Loneliness...

The second year students broke for their term breaks around one week back (they get 3 weeks holidays between the fifth and sixth terms!). The dorms generally wear a deserted look without them around. It is almost as if the place is devoid of life. There is no music constantly blaring out, no shouts of "Muggo, Fachhon, Muggo!" ... and so on. We do not realise the value of all these things when they are there but feel bad when they are not present. The pervasive feeling is that we can't wait for them to come back. The presence of the 2's does a lot to bring "spirit"(no pun intended :-)) into the dorms, which we all miss sorely.
All we facchas get to do is to attend a few company talks and mug on as usual. Btw, there was this BCG talk on strategy on Sunday. It was very interesting indeed and threw some useful insights into what a consultant really does.
The thing that impressed me most during that talk was the definition of strategy one guy gave us. He said strategy is all about making hard choices in order to get the best out of the available resources. I then realised that it was what I have been missing all my life. Everyone needs to make hard choices if they have to reach the top. Naturally, it is a painful process. But running away from unpleasant decisions will only delay the inevitable. The "winners" are the ones who can take the challenge head on and be decisive. More important is the commitment to the decision once it is made. Once these two things are there in place, a formula for success is already brewing. Add to it a recipe of grace from God's Hand and voila! Nothing can prevent one from going to the very top...
This musing seems slightly philosophical to me, but then I am coming face-to-face with myself while writing this blog. I know that I have not been required to make the kind of tough decisions, many of my batchmates have had to do so far. I have generally enjoyed the best of many worlds, with my parents always ready to provide me the support I needed. But now, if I have to go out into the real world, I have to develop the skill of explicitly making hard choices . Even as I write, I am making a choice of what I want to do with my time at IIMA and the choice I am making, I feel, is helping me see things in black and white.

This blog somehow resembles a diary of sorts, where I can really let myself go... I think it is good for me. Let's see what I do from now on...

Sitan