. Well, I am not. The Ferrari I spoke of here is not just a car.

The Ferrari stands for:

F
ortune for

E
very

R
ight

R
igorous

A
nd

R
esourceful

I
ndividual

Fortune means success, fame, respect, social status, money, career, happiness and everything else that you associate with the winners. However, this word may have different implications for different people. Some of you may value fame more than wealth, while others may regard social status as the most important criterion. Whatever be the case, fortune here refers to that particular aspect of success which you value the most.

The Right Individual is honest, treads along the path of integrity even if it is not the easiest path. High on morals and values, this individual will never compromise on them even if it bears high cost.

Integrity in personal and professional life, being honest to the self and honest and fair with others is a trait which is often difficult to get, but so is the Ferrari. Maintaining high standards of integrity is the key to acquiring a Ferrari.

This individual is totally focused on the goals—he aims for the peak and leaves no stone unturned to reach there. Setting high standards, making difficult decisions in the nick of time, working the guts out, here is a person, who does not shy away from burning the midnight oil in the mission to succeed. Always on the lead, following all the Ten Commandments, such a person never compromises on one thing, i.e. hard work.

Dreaming and aspiring high and at the same time, backing himself up to transform them in reality, this individual is resourceful enough to realise his strengths and weaknesses and play with the strengths while working on the weaknesses. Such a person understands the value of time and deftly manages it. At the workplace, he tracks and tags on to successful people, to grow faster in life ... of course, with ingenious skills as well.

These are quite simple words, yet they carry a deeper meaning, which marks the dividing line between success and failure, between owning a Ferrari and ogling at one.

So simply put, acquiring the Ferrari means being successful in a particular field. Being one of a kind in whatever you do. Achieving name, fame, fortune, reputation and winning accolades. Whichever way you define success, achieving it is akin to acquiring the Ferrari.

Earlier in the book I mentioned the Ten Commandments for acquiring the Ferrari. If you read the four key words above and then revisit the Ten Commandments, you would see that each of those rules would fit into one of the three R's—Right, Rigorous and Resourceful.

A word of caution here. All the Ten Commandments are extremely critical in your quest for the Ferrari. Bear in mind that if you want to end up achieving what you aspire and dream, if you want to own the Ferrari, you must follow each one of the Ten Commandments. You cannot miss out on one, or be slack on the other. Adherence to these has to be complete— without exception, without excuse, because there is no part-ownership of the Ferrari. It is either complete ownership, or no ownership at all. Similarly, you are either a success or a failure, you cannot dangle in between.

As is obvious now and as the owners of Ferraris would bear me out, the Ferrari does not come easy. The Ferrari is always perched on top of the hill and it is a daunting task to get there. The path round the hill may be winding and long. You might often stumble, yet you must walk on. Hurdles will come and go. Sacrifices have to be made. Only the best of the best get there. You need to be determined enough. If you are one of those committed ones who make it... there shines the bright red immaculate Ferrari, all for you. Make it your own. Acquire one for yourself.

Once you get it into your garage, cherish the Ferrari. Show it off to the entire world that you have one. It is a rare occurrence. You are one of the deserving few. Keep it that way.

This brings me to the next point. Do not be defensive about owning the Ferrari. It is something to be proud of. There are numerous people, who do not own one, but aspire for it. It is a scarce commodity and you are no undeserving person to have achieved it. So, flaunt your Ferrari. Wear it on your sleeve.

In your quest for the Ferrari, it is possible to be tempered by millions of people on the face of this earth, who will tell you that a Ferrari is just not worth it. it comes at a price ... a high price,' they will say.

What is the 'price' that these people talk of? They refer to things like, very little time left to pursue alternate interests, high mental and emotional stress, and little or no time for the family, etc. I beg to disagree. Escapists, I would call all of them.

You have to realise one thing that the Ferrari is not owned by millions. It is only for the crème de la crème. As it is, winners are few in number ... even fewer among them own the Ferrari. So, all these comments coming from all around you are nothing but ridiculous excuses made up by the millions who do not even get a glimpse of a Ferrari, let alone acquiring one.

So, my message to everyone who has reached thus far is, folks, stay focused, follow the Ten Commandments and you will own the Ferrari one day. No one can detract you from your mission. No one can stop the Ferrari from becoming yours.

Going back to where we began our story, to Julian Mantle, the young lawyer in Robin Sharma's
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
—the lawyer, who sells his mansion, his private island, his jetplane, even his prized Ferrari and goes off to the mountains, where he meets Yogi Raman in the magical land of Sivana. The yogi teaches him the secrets of leading a successful, contended and uncomplicated life. The yogi is his divine inspiration, who helps him acquire traits which would in turn make him an extremely successful individual. The yogi tells him to follow a vision, develop positive thoughts, experience the joys of sharing, and hard work. The hotshot lawyer, after experiencing his days of nirvana returns to his land, a wise man, and begins to lead a peaceful and blissful life.

