Sep 22, 2009

Rewards, Returns & Efforts




One typical characteristic that I've found in many people is that they attach too much importance to the end result / return that their efforts might bring in..In Corp Fin terms, these people would do a certain action only if they are sure that the NPV of this action is > 0 ... The problem with this category of people is that if by any chance , the results don't materialize, they become very desparate... " Yaar.. we did so much..and we did not get anything in the end" ..

There are lot of advantages to this philosophy..These people tend to focus so much on ultimate results so that more often than not, they are likely to get it.. In the process, some do adopt not-so-fair means....But thats a different ethical question..

I was like this for quite long...Even now, I'm not totally immune to this way of thinking... And disappointments or failures really made me desparate & sad.. For the last couple of years, I've been following a diff approach... I don't attach too much importance to results...But I make sure that the efforts are put in a professional manner... i.e, once i've decided that I do something, I'll do it professionally... to the best of my abilities...

The end result of anything is a function of your efforts and a random variable..If the random variable takes away the results in an opposite direction, you certainly don't deserve to be sad.. Or in other words, I subscribe to a school of thought... It is not the 'end result' that matters the most..Its the path that matters the most... You do your job to the best of your abilities...Results, don't bother too much about that..

6 comments:

Vinitha Vasanth said...

Nice post ...
Thank you ... :)

Kandarp said...

Did you know that this is exactly the philosophy expounded in the Bhagavad Gita ? :)

Ajith Prasad Balakrishnan said...

@Vinitha - :) thank you..

@Kandy - Githa says the opposite rt ? Krishna saying to Arjuna -- Its not the path that matters.. Lakshya is supreme ? .. Or is it the other way :) ..Not that well read in Puranas :)

Paro said...

easily said, but tuf not to be disappointed at times!but me too try that most o d time... :)

Deepak said...

I cannot agree with you at all in this matter. While ethics is important, your goal is always of more importance than the path you take. Because there is no path without a destination.

Of course there is this random variable. But not caring about the destination is not the answer to the desperation you are talking about.

@Kandy: It is the other way around in Bhagavad Gita.

Anonymous said...

The Gita says Karmanye vaadhikaraste maa phaleshu kadachana. Do your duty. Do not think about the end result.