Wilton High School

Wilton High School was to start on the 27th and the new joiners orientation was on the 24th. Which meant that Reia and I had just 4 days to complete the formalities to get into school. And we were not sure it would get done.

On Monday we visited the school, and submitted all the papers. They were checked and found in order. The only thing they now wanted was the Medical. We were thrilled and expected the Medical to be easy. And that's when we found out how wrong we were. The first few clinics we checked with were booked right through to mid September. And we wanted it done right away. Finally Frank's doc came through and made an appointment for the same afternoon, Monday.

We went for the medicals and they were very efficient. They completed everything, but there was a twist in the tale. The gave her a test for TB. The Mantoux test. And you need to wait 2 days for the results. They would be available only on Wednesday afternoon. This was cutting it close. We had to get the tests submitted, get admission papers submitted, get approved, meet with a counselor, get classes assigned, all by Thursday. Not happening, we thought.

Anyways, Wednesday afternoon, we headed for the doctors office. Fortunately all of the tests and results were fine. It was just 1.30. We decided to take a chance and see if we could submit the papers at school. Luckily they were there. And kind enough to entertain us. The nurse went through everything and found that 2 vaccinations were missing. Oh No.So we find a local clinic. Luckily they carried both the vaccines.

By the time we finished, it was 4.30. The school closed at 3.30. We decided to take a chance. And went back. Although the nurse had left, the Registrar was kind enough to accept the papers and would upload it into the system the next day. And the counselor would get in touch. They were busy. And would most likley get in touch next week. But they would see what they could do.

We had our fingers crossed. And luckily, Thursday afternoon the counselor calls. The admission process is complete. Can we see her that evening, so that Reia's schedule could be finalized. Of course we would meet her. So we rush to the school, meet the counselor who's working late. She is very good and completes assigning her classes and she's all set for the orientation.

Reia attends orientation on Thursday and is now all set for school starting Monday. When we arrived, we knew it would be a challenge to get her into school on time. It was a challenge, but it happened. Thanks to all of the wonderful people at Wilton High School and Franks doctor.

With an auspicious start, I'm sure she's going to have an enjoyable schooling at Wilton High School. All the best Reia !

New Beginning

I arrived in the US a couple of days ago. I've been transferred to the US Office and so am likely to be here for the next 2 to 3 years.

 

During the journey I flew Air India, and had quite a few things to say. Mostly not too nice. And had decided that this blog would be about all the things wrong at Air India. And then I thought about it. There were several things wrong with the world. And with me. Maybe this time, I should forget all of that.

I also had a lot of opinions about people. Friends, Colleagues, Associates. On several occasions I felt that the manner in which people had behaved was unfair, mean, back stabbed, betrayed, ... And this affected the way I interacted with them.

Now that I'm starting a new innings, maybe its time I wiped the score board clean. And have a new beginning. Starting now, the only memories I carry forward are those that are nice, positive and memorable. Everything else is history.

Its a NEW BEGINNING.

Commitment

Something that everyone talks about. very few practice. So like most, I too considered myself an expert on commitment. Until I was asked to write an article on it. And that was the first hurdle. I said "Yes", because I didn't know how to say "No". Later I was wondering whether I had to write, and had a list of reasons it made no sense, starting with, "I don't write very well", to "They don't really expect an article from me", to "There's too little time to write something meaningful", ...

And that's when the irony of the situation hit me. Here I was trying to wriggle out of a commitment to write about commitment. And if I believed that its important, the best way to do it would be to pen this article. I thought about writing about what is commitment and why its important and stuff like that, until I reialized that all of you already know all of this. So what is it that I can say that might add value to you.

And then it hit me. A wise man called Einstein once said,  “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” And what better way than to have a list of simple but practical rules, which I've called the "10 Commitments".

1. To commit is human. To break it is even more human.
2. Don't say Yes, when you mean No.
3. Intentions have no value, until executed.
4. Evaluate realistically before committing.
5. Don't procrastinate. Its the no. 1 commitment killer.
6. Commitments can be expensive. Check affordability.
7. Under Commit. Over Deliver.
8. Say what you mean. Mean what you say.
9. Keep your promises.
10. The difference between good and great is commitment.

The question that begs to be asked is why on earth should we be concerned about commitment. What difference does it make if we don't always do what we were expected to. And the answer is pretty simple. Whilst there are obvious moral and ethical reasons to keep your word, in today's world the primary reason remains the bottom-line. And no matter what field of work you are, if you are able to create a perception of "... keeps commitments", the rewards in terms of delighted stakeholders is immeasurable.

And if you agree with the above, you should make a commitment right here, right now, to keep your commitments and you can start by sending me a mail with your feedback and thoughts. Now !

Procrastination

I'll be writing this blog soon. Really soon.