The traffic at Pune-Mumbai expressway has been horrible since last couple of years. The time taken to hit the Pune-Mumbai express highway and to reach the destination in Mumbai is invariably more than the total travel time on the express highway. Hence, I have started to use train more often than car to travel to Mumbai.

Few months back, I had to go to Mumbai for a meeting. As I was stepping out of the Dadar railways station, there was a swarm of people who pushed me out of the station. I didn’t need to make an effort. As the crowd got lesser towards the exit, there was an elderly lady begging. I had some snack in my hand. I immediately handed over that parcel to her. I looked at her in eye, which I usually do when I give something to someone, and see their expression. I expected a namaste or blessing from her. But instead, she enquired, “IS IT VEG?” Dumbfounded, I somehow managed to say, “Yes, it is vegetarian.”

If the elderly lady was asking for food, I am sure she must not have eaten well until I saw her. Yet, she had the courage to check if it was vegetarian as she did not want to compromise on her value system.

How often are we take a stand like this elderly lady?

Do we compromise to keep others happy? Are we courageous enough to stick to what we think is the right thing to do/ say in a situation? Do we get swayed by herd mentality? Is succumbing to pressure normal for us?

All of us are driven by certain values and principles. Whether we stick to them in challenging situations or give in, is what will determine the story of our lives. All the people whom we look up to today, have had their hard times. They must have felt all alone. But they stuck to what they thought was right, even when the world seemed against them. Eventually the world took a notice and today they are inspirations to millions of people.

I am sure that each one of us reading this blog are far better off in life than her. But as they say – we can learn from anyone and everyone. If our minds are open, Life is always giving us opportunities to learn! The elderly lady taught me – VALUE YOUR VALUES!