THE WAY TO SUCCEED

In February 1992, a book fair was held in Delhi. On February 7, I went there as well. While visiting different stalls, I came across one that immediately caught my attention. Its signboard read: Think Incorporated. This was a unique stall at the fair. Its aim was to teach people the art of thinking, because wrong thinking leads a person to failure, while right thinking leads to success.

Here I found a beautifully printed English book by Mr. Promod Kumar Batra titled Management Thoughts. The book had 315 pages and contained 1,360 useful quotations. One example was this saying:

“Our attitude determines our altitude.”

At this stall, there were several thought-provoking posters. One showed a matchstick. Underneath it was written: A matchstick has a head but no brain. That is why, whenever it is struck, it immediately catches fire. Let us learn from this simple matchstick. We have heads—and we also have brains. Therefore, we should not flare up at every provocation.

A matchstick has a head, but it does not have a brain. Therefore, whenever there is friction, it flares up immediately. Let us learn from this humble matchstick. You and I have heads as well as brains. Therefore, let us not react to impulse.

One type of person is the one who explodes at the slightest provocation. He acts under the force of emotion, and such a person always fails. Another type of person does not flare up, even when provoked. He thinks calmly first, then acts. Such a person always succeeds. The second type is truly human, while the first is only like a matchstick.