The secret of earning a lot of money - guaranteed!

When i passed out higher secondary examination in 1985 and took admission in a commerce college for my B.Com., the first question put up before the class by the first teacher on the very first day was, "What is the one thing your desire most in life?"

This simple question animated the classroom. The fear, the suspense and the confusion of the first day of college life just evaporated in thin air. Nearly everybody participated. The students sitting in the front rows caught this opportunity and tried to impress the teacher (as is the case with them- always). They uttered some words which were probably not the honest replies but were more correct politically. Responses like satisfaction, growth, service for the nation etc. echoed. But then some honesty prevailed. One boy told assertively, 'money'. Many others agreed with him. One backbencher shouted, "more money than my would be wife could spend" and everybody laughed. It was clear that the majority of the class opted for a lot of money. And the teacher was also kind enough to allow us to stay with our dreams. He then elaborated how we could earn money by pursuing the job at hand i.e. college education properly.

After 24 years, i realise that our focus was not totally appropriate. If someone would ask me today, i would say, 'satisfying the job at hand with 100% activity, efficiency and effectiveness'.

Why would i say such an abstract thing in response to a simple materialistic question? Because this is not only my personal experience but also the summary of my interaction on the subject with all those achievers whom i was lucky enough to meet. One wants a lot of things in life. The primary ones are money, social respect, the satisfaction of fulfilling challenges and continuous growth. And all these can be achieved by following just one principle - satisfying the available job with heart and soul.

What interests a person? If you devote yourself entirely to the job before you and try to achieve it wholeheartedly and don't miss any chance to enjoy it as a game too, it is bound to interest you.

And what causes a person to grow? When your immediate boss is of the opinion that you are performing much better than expected, you grow. And when this information reaches the ultimate boss, you grow faster!

And what satisfies a person? If you are able to complete a seemingly-impossible task successfully, nothing can be more satisfying.

Please allow me to repeat the one point formula - satisfying the available job with heart and soul.

Someone has very rightly said, "Either you chase money or money chases you".

My advice to someone who is starting career today would be just this. Don't care about money or the salary package. Just get any job and devote yourself totally. Apply your intelligence and perform the job ethically. Network properly. And the universal principle 'either you chase money or money chases you' works in your favour. Period.

Some questions draw the attention of every generation. And many of us learn only after committing the same mistakes. Some errors are generation independent. Isn't it?