The Secret of Success

Mahatma Gandhi was well-known for his thoughtful and terse manner of speech. But this outstanding trait only came from another trait which few would consider outstanding. Initially, his shyness prevented him from speaking in public; later on, it made him thoughtful and succinct when he spoke. Mahatma Gandhi was well-known for his economy of words and well thought-out speeches. There were few, however, who realized that this very positive virtue had been derived from what had once been a serious handicap. Have No Regrets An American psychologist once observed that the activity in which an individual wastes more time on than anything else is in having regrets. People's energies are dissipated in recalling and mulling over bitter memories of the past and in bewailing the fact that they acted in one way and not in another, or that friends, neighbours and relatives had been remiss in their actions and attitudes towards them. The businessman thinks, "If I had invested in project B instead of project A, I would not have incurred these losses." The young woman sighs, "If I had married X instead of Y, I'd be a much happier person today." The elderly couple think, "If we had started paying up instalments on a house instead of just renting one, we would now be the owners of a house." And so on, ad infinitum. To entertain such thoughts is a sheer waste of time and energy. The moment we have such thoughts, we should consider whether any remedy is possible at this stage, if something constructive can still be done—relations improved, an entirely new situation contemplated, etc., and if the answer to these questions is "No, things are now beyond repair," then one should simply dismiss these distressing ideas from one's mind and turn to new avenues of thought. It is better to say, "I'll do better next time," or "I'll consider things in greater depth before taking any