In this humorous, personal Toastmasters speech the speaker narrates a series of anecdotes that illustrate his lifelong struggle with confusion and indecisiveness. He begins with a comedic sales mistake that cost him ₹1 lakh, recounts childhood memories, and describes how a misread sarcastic comment led him to pursue IIT engineering. After graduating, he faced a prolonged period of uncertainty about his career, weighing options such as an MBA, a corporate job, or joining the family business. A heartfelt letter from his father, containing three “truth bombs” about youthful ambition, mounting responsibilities, and the rapid passage of time, forces him to confront his paralysis. He ultimately decides to work in the family business while pursuing an MBA on weekends, learning that the antidote to confusion is not indecisiveness but decisive action and commitment. The speech concludