Five Lessons Learnt ( cut to life):

Lesson 1: Never let yourself be influenced by the wrong forces.
Context: I was a bright student in school. I was seated next to a talkative girl to set a good example for her. Instead of me influencing her for the better, she influenced me for the worse. I started talking in class. Slowly my grades started slipping. Seeing my grades, my Math teacher commented “Don't be like the axe that cut the sandal wood tree, but be like the sandal wood which spreads its perfume to the axe that cut it raw”. That was the last time I found myself talking in class.

Lesson 2: Be reasonable.
Context: I wanted an expensive pair of boots. My mom refused to buy me one because I had three pairs of shoes that were lying unattended. She reminded me of what my teacher said in Class IX “A man complained that he did not have a neat pair of shoes, until he saw a person with no legs”.

Lesson3: Being confident helps.
Context: My DBMS professor questioned me on Fuzzy logic. I felt the earth beneath me being ripped part. A lot of people who had their viva before mine, didn't score too well. I rattled everything that I knew about fuzzy logic in five minutes with a lot of confidence. Deep down I knew that I would score a big zero because I had no answer to his question. At the end of the session, my professor said “ Lady, you did not convince me, but you certainly have me confused. I give you marks for your confidence”. I passed out the paper with flying colors.

Lesson 4: Never waste food.
Context: I threw a plate full of food into the bin at a house warming ceremony. A construction workers daughter, immediately picked my plate from the bin and started eating from it. I couldn't believe my eyes. My soul stirred. I don't waste food anymore.

Lesson 5: Accept a compliment gracefully.
On being complimented for a speech that I made at the Sunday school, I said “Oh! I don't think I did a good job”. To which my Sunday school teacher replied “ Learn to accept a compliment gracefully, say 'Thank You' if you must, but don't doubt the other persons judgement. Besides, in accepting compliments, the person is actually complimenting your creator”. Point taken.