MS Dhoni’s arrival on India’s cricketing scene and his consequent rise has been unprecedented. From a ticket collector in Ranchi to becoming India’s most attacking right-handed batsman-cum-keeper to captain of the Indian cricket team, he’s tasted success for just one reason: he loves cricket passionately.
Follow your dream
Dhoni is a cricketer at heart but winds up being a ticket collector at Kharagpur station. He knows ki “na toh hamara game improve ho raha hai, na aage ka koi opportunity mil raha hai”. Unwilling to choke in the initial overs, he takes a stand and tells his father that he can’t afford to stick around simply for job security. “Kharagpur ke job security me phas gaye toh aage kuch nai kar payenge,” he tells his dad. Exit TC Dhoni, enter Team India player MS Dhoni.
Clearly, it’s important to take that first leap of faith, that one step that veers you off the course everyone thinks you should follow and on to the path that you know you should take.
Look at the bigger picture
When faced with the prospect of playing with players who aren’t performing, Dhoni steps back and says that the three players in question no longer fit into the ODI format. “Yeh teeno ab ODI team me fit nahi baith rahe,” he tells the shocked selectors on a con call. The unhappy selectors bemoan that he’s trying to oust the very person who’s promoting him, but Dhoni has a response. “We’re all servants here and we’re all doing national duty,” he says. There’s nothing more important than playing for the team, and as a team.
Be sure of yourself
If you have the talent, the skill set and you love what you do, there’s no reason to doubt yourself. Walking out onto the pitch ahead of a match before he makes it to Team India, he tells his incredulous partner, “Strike hum lenge. Tum run out mat karva dena bas.” And Mahi goes on to score runs by the dozen.
You are sure to be taken more seriously at the workplace if your words and actions are backed by conviction. However, it’s imperative that you don’t cross the fine line that demarcates confidence and arrogance. Dhoni does this just right – he’s aggressive without being arrogant, successful without being supercilious.
Focus on what’s important to you
Once you know what you love, it’s important to keep the focus. His father may have been after him to pursue studies, asking “tumhara padhai-likhai kaisa chal raha hai”, but Mahi remains more focused on Office League cricket. When his father persists, asking whether or not he’ll be taking his tests, Mahi promises off-handedly “paas jitna layak ho jayega”. Exam paper done with, he rushes to the venue to play a match and turns it around.
When you #LoveWhatYouDo, reserve the focus and energy for things that are critical.
Keep working towards your goal
His mother knows him well. “Hamara mann kehta hai yeh thode se me khush hone wala nahi hai,” she tells his father. So even amid his many other roles, Mahi finds time to focus on practice and keep fine-tuning his skills. “Duty ke baad roz practice, jitna duty utna practice” is his mantra. He makes it to the Indian cricket team, ends up becoming skipper and steers India to a famous World Cup win.
Find your passion #LoveWhatYouDo, Be a Winner!
If you don’t #LoveWhatYouDo. Find a job that you’ll love here
