“Opportunity has never knocked on my door, Swami,” an entrepreneur said to me the other day. “I read somewhere,” I replied, “that if opportunity doesn’t knock, create a door.” “Well, that hasn’t worked in my case. Indeed, anything guised as opportunity has only blown away my door and knocked me down.” I meet brilliant people all the time who could do a lot more in their life. But, they are stuck, they feel. Life hasn’t been fair to them or they are waiting for the right opportunity, they tell me. Such conversations at times remind me of Prof. Sharma (my English teacher), who would always say that good people don’t sit and wait for opportunities, they create them. “No matter at what stage of life you are at, if you are up for it, you can do it,” he would contend and tell me this story. A man built a fortune manufacturing and selling combs. When he had been growing up, combs were made of wood and ivory and couldn’t be mass produced. He figured that not only plastic combs could be made at a fraction of the cost, but they would also last longer. As he grew old, he decided to hand the reins of his business to his most capable child. So, he called them — two sons and a daughter — and assigned a task. “There’s a Buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya,” he said. “It has hundreds of monks. Get me a wholesale order from that monastery.” “But, Dad!” the elder son retorted, “monks are bald. What use do they have for a comb?” “That’s for you to find out,” the father said, giving them a fortnight. “Whoever gets me the biggest order will head my company.” Two weeks later, they got together to report on their progress. “I told you,” the eldest son said, “it would be a waste of time. They mocked me for asking them to buy combs. I gifted one to the head monk and he used it to scratch his back. What an embarrassment!” “It wasn’t so bad,” the other son spoke. “I managed to sell two hundred combs. I suggested they could keep one in each room of the monastery for their visitors. Many travel from far and wide and may have tangled or ruffled hair from long journeys.” “I sold 2000 combs, father,” the daughter said. “And now hearing that the head monk used one to scratch his back, I’m thinking there may be an opportunity for a new product.” “2000! How?” they asked in unison. “More than 50,000 pilgrims visit that monastery every year!” “So?” “I told them that to emboss Buddha’s image in the middle of the comb and print the four noble truths on one side and the eight moral precepts on the other. That, they could offer it to each one of their visitors who would be reminded of it on a daily basis.” “That’s incredible!” her father said. “Plus, I found a rich merchant to sponsor 50,000 combs annually with his logo on them. So, people will associate goodness and morality with his company.” “And the abbot approved of this?” “In fact,” she replied excitedly, “he said the merchant would spiritually merit from this kind act.” People who create opportunities approach things differently. Really, it’s that simple. If you say, I can’t do it, you are right already. But, if you ask, how can I do it, at least your mind will shift from denial to a thinking mode. And, all is possible when human mind begins to pursue a line of thought. Our material and spiritual progress, discoveries in science and deep philosophical truths vouch for that beyond any doubt. In some way, people who succeed at anything in life are not usually sane. I say this appreciatively. There are four insanities they live and breathe. I call it the EPIC model. Insanely Enthusiastic The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, meaning inspiration or possession by a god. For the first many centuries, it was used exclusively to refer to one’s religious fervor or a state as if one was possessed by the Holy Spirit. Even though, we use enthusiasm today to denote passion or eagerness in anything, I’m alluding to a broader meaning and that is love. When you are enthusiastic about something, you are not just keen and eager, you are in love with it too. You find yourself thinking, talking, dreaming, contemplating about it all the time. Next time, watch any successful person talk about their cause, product or offering, and if you observe carefully, you will discover their eyes light up, their smile widens, body language changes and their whole persona gets flushed with positivity and inspiration. Consider yourself very lucky if you are insanely enthusiastic about something in life; …