Learning, the iPod way...

Ever wondered about this ? - "Is what I want, actually what I need ?"

There might have been many instances in your life where you have had to choose between what your heart has longed for and what you actually needed to have, at that point in your life. I have had many such experiences in the past and the most recent one, a couple of weeks back. The occasion was my b'day and my close friends asked me what I would like to have as my b'day gift, as it was the usual practice followed for each one's b'day.

Though I'm by no means a music aficionado, listening to music is my favorite pastime. So, getting an mp3 player for me was on my mind for a long time.I was thinking of a Sony MiniDisc Player, but when my friend suggested I have a look at Apple's iPod, I changed my mind and decided to go with the iPod, as it had cool features. He also asked me to consider the option of getting a nice set of formal pant and shirt as I had just graduated at that time and was beginning to attend interviews. After pondering for a while, I decided to go with what I wanted, the iPod, though, what I actually needed was a nice formalwear for my interviews.

This incident made me realize two things. More often in your life, your best (read "close") friends are the ones who rightly know what you want/need at a given time. Here, my friends showed me what I really wanted (The iPod, not the Sony MD Player) and what I actually needed (formalwear). Which one you prefer finally(want or need), is of course, for you to decide. So, it would be better even if you have a very few "close" friends than having a lot of "friends". This is not to say that one should not have too many friends, but in addition to those, he/she has to have atleast a few "close" friends. Because, they are the ones who help you differentiate between what you want and what you need in life. In that way, I'm lucky enough to have quite a few of such guys.

Second - Having understood what I wanted and what I needed, I was left with the task of choosing one of those two. I am not sure if my choice, iPod, was a wise one. But, the logic behind my decision was - you should choose whatever that makes you feel happy. I'm not sure if I would have been happy, had I chosen the formalwear option. It cannot be said that I didn't consider my friends' suggestion. In fact, they were of the view that, whatever my choice was, in the end, I should be happy with what I chose. They helped me identify my preferences and I chose the one that would make me happy. After all, that's what your folks want you to be...HAPPY.