125 Days On The Road And The Lessons I learnt On The Way

125 days. Glancing through my travel itineraries on Tripit, I realised that is the number of days I spent this fiscal (Feb’18 to Feb’19) travelling on work across India.

I love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. I derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with people who, a few minutes back, were mere strangers. Call it luck or fate, but I’m one of those lucky few who get paid to pursue my passion every day. These 125 days of living out of the suitcase, meeting customers, gave me a new experience, a new perspective and above all, enriched me as an individual. It’s a life I wouldn’t trade for any other.

And as we trudge along this journey, we all end up dedicating our success and wellbeing to our families, our friends or our work colleagues. But a host of other people we meet and are grateful for, end up remaining in the background. People who work in the shadows to put you in the limelight. People who cheer backstage so you can be in the spotlight.

 How often have you thanked your Chauffer who drives you to work, the security guard who salutes you with a wave, the airline executive who checks you in, the air hostess who serves you with a smile?

Most of my travel took me to the city of Delhi. My day starts at 6 a.m with a yoga session followed by a run. When I’m travelling I hit the hotel Gymnasium. The instructor on the floor, Hari, always greets me with a smile. Motivates me to push harder, helps me with post workout-stretches. “Sir aapne aaj time interval sprints nahi kiye?” he would ask, if he found me slacking. No, he doesn’t get paid to ensure that I brighten up my morning with those endorphins. And yet he simply chooses to motivate me every single morning.

 I’m greeted at 8 am by a middle aged waiter at the Coffee shop, who is fondly called “Chacha” by all his fellow colleagues and the regular guests. He looks content, wears an infectious smile, and welcomes all the guests with a firm shake of the hand. No wonder frequent visitors like me, prefer his service. He remembers my eating preferences. No, he doesn’t get paid extra for the special tea he gets the chef to prepare for me. And yet it is something that makes my day.

I’m driven to work by Rajinder, a soft spoken driver who has worked all his life with this car rental company. Rajinder hardly smiles, but I rarely come across a more patient person in my life. Through the crazy traffic and crazier driving sense of most Indians, it is indeed difficult to keep your sanity. But Rajinder follows the rules to the T. On some rare occasions, when I’m getting late for back to back customer meetings, I start what we call backseat driving: “Rajinder jaldi chalao, take the car from that lane- it’s empty!” He acknowledges with “yes sir” but the calmness on his face is unblemished, his mannerism remains unfailing, his body language doesn’t change.

I could go on and on about the ecosystem, which supports me just as it supports all of you. And perhaps, for one moment in your own fiscal, if you happen to look closely, you would find your own Hari, trying to urge you on. Your own Chacha serving you some special tea. Your own Rajinder driving you to sanity. And that is when one realizes that life is perhaps not all that we construe it to be. Perhaps it is much simpler than that: like a little word of gratitude, a simple smile of acknowledgement, a wave of appreciation.

 People come into our lives for a reason, bringing along something we must learn. We are led to those who help us grow. Vulnerability and service to others is what makes us more human. Gratitude is what keeps us humble.

 So if you do cross paths with your own “backstage cheer squad”, do remember to take one moment to acknowledge their presence. They made those 125 days better for you, but you could in turn make their life worth living for them. Just by acknowledging them.