You must make time for others.

It was a Monday morning, I saw a beautiful Pop up card sitting on my desk with a note “Thank you, You’re appreciated for all you’ve done, May every kindness you share with the world find its way back to you” Signed by the person who left the card for me and wrote at the end “Thanks for guiding, you are the best Sir, Keep blessing”  

It was one of those morning when I was feeling a bit low, yep, it was my human moment. Simple but a beautiful note and it woke me up, I started thinking while I was looking for a hope I did not realize that someone else was looking at me as a hope all this time.  

The card was from a gentleman who did not reported to me and in fact does not even worked for the company I worked for. Just happened to be that he worked in same location where I had my office. Occasionally, this individual used to come to me and greets me by saying, “Hello”.   

One day, he asked me if I mind if he ask me a question, and I said “No, I won’t mind”, I was anticipating less of a question but more of a favour but I was surprised with the question, it was very simple and later I understood it meant a lot for him and there was many more questions to follow. Question was, “Sir, you have worked in different countries, with different people, culture, different companies, how does it feels, did you found it to be difficult to adjust”. I saw a curiosity in this person and nothing else, I admire a lot when someone ask me questions, it means they want to learn, they want to know more.   

During the period of 4-6 months, whenever he finds time at tea or lunch break or first thing in the morning as we both reaches office pretty early, he used to come to me and I always made time for him, no matter what I was doing, I always knew that he will come with something to know and I loved answering his curiosity because I saw a hunger for knowledge in him, he is a young fella, married not too long ago, wants to grow, wants to do well, he see success around him but could not figure how to use it for himself but most importantly I saw a desire of belongingness, he never said, but once he did expressed to me that he could only wish if everyone can give time like you do.   

His mind was full of confusion, hesitation even scared to accept a job which was 2 level higher than what he was with at least 40% salary increase. He could not make a decision as he believed “devil you know is better then you don’t know”. It will make you think, what in the earth is happening at his current job for him not to accept a higher position and salary, what is going on in his mind. Not that he was happy where he was rather sounded like he learned how to manage his current work environment but afraid to face the same situation at his next job. Why would anyone reach to this level where a person is scared to even think of moving because he is afraid who he or she may end up with. Even confused to the point where he was stuck in his mind and did not know what to do, his new work place was 20 min longer than his current job location, even that was a concern for him.  It does sounds strange but this kind of situation does exist.   

He never asked me for a job, never asked me to refer him to someone else or when I go to my next assignment I should consider him, nothing like that, never bad mouthed his current employer or his boss. All he wanted was someone to listen to him, address his queries, talk to him so that he can clear his doubts about his professional and a generic personal life. Someone he can trust, someone he looks up to and say thank you for helping me. Small things but means a lot to someone.     

One morning during his several confusion, I told him “you sounds like waiting in a traffic and all you are doing is keep pressing accelerator of your vehicle without realizing you are not moving an inch, stop pushing your brain for things which are not important” Something happened, one day he came and told to me that he is ready to start his next chapter and that he has accepted the offer. Thanks for giving me example of the traffic and unnecessarily pushing my brain for small things.   

All I did was gave him time when he asked, most importantly when he wanted. I could have made him felt my power to refuse or not accept his request to talk to me. If I would have brushed him off by saying, come later or I am busy or make an appointment first, it would have been nothing other than a normal day but a small gesture helped someone.   

So, would you make time for someone, at least listen what the person has to say before you say not now or come later?