This is the first inspirational essay i came to know in my life.

How to Respond instead of Reacting???????
Here is a solution for people who wants to respond to a situation instead of being reacting to it.
This is a speech given by Azim Hashim Premji[Chairman of WIPRO]

An Address by Azim Premji in the ‘Shaping Young Minds Program’ (SYMP)  organized by AIMA in collaboration with the Bombay Management  Association (BMA) in Mumbai on ‘My Lessons in Life’.

I am very happy to be here with you.  It is always wonderful to be  with young people. As my hair turned from  black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have  begun to realize the importance of youth.  At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons  I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

First :

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a  rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At  the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping  but failed in  swimming. The parents were concerned. They said,  ‘Forget about hopping.  You are, anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming.’ They sent the  rabbit for tuition in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit  forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must  also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.

Second:

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more  value than five found.. My friend was sharing with me, the story of his eight year-old niece.  She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried  everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my  friend took the  child to a supermarket and brought one of those  ready-to-cook cereal  packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. The child found the food delicious. The difference was that she had cooked  it! In my own life, I have  found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our own  rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of   ‘come easy, go easy’. I guess we only know the value of what we have,  if we have struggled to earn it.

Third :

The third lesson I have learnt is, in Cricket, no one bats a hundred  every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are  already  on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along  the  way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don’t beat yourself   for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own   share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not ‘lose the lesson.

Fourth :

The fourth lesson I have learnt, is the importance of humility.  Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering,  whether you  deserve all of it. We have so much to be grateful for.  Our parents, our  teachers and our seniors, have done so much for us,  that we can never  repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings,  because obviously, no one can be perfect. But it is important to first  acknowledge, what we  have received. Nothing in life is permanent, but  when a relationship  ends, rather than becoming bitter,

we must learn to savor the memory, of the good things, while they lasted.

Fifth :

The fifth lesson I learnt is, that we must always strive for Excellence.  One way of achieving excellence, is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. But excellence cannot be  imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It  must involve not only our mind, but also our heart and soul.  Excellence is not an act, but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines  of a poem,  which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp.  That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

Sixth :

The sixth lesson I have learnt is, never give up in the face of adversity.  It comes on you, suddenly without warning. Always keep in mind, that  it  is only the test of fire, that makes fine steel. A friend of mine  shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was  struggling away  at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but  could not succeed.  Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend  told her, “Look, why dont you just give up? I don’t think you will  complete it tonight. Look at it another day.” The daughter looked with
a strange look in her eyes, “But, dad, why should I give up? All the  pieces are there! I have just  got to put them together!” If we persevere long enough, we can put any  problem into its perspective.

Seventh :

The seventh lesson I have learnt is, that while you must be open to  change, do not compromise on your values.  Mahatma Gandhiji often said, You must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze.” Values like   honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for  generations. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person  more than the achievements. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to  the destination.

Final :

And the final lesson I learnt is, that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.  There was a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning,  the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the  paper  off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor  would pick  up the money, smile politely and say, ‘Thank you, Sir.’  One day, the  vendor’s assistant asked him, “Why are you always so  polite with him  when he is so rude to you? Why don’t you throw the  newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?” The vendor smiled and  replied, “He can’t help  being rude and I cant help being polite. Why should I let his rude  behavior dictate my politeness?”

I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what  gives you the maximum happiness in life.

Try these in your life you will be a legend in History.

                                                                 ALL THE BEST