"You are an excellent orartor. You have delivered long speeches in many events, without any preparation. But, for certain meetings, you prepare the speech and go thorough it several times. May I know the reason for this?"
"My approach depends on the topic or subject of my speech. There are some general topics, on which I can talk impromptu and I can speak at length too. On such topics, I will speak whatever that comes to my mind. There will be no risk of saying something incorrect or inappropriate. In the background of my experience of having spoken on many occasions, some of my speeches might have come out well and earned me a good name. But for speaking on certain topics, requiring knowledge or detailed information, I need to prepare my speech in advance."
"But you are well versed in the topic on which you will be speaking at the Chamber of Commerce today!"
"That may be the case. But I have to ensure that I don't leave out any point, I intend to cover in my speech. That is why, I have planned my speech and jotted down the points I want to cover. I make it a point to number the points serially and cover them in that order. If I am unable to recall a particular point, I will refer to the notes I have made and kept with me. But, usually, there will be no need for me to refer to my notes" said Govindarajan.
"Have you prepared the speech you have to make in the literary association too?"
"Yes, of course. Literature is a subject in which I don't have much knowledge. They have invited me out of the goodwill they have for me. So, I should say something worthwhile in my speech, shouldn't I?" said Govindarajan, laughing.
"Sir! When you prepare so meticulously even for speaking on these kinds of events, I wonder how much planning you would have made for your life!"
Immediately sensing that he might have taken too much liberty with his superior, Sabhapathy hastened to add, "Sorry, sir! I asked this out of curiosity."
"Nothing wrong in your asking this" said Gvindarajan. "I will answer your question. But, before that, I want to ask you something. Has it happened to you that you thought of doing a certain thing, but failed to do it, due to lethargy or forgetfulness?"
"Many times!"
"Even in my younger days, I realized how much I have lost, by not doing things that I intended to. So, I cultivated a routine."
Govindarajan pulled out another notebook from his drawer and showed it to Sabhapathy.
In that note book, a large number of entries had been made under the heading 'To do.' Many of the entries had been struck off.
"As soon as I think of doing something, I will note it down in a small sheet of paper, I always carry with me. Many ideas occur to us, but most of them will evaporate, if we don't capture them by recording them. While some of the thoughts may surface in our mind again after some time, some will never. We will permanently lose such thoughts. That is why it is essential that we record our ideas., as soon as we think of them.
"Every night, before I go to bed, I will transfer the ideas noted by me in the piece of paper to this notebook. I will look at this notebook every morning, select the things I could do on that day and include them in my 'to do' list for that day. I may be able to do some of them and I may not be able to do some others. I will strike off the things I have done.
"When I look at this notebook every day, I feel excited and exhilarated that I have been able to do so many things that I intended to. This feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment acts as a stimulus to do many more things. If I have been able to accomplish quite a few things in my life, this system I have been following is an important factor behind it. You may also try this approach" said Govindarajan.
"Yes, sir. Definitely" said Sabhapathy, enthusiastically.
"In that case, I will have to look for a new personal assistant!"
"Why, sir?" asked Sabhapathy, taken aback.
"If you start following this system, you will accomplish a lot, come up fast in your life and reach a high position soon. So, I will have to find a new person to take your place!" said Govindarajan, smiling.
uLLiyadhu uLLap peRin.
Verse 539
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