But hey, hold on! These are the very traits that you require to acquire the Ferrari. If you revisit the Ten Commandments, you will realise that they are quite the same ones that the Yogi eventually teaches the young lawyer. And Julian, for that matter, never sold off his Ferrari, in the true sense. He just bartered a four-wheeler in exchange of insights and lessons that would gain him the FERRARI - Fortune for Every Right, Rigorous and Resourceful Individual. This FERRARI is something which he would never fathom selling or getting rid of. Anyone who gets to the pinnacle and acquires one, knows how rare it is. And if Julian ever happens to sell off this FERRARI, ... I would make him a final requisition ... let me know ... I will buy it!!!

Ferrari, Ferrari, where are you?

Ferrari, Ferrari, I aspire for you.

With so few around, so many in queue,

I will claw my way to get my due.

There is only one reason for my existence,

Aren't you the genesis of my persistence!!

One look at you, everything I do, starts making sense,

I want you ...I will make no pretence.

Hard work and integrity will get me there,

Negative thoughts dispelled, I have no fear.

'I
am perfect—
a
foolish illusion,

Strife to improve will chase off the delusion.

The day you come to me, I'll drive you round town,

To hell with the envious detractors' frowns.

On my Ferrari, I will give a ride to the needy,

Will share with the society, I shall not be greedy.

Ten Commandments will I follow, always as usual,

For it is the only way to—

Fortune for Every Right, Rigorous and Resourceful

Individual.

B
efore I bring the shutters down on this book, I would like to share a nice little verse that touched my heart. It has been written by a colleague, who on reading my first book,
If God Was a Banker
came up to me and pulled out a crumpled paper from the depths of a folder she was carrying. She said she had written this poem a few days into her first job.

Sometimes in
my
mind, a thought does dwell

How does one live life well

Religion, status, money and fame

Is one taught to play this game?

With scruples to kill, for all that is nice

Does honesty really pay a good price?

Baffled, I'm sure, you may feel

This winding road to get uphill.

Honour and pride are all yesteryear's charms

Now it is one after the other, out to harm

Humanity for sure has taken a turn

I bet, God himself is saying, 'What have I done?'

Each one is out to beat the rest,

With morals and values put to test

How much is true, who is to tell

God's heaven on earth is turning to a hell.

But life is short and its end is certain

It's all in the rise and fall of a curtain

And, when it is time for you to pass

Prepare for the questions that He might ask.

N
EOMI
L
OBO

All through this book, I have spoken of the means required to own the Ferrari, the skill-sets necessary to trudge along on the path to fulfil ones dreams and aspirations.

This poem, however, is a sad commentary on what people actually end up doing in their pursuit of success. And, this is why many fail to achieve the Ferrari.

Engulfed in our desperation and dauntless enthusiasm, to acquire a Ferrari, people often tend to pay no heed to their scruples, conscience, morals, values, honour, pride ... the traits that make a human. The Ten Commandments laid out herein go for a toss. I would like to caution all the aspirants that the Ferrari at the cost of humanity, is not a Ferrari worth fighting for. It is not something which you deserve and it will not stay with you. At some point or the other it will desert you, and you will never again get an opportunity to own one in your entire life.

So folks, as I sign off, I would implore all of you to believe that you have it in you to acquire the Ferrari, despite the fact that in times of cut-throat competition it is not easy to acquire one. If you make an honest effort, it can be yours. There are no shortcuts. Do not even try to find one. Back yourself to get there with integrity and hard work. There will be many detractors along the way, but they are the ones who have attempted to get there and failed. So, do not let them distract you. Keep going. However, there is only one person in this world who can prevent you from getting to the Ferrari ... You, yourself!!

Once your Ferrari arrives ... protect it. Maintain it, give others a ride on it and ... drive carefully. The pride that a Ferrari brings with it is of paramount importance to you and your family. So, keep it intact.

One day, not too long ago, I returned home to find my daughter, Anusha in a very chirpy mood. Normally, by the time I get back home, she is extremely cranky, as it would be very close to her bed time. I could not help talking to her, despite her being tucked into bed and despite the warnings from my mother to let her sleep, as she had to get to school the next morning.

'Appa,' she said, 'you know what happened in school today?'

I went into her bedroom and lowered myself on her bed, hugged her, and began patting her to sleep.

'Appa,'
she continued, 'you know Nishant, the boy who troubles me in school?' I just nodded.

'Prarthana and I got him to say "sorry" today.' She was besides herself with joy. She had told me many times in the past about this bully in her class, who would keep harassing them, but I had not acted on it as I wanted them to learn to deal with bullies.

'How did you manage that?' I asked her, even as I placed my hands over her eyes, getting her to close them, it was but a poor attempt at getting her to sleep.

'I told him that if he doesn't say sorry, my father who's a big author, will write about him in his next book ... and he ran to us, said sorry and disappeared.' I neither reacted nor moved. It took another five minutes for Anusha to slip into her dreamland.

As I made my way out of her room, I could not help but ponder over a simple fact. I was not the only one for whom, my stature, my success, and acquiring the Ferrari was important. It was important for Anusha, too. There are others, too, who want a ride in my Ferrari. If not for myself, I should strive and achieve it for them.

I shut the bedroom door lightly, and walked into the confines of my room, promising myself that after a good night's rest, I would begin tomorrow morning with a new vigour, a new energy, a new passion, and a renewed promise, to make the gleaming
FERRARI
my own.