Can we really plan for the future?
I can connect this story way back to my childhood but I’ll restrain to recent times.
I applied to three business schools in total and got an admit from all of them. INSEAD was the first business school I applied to and was the last one confirming my admit. As other schools already confirmed my admit, I decided to resign from my job and have some relax time before starting intensive MBA year. In the meantime, I got the happy news from INSEAD and ordered the pre-reading books. I planned to finish at least two of the pre-readings, 1. Essentials of Accounting and 2. Principles of Microeconomics, in the month of October and travel various places in the month of November.
But, as I said it was PLANNED for the future. Whether it will happen?
Here comes the twist: Destiny vs Hardwork
Is it my destiny that shapes my future or me, my plans and their implementation?
I very much planned to finish two pre-readings in October but suddenly my mother fell down on the street and broke her right shoulder joint. I and my mother visited many doctors in different cities. I carried my pre-reading books always with me, in the hope to find some time, but managed to finish only a chapter or two. I planned to resolve financial issues to pay INSEAD fee with an International Bank Guarantee but no progress yet. I tried hard to keep-up with my plans for October but somehow it didn’t work-out.
“Do you want to say that if you are destined for something, you’d get it, no matter whether you put any efforts?”
“Well! Kinda yes!”
“Then why did you bother applying to INSEAD or investing your time on writing quality application essays? You were destined to go to INSEAD and you would have gone there anyway.”
“Indeed!!! I applied to INSEAD, invested time writing application essays because I was destined to do so.”
“OK… Lets do one thing. Don’t worry for your finances. As you are destined to go to INSEAD, money will work-out by itself. You do trust in destiny then why are you worrying for finances? why are you putting efforts getting an international bank guarantee?”
“Well! If I listen to you and don’t try getting an international bank guarantee then I would probably not be able to join INSEAD. In that case this is the destiny that forced me accepting your advice and blocked my way to INSEAD. We don’t know yet whether I’ll make it to INSEAD. I have got an admit but no one can tell whether I’ll be at INSEAD coming January. It’s only time (destiny) that will tell us.”
“I can not believe that a person like you have got an admit for INSEAD. INSEADers are exceptional people with a brilliant track record of success. They trust in themselves and not in destiny. They drive their own destiny and not the other way round.”
“I understand your feelings. Different people look at similar things differently. There are always stereotypes we take for granted. You said it yourself; INSEADers are exceptional and so am I. I think differently and that makes me a true INSEADer. INSEAD is proud of its diversity not only in terms of nationalities but also in terms of mind-sets. Being a math-genie does not make you a good fit for INSEAD rather your diverse personality, your views, your approach to look at problems.”
“But I can tell you that none of the INSEADers think destiny driving their lives.”
“If not then I would be the first one.”
** This is just first part of this discussion. In the near future, I’ll be writing more.
