Success vs. Joy
- XLVI -
No Distractions
I like to pay full attention to what I am doing at any given moment. There are bound to be interruptions, the telephone will ring and so on. But if I endeavor to give my best, I try to not allow others to distract me. If my wife Kiran calls while I am in a meeting, I simply tell her that I will call her back. If I start talking to her, I would be rude and unfair to those present at the meeting, because my concentration would be interrupted.
While I was playing in the Sydney world championship in 2002, I received a telephone call from my wife that my father had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and had been placed on a respirator. I asked my wife whether I should return to India immediately but she told me I should continue to play in the tournament and come back only after the event was over.
By my yardsticks, I played brilliantly during the tournament even though I eventually lost in the final to Mike Russell. I was able to concentrate on my game despite the unexpected and unwelcome news about my father.