Will I make it large?


A few days back I was sharing a ride with CEO / founder of a well reputed firm and once the atmosphere was informal I asked him 'How does it feel to be at your position - well up in the ladder?' I wasn't asking out of the blue, very precisely I wanted to know -
  • How would I feel when I will reach there - contempt, even more hunger for success, proud, stressed out, rewarded, nothing unusual, etc. What are the unknowns - anything unexpected that I can not visualize at my current state
  • What will be my "Have I made it large" moment, it at all there would be any

He is one of the smartest guy I have ever known and I was expecting to get my answers. He told that he wonders if has made it large already? There are companies that grew faster than his while his company grew faster than most of the other companies. He answered my question with the carrot and stick approach. He explained how does the carrot keeps getting bigger as one grows. He wouldn't be satisfied with even $100 million daily revenue now even though $10 million would suffice earlier. This was something very obvious for me and I argued that if this is the only difference then his GHI (Gross Happiness Index) won't be any better than mine. Why would I then want to work hard to climb up at his stature?

It may be a funny argument for many - but people know money isn't happiness. Once you earn a decent living, BMW or Maruti don't make much of a different to your happiness index. At least not for me.



Coming back to our conversation, I think my argument struck a chord with him and he went deep with his answer. He told that he has went way ahead from his peers and he stands out when he goes in any gathering. I couldn't understand it either as I don't crave for any superiority among my peers. But after some discussion he clarified that he stands out not because he is up in the ladder, but because he has evolved himself far more than others.

That concluded it!

The most exciting reward is to evolve yourself, to be able to take better decisions and to drive the most happiness out of what ever nature has to offer to you. You work hard to stretch your own limits and feel proud of what you have already become. There is no limit to what you can grow to and it is the journey that matters.

He further explained the process of self evolution. Everytime you evolve and step up, you see new dimensions and new details where you can evolve. He quoted an example that he now cares for his company to be the "best place to work". This was never his target earlier. With time you evolve and find new dimensions to be a even better person. This is what you strive for.

Please let me know what is your 'I have made it large' moment in the blog comments on in email to me. I heard Shah Rukh Khan quoting on a TV commercial that if you have made it large then how could it really be "large" :)

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