I love nature and am passionate about preserving it. There is a wonderful native American quote that says "We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." So, we all share a responsibility to safely deliver our beautiful planet to our future generations. Coming back to the topic of Mountains and Rivers, I did my undergraduate at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India where the 'Mountains Move' and 'Rivers Stay Still.' Basically, our campus buses were named after famous mountains in India, and our dorms were named after famous rivers:-) This is more a nostalgic fact that came to my mind and not what I want to leave you with today.
Lessons from the Mountains:
- They stand tall and strong. As professionals, we must stand tall by having high ideals and values, and demonstrating the strength of character as we build our professional brand and progress in our career journey.
- Mountains are the first to receive water when it rains, but they do not keep the water for themselves. They retain enough to sustain the local vegetation and allow all the remaining water to flow down the mountain. Similarly, we must also inculcate the habit of holding on to whatever minimum we need, money or things, and share the rest freely with others. Just like how we enjoy watching a beautiful waterfall, others will recognize when you share what you have, passionately and sincerely.
Lessons from the Rivers:
- Rivers flow hundreds and thousands of miles and nourish the land along the way. The land becomes richer because of the river flowing by it. We can do the same by making a positive impact on the people we come across every day.
- Rivers never flow in a straight line - they crisscross the landscape and find the best path to reach their destination. Similarly, as professionals and entrepreneurs, we also need to be prepared to navigate through life's challenges and stay the course until we reach our goals.
Final words to take home -
- Rise and Share like a Mountain.
- Enrich and Persevere like a River.