Harsha Bhogle on Luck

When we were all hoping to get into an IIM (Management University) straight after engineering college, or while you are in engineering college I got an interview letter from IIM Bangalore You know how it is the words spreads!! , he got call letter from IIM! You all gone through that!! and on a campus you know who's got a call letter and who hasn't and after a while everyone started to getting call letters from IIM Calcutta and I didn't So I just sitting out dinner with my father and I saying you know it's funny there's a very high correlation between people getting IIM Bangalore call letters than IIM Calcutta call letters. among I'm the only guy who sort of you know wasn't I done something really stupid I'm the only guy who sort of... the odd man out!! And he said you know maybe the letter hasn't reached I said yaa.. you know, fathers are fantastic and mothers are even better And he said, let me do one thing I know where the interviews are held Let me ask them if your name is in it Ok, they held the administrative staff college in the Hyderabad So he called the librarian that he knew over there So he called him up and he said ok when the professors from the IIM Calcutta come I'll ask them if his name is there and he called that night and said, ya his name is there. I never got the letter And then it went on... All my friends got reject letters from IIM Ahmadabad. And I got nothing At least I must get reject letter you know "It's no good being a dog lying in the street if no one notices you" And I didn't get a reject letter from IIM Ahmadabad I got no letter at all No letter at all from IIM Ahmadabad And I told my father, you know... I got no letter from IIM Ahmadabad. Everyone got rejects Some people have got interview calls, some people have got rejects I've got nothing. He said, maybe you didn't get the letter I said, Yaaa... I told my father this in a brave moment I said lightning always hits the same place He said, what is the worst thing that will happen to you You call up the hotel where the professors are staying Ask them if your name is in the interview list He said they are not cruel as to *** the phone down in you The worst thing that will happen is just they'll say sorry that your name is not in it. name is not in it... So I called up, I discovered from somewhere that they were staying at a hotel Just after "Avids" And I called up and I said ,can I speak to a professor from IIM Ahmadabad And I only did it, believe me because I was petrified of my dad A Professor picked up the phone. He said how can I help you And I said, Sir this is what it is I'm actually feeling quite embarrassed to call you, but I know lightning won't strike twice But, this is what happened with me Just wondering if my name was there, may be the postman like my letter very much and kept it...!! I mean I didn't used those words I was not brave enough, but one of the things you learn at the media is never let the truth coming the way of a good story But I spoke along those lines And he said, Ok, I can't open the list because it's sealed. Can only be open in the presence of all the other professors But I tell you... What are you doing I said I'm final year engineering sir I'm going through my final exams You know my mind is more on this than my exams.. whatever!!! And he said when is your exams on? And I said, day after He called me that night Took down my telephone number and called me that night and he said your name is in the interview list And he said, but you told me your interview schedule for day after tomorrow. But you told me you have exam day after tomorrow So I reschedule it for tomorrow Is that luck? Did i mad my luck by calling If I sat back I wouldn't have known So think about that, was that luck? Or did I make my luck I don't know There is one thing I want to throw to all of you Does Excellence require luck? It's something I debated myself a great deal. Does excellence require luck? But it's interesting to solve the debate about luck What really is luck? My feeling is That luck is combination of preparation and recognition. It's preparation and recognition. Are you willing to slog your backside off and no one is watching If you going to slog backside and no one is watching when that opportunity comes, you are ready for it? Also, which is even more important you recognize the opportunity before it comes Why a football striker is so great? I mean if you watch football matches You see this mid fielders running up and down. You watch defenders the wings going charging up then trying to center the ball in. They've got run all the way back to defend. What are the strikers doing? So what's the big deal about being a striker? Why is one striker better than the other Why do some strikers get into better positions than others It's because they recognize an opportunity before it comes. and because they've recognize the opportunity they find themselves in a right position They are not lucky. "Renaldo" was not lucky he just happened to be in the right position and it's happened to be the right position because he knew what the right position was. and that comes, from a combination of a preparation and recognition one of my favorite saying is "Harder I practice the luckier I get" And it's true. The Harder you practice, the luckier you get. And "Lance Armstrong" who just won his seven straight "Tour de France" You must read "Lance Armstrong's" books. Little mushy, little sugary.. If you like Hindi movies, you'll love "Lance Armstrong's" books. He said, I don't win the "Tour de France" on the 24th of July He said I win the "Tour de France" when I'm riding in the mountains when no one else wants to I go out in the winter and I ride in those mountains when nobody else wants to. That is when I win the "Tour de France" I don't win it on the 24th. That's taken for granted. But I win it when no one else is racing. And that is something that stay with me a lot. Are we willing to work and so in the opportunity comes we can take it. So that is my view on luck. When opportunity knocks in the door, use it.