Let me tell you a story from a few days back.

It was late evening when I was riding back to my place after a good delightful eve spent with a fellow copywriter friend.

I was super pumped and high on adrenaline.

It had recently rained. The roads were flowing with water and the traffic was screaming at its lungs. The sky was grey with clouds ready to fall once again.

And, guess what!

We’re almost hit by an Auto Rickshaw - a Three wheeler vehicle used for a taxi in our country - he’s driving way over the speed limit. 

He’s not just threatened to almost hit me, there’s another old-aged uncle who was about to fall. He’s all panicky too.

Something just doesn’t feel right.

I’m furious. I race my bike faster to sneak peek at the guy and maybe give him a raged look that scares the shit out of him.

He’s out of control, this driver, he’s going faster.

I somehow peek in and see a woman. 

She isn’t scared. She doesn’t look scared. I feel a slight relief to see she isn’t in any trouble at least - in a country like ours, you have to look out for the safety of women around - And, we part our ways. 

Normally what would happen with me in such incidents is rage. And, my mood would be ruined. It would make me feel like someone snatched my phone broke its glass and disappeared into the thin air. I would feel the evening is dead.

But…

Here're two things I realized…

One.

The problem doesn’t have to do anything with me. It is the driver's problem. He’s the one breaking the rules. Me getting furious at him and ruining my evening would be a stupid move.

We don’t realize it often but when we’re on our path to success and focused on our journey… There are times when people might create obstacles, talk negative shit or do something that interferes with our amazing emotional states. 

The key is to stay focused on our path and protect our mood and emotional state.

Two.

You never know what position the person hurting you is coming from.

Maybe the auto-rickshaw driver was taking the woman to a hospital. Maybe they were a couple rushing towards their kids who called them about an emergency. Maybe her father was going through a heart attack.

Who knows. 

You’ve no idea what place someone is coming from.

Till next time,
Noman Shaikh.