DATED – 20th June 2014

One of those things, which I love to do, is travel. Hence, my wife Arpita and I have decided that every year we will have at least two holidays (which are 5 days or more, and these don’t include attending marriages!) One holiday is compulsory in India and the other can be abroad.

This holiday, we decided to explore Sri Lanka for 11 days. (Yes, you read it right – 11 days only in Sri Lanka) It was one of the most memorable holiday destinations for us. In spite of being such a small country, it has beaches, hill stations, rainforests, mountains, treks, adventure, and, of course, a lively city life! The cleanliness is mind blowing. The roads are excellently maintained. Each and every person we met, be it a restaurant manager, a driver, a business owner, a roadside vendor or anyone for that matter, were so inviting and warm. They all made us feel extremely at home.

As we were waiting outside our gate to board the flight to India, Arpita and I struck a wonderful conversation on this lovely unexplored and understated country! They thrive on tea plantations, some garment industry and tourism. But, by large, the main source of income for them is tourism.

Looking at the way they treat the tourists, I guess they realize that. They know that if the tourists are taken good care of, they will in turn propagate about their country and hence more tourists. In short, tourism is the strength of Sri Lanka, and more importantly they do everything possible to best utilize their strength.

This brings me to ask myself two questions –

• Out of all the strengths that I have, which is my CORE STRENGTH?
• Am I doing everything to ensure that I am BEST UTILIZING it?

Let’s attempt to understand with a few examples –

• “Mr. Dependable” cricketer Rahul Dravid’s strength was to stabilize and hold the innings together. He was most successful batting at No.3 for India, and never really a T20 type cricketer.
• Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airlines comes across as a flamboyant personality. It’s not a surprise that we always see him on the front of everything he does. He is always in the news.
• India’s new PM, Narendra Modi’s strength is encouraging and implementing the growth model, rather than just criticizing other parties. I guess by stressing on it, he was able to create history in India’s politics.
• Geoffrey Bawa fused the unique combination of western studies and culture with local Sri Lanka requirements to create architectural marvels.

I understand that in today’s fast paced world, thinking does not come naturally to most of us. Rather, a few of us must be believing – it’s such a waste of time. But, if we can take off a few minutes (now itself ….. than delaying for later) to contemplate about our core strength and match it to whether we are utilizing it or not; it would be such an eye opener!

VIS-À-VIS my life –

I think my core strength is in being consistent in whatever I do. If I decide to take up something, be rest assured I will pursue it until I have achieved it. So, I don’t mind taking up and doing things for which I must work a little longer, rather than expecting immediate results.

Though Sri Lanka was just another holiday destination, it taught me something so important. I knew my strengths. But I had never really thought about which one of them was my CORE STRENGTH and whether I was UTLIZING IT! Thanks to this country, I have learnt a crucial lesson!

Ayobowan Sri Lanka!

(P.S. – Have you thought about your CORE STRENGTH yet?)