One common trait that I have observed in many successful people is “They are not stopped by what others may think of them” and incidentally this is the biggest block for most people in doing what they really want to do.
Let me share a very recent experience. Whilst at Bangalore to attend a training program, I got a few calls from the same number. I had recently changed my instrument from a blackberry to Sharp Flaunt and hadn’t updated my address book. Hence I could not recognize the number. (That we have been rendered totally hapless in the wake of our phone not working is a different matter altogether and deserves a separate post).
During the break I returned the call but this time the other person did not answer it. This went on for a couple of sessions and finally we spoke. The caller is a friend and a very successful businessman. We couldn’t talk then but agreed on a time to speak the next day.
He then called at the appointed hour and wanted to know the details of the owner of a property near my residence. I was totally clueless about it and shared the same with him. He then asked me if it would be possible to find out and I expressed my regrets. That was the end of the call.
This friend has enormous contacts in different fields but still thought I might be able to help him. If he had been swayed by the question “What will Badri think of me if I ask him?”, he would not have made the required efforts and that included a few calls over the period of two days.
Most of us, in his position, would not even take the step because we will be stopped by what the other person may think. It is not even about what he will think but what he may think. And if by chance, we go beyond it and make the call and find that call unanswered, we will be stopped forever. Worse, we will reinforce our earlier impression of the person as someone who is unhelpful and run the rest of our lives in that manner.
So long as we know that we are not intending any harm to the other person, it does not really matter what he thinks or may think!! Let’s go ahead and do what is required.
Strands of thought 
N Ramesh said,
July 27, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Dear Badri,
What is the moral of this Story or this Blog Post as I am not able to figure it out clearly ?
Normally you are person who will take efforts to write clearly, but this time it has not happened ?
In any case I am glad to know from this post of yours that you have given up your Black Berry !
May this decision cum action of your result in you uncovering your hidden potential and worth !
Thus spake N Ra
badrirag said,
July 28, 2012 at 3:05 am
Dear Ramesh,
Moral of this share is “Don’t be stopped in doing what you want to do by wondering about what the other person may think”