SUCCESS HIBERNATION

“THE BOY FROM INDIAN SOIL SUCCESSFULLY BAGS THE RICHEST MAN OF WORLD TITLE.”

“SAM SAXENA LAGS BEHIND GATES AND MUSK”

“SAM SAXENA - A STORY FROM RICHES TO RAGS AND THEN TO RICHES”

“INDIAN PRIDE ‘SAM’ HAS HONOURED THE NATION WITH DIAMOND CROWN”

I read the newspaper headings standing on the top floor of Burj Khalifa, one of the most expensive hotels in the world. With Black coffee in one hand newspaper in the other, I looked out of the window of its lavish royal suite. People from across the world were hovering on the street below. The cosy winter morning must have aroused in some the thought of getting a day off or sleeping a bit more. Unwilling and reluctant workers must have thought at least once about their family’s survival, back in their homeland and the idea of sleeping a bit more must have vanished from their minds. Then they must have readied themselves for work in no time. However, the pace of the street seemed somewhat slower than the usual noon, the peak hour of the day when the pace got jet fast. I know this because I have avidly watched it during my last three days of staying here.

‘Life seems quite meaningless’ is what I think of. I wonder at the strangeness of life. A man who has just been privileged enough to receive such an honorary title that perhaps is the dream of the rest of the world who did not receive it thinks that life is meaningless. I have everything that money can buy. I am standing almost at the apex of the worlds most expensive hotel which is a prerogative of the rich. I own a heavily costed Porshe Panamera to shuttle me between my opulent bungalows and extravagant offices. I also have a lavish private jet to cater to my overseas journeys. That means I have everything that money can buy and I am living a life in the lap of luxury. Presently my stay is in a city whose lifestyle depicts that money can buy happiness. Still, this incongruous thought ‘life is meaningless’ hunts me from time to time.

The same thought had chased me earlier too. When I went bankrupt in my late twenties. A serious business failure, my lavish lifestyle that had turned me a spendthrift in the early success years, inevitable pandemic, or a combination of all the above must be the main reason that had dragged me down from riches to rags. My bank accounts witnessed a steep drop. My properties and offices were sealed by the government as I could not repay the hefty business loans. 

My grandeur world was shattered before my eyes. I did not even have money to feed myself. I was vexed and frustrated by calls from local money lenders. I lost my appetite and interest in food. There was no one I could ask for help. Ultimately I turned stoic toward emotions and life seemed meaningless. 

Receiving negligible support from my own family taught me the greatest lessons of life. Denial of even a single penny from my dear ones taught me the value of money. It taught me that my status was directly proportional to the numerical value displayed in my bank account. It taught me that my bank balance was my score in the game of life and I have miserably lost the game.

Days went and months passed by. I locked myself into a room. I kept on thinking about ways to flourish my business once again. I tried my hands at many other works but failed. I also prayed and sought God’s help. I was darn hungry and I worked. I was thirsty and I worked. I was sleepless and I worked. I sobbed and I worked. I was exhausted and I worked. I was frustrated and I worked. i cried and I worked. I worked, worked and worked.

Locking into a room and blocking myself from the world was quite analogous to the winter sleep or hibernation that many animals do. My extreme richness has raised my standards of living. Now that I was bankrupt, I was unable to cope with the surrounding environment. Just like hibernating animals slow their metabolic functions so did I cut back on my expenses. The animals cope with the extreme cold during this period and I coped with my extreme poverty. During this time the animals go to deep sleep so did my emotions go to deep slumber while I was hibernating for success.

Something miraculous and magical happened that day. My hard works and prayers were answered. The clouds of sadness were removed from above my head. Drizzles of joys were showered upon me. I succeeded in my attempt of getting my tender finalized after submitting it a hundred times and receiving slaps of rejection.

The tender acceptance invited springtime for me and I woke from my success hibernation. Tender though a small one was my ignition step towards my success journey. Then I worked harder and harder and laser-focused on my business. I abstained from repeating past mistakes. I learnt the art of living below my means. I honed the skills of making profitable business investments rather than making wasteful dead investments. Then came a time when my bank accounts once again witness a steep numerical hike. 

All the credits behind fetching my name for today’s headlines and making me talk of the town goes to my hibernation period. I sincerely raise a toast for it. But life is still meaningless. Meaningless because of its monotonous set rule of earning and feeding oneself. But there is a lot of difference in the meaning of previous meaningless and this meaningless. Earlier meaningless defined shame, sadness, poverty, frustration, agitation, stress, anxiety, pressure, worry, twitchiness and apprehensions. All these features urged me to lose my hopes of living. But this meaningless has luxury, comfort, success, recognition, honour, respect, status, freedom of worrying about money and survival. And all these features hike my passion for living.

GULNAAZ SAIF

WWW.GULNAAZSAIF.COM