For more than 40 years, my father has been running his business from his shop in a posh area in our hometown of Kota.
In these 4 decades, he has seen tumult of every kind:
- one younger brother and two nephews parting out and starting a shop of their own
- accusations from neighbouring shops (remember the price good people have to pay for being good?)
- the joys of renovating our old home
- being able to get my elder three sisters married
- creating a comfortable home for all of us, and a comfortable life for themselves
However, the sad part is, for a huge part of his life he was in debt.
Whether it is to keep the working capital alive or to sponsor my sisters’ marriage or other responsibilities I am not aware of, he lived in a financial burden.
Only early in 2022 did we sell our old home, and use the proceeds to pay off the loan of our new home, so he could no longer be thrust under the burden of loan.
However, now he has a looming fear of being asked to vacate his rented shop by his landlord.
Because of this, at the age of 70, he is planning to take a loan and buy another shop.
I understand his need for security. Very much.
I am also glad he won’t get a loan at this age. I do not want him to suffer financially.
But more than anything else, it was a reflection of him “preparing for a probable failure before the failure even arose!”
Now, I can’t ask my parents to change their decades old mentality. I can only give them love blessings from afar.
However, it made me reflect on my own life:
Where in my life I am preparing for a probable failure before it has arisen?
Instead, what can I do today to make myself failure free, if it does arise?
How are my masks keeping me from working on something only I can do, so that I am creating my infinite success right now?
We may use the possible missteps by others to confine them. Or we may use them to bless them (especially when confinement doesn’t work as a lifestyle), and use them as questions to reflect within.
