the power of initiative
We have all met someone in our lives who is annoying just because they want to get things done. But if you’ve ever been annoyed by the fact that work is not getting done, you have no right to feel annoyed by the person who’s putting their best efforts to get it done.
I’ve been annoyed by that person and I’ve also been annoyed by the work that still requires completion because I was busy complaining & commenting.
Back when I used to go out and play cricket with my friends, someone (or even me) smashes the ball we used to play with deep into the neighbourhood.
I remember the hours of debates on who gets to recover the ball —
‘You get to go because you hit it’
‘You have to because its yours’
‘You should go and get it because I covered you when both of us didn’t do our Math homework last week’
I sneak behind their backs and recover the ball while they were busy arguing. They all celebrate until next time.
Have I been exploited? Don’t know and don’t care until it gets the job done.
To understand the very essence of this story, I’ll walk you through one of the events that took place in my apartment during the pandemic. Here it goes —
We had a watchwoman in our apartment who also is responsible for switching the motor on/off so that we can get uninterrupted running water supply. During the onset of the pandemic, she was asked to stay at home which means that we all have to take turns to do her job so that we can get a regular supply of water. I remember hearing everyone complaining about how they have to do this on a regular schedule and how it hurt their backs. They even suggested to automate that process but nobody was ready to take the initiative, except for one. She understood everybody’s greviances and it was hers as well. So, she got a contact from one of her relatives who had this system installed in her apartment as well. Setup a meeting with the seller, coordinated with the installation and….we had the system up and running in the apartment within a week. All of the owners/tenants went through this cycle for 7 months and she broke it within a week. The funniest thing? It costed less than INR 2,000/- per apartment for interrupted water supply without any human intervention.
Now, that is the Power of Initiative.
Everybody knows how to whine. A select few get the work done. We hate them for their hustle because we will never get to be them.
So, I ask you very nicely to not lose it if you can’t get the work done.
As my brother used to say —
If you want something, go get it. Its right there.
Do not stop no matter what and do it anyway because you will always have a population who has a thing or two to say about whatever you manage to do (or don’t do).
As always, thank you for your time!
