“If Warren Buffett wasn’t as wealthy, would we take his advice on getting wealthy seriously?” Jigneshbhai asked us while sipping his coffee the other day.
Swami wasn’t eating or drinking anything as he was on a fast as advised by his fitness trainer. So he answered in a flash.
“Maybe, but I am not sure,” he replied.
“We would definitely not take his advice on philanthropy seriously, if he hadn’t pledged to donate so much,” Jigneshbhai added.
“Well, if I had so much money, I would also donate after ensuring I have enough,” Swami said in a huff. “Even then, his case is different. He can afford to,” he added.
“Maybe. If I advised you on fitness, would you take me seriously?” Jigneshbhai then added.
Swami and I broke into a smile. “I take your advice very seriously, but fitness..?” he asked. I tended to agree with him.
“And if Deja advised you on investing?”
Jigneshbhai was on a roll. I didn’t understand why he was bent on all combinations of people and advice, especially in areas in diametrically opposite areas of their interest or expertise. Though Deja was a spiritual guru, taking his advice on investing may be taking things too far, I thought. Deja gave a slight bark from the adjoining table.
Swami looked at him and then said, “Deja is my guru. He can advise me on anything.” I could see Deja wagging his tail.
But still, come on, we shouldn’t take things too far, I felt.
Even if people were sincere and knowledgeable, having real experience in any area, counts for something, I guess, when it comes to the credibility of their advice. There is nothing like taking advice from someone who has been there and done that.
Jigneshbhai continued unabated though.
“If all this is so logical, why do we fall for the advice of people who aren’t the right people to give us the answers to our questions?” he probed.
Swami was intrigued by that question.
“Like?” he asked.
“Wealthy people rely on relationship managers on managing their money when those managers have never seen that kind of money,” he said.
“And pious people depend on gurus who have exorbitant charges for an appointment or training, so that they can learn spirituality and how to rise above worldly things,” he added.
“And entrepreneurs learn from coaches who have never run a business. And people wanting to exercise learn from youtubers and instagrammers on fitness. And…,”
“Yes, OK got it, got it, true,” Swami interrupted Jigneshbhai. “But what’s wrong with that? Some people seem to have the right answers,” he added.
“Well, lots of people, to meet their own interests, have the answers, right or wrong. So we get happy with their expertise and look for people with the answers,” Jigneshbhai answered.
Swami and I thought, well, that’s what we wanted, right? People who have the answers. So we go to them and get them. And we pay them for it. Sounded logical to me. But maybe we were missing something. While I mused over it, Swami asked Jigneshbhai exactly the same.
“Well, that’s what we wanted. The answers to our questions. Why not take them from people who have them, for a fee?” Swami asked what seemed like a logical question.
Jigneshbhai sipped his coffee and slowly munched his muffin. We knew something was cooking.
“Well, we can look for people with the answers. But it is better to look for people who are the answers,” he said.
“People who are the answers?” Swami scratched his head, and a frown made its presence felt on his forehead.
“Yeah. People who are the answers owing to their own experiences and past actions. They won’t go around giving answers. What they do or how they live is the answer. They are the answer,” Jigneshbhai elaborated what seemed like something deep.
Swami and I pondered over what he had said. The muffin, I must say, was easier to digest. But we still tried to digest what he had said too.
Jigneshbhai understood our predicament. He tried to get us out of our misery.
“Would you want to learn how to reach financial freedom from someone who has done it, or from someone who sells you advice for a fee on how to get there, while he himself is far from it?” he asked.
It was a no-brainer. “The first one,” Swami said, without blinking an eyelid.
“Would you want to learn about getting fit from someone who is fit and follows such a lifestyle, or someone who runs a gym and peddles packages?” Jigneshbhai asked.
“The first, once again,” Swami said, again in a flash.
“Would you want to learn business from someone who has run a few of them himself, or from a coach who sells consulting on how to run them?” Jigneshbhai asked.
“Again the first one,” Swami replied with a grin.
This seemed like a multiple-choice question test with option one always being right.
That’s when the wealthy old man walked towards us from the adjoining table. He came closer to Swami and me and took a chair. His advice was always welcome as he had real experience in a number of areas, though he spoke little.
“If you find a person who is the answer, whose life is the answer, then latch on to such a person,” he murmured softly.
That was the longest sentence I had heard from him for a long time. But he wasn’t done.
“Don’t look for people with the answers. Look for people who are the answers,” he added.
That’s when we heard a slight bark from Deja who had been attentively listening. Swami looked at Deja and said, “Or else you look for Deja.”
All of us broke into a loud laugh while Deja wagged his tail.
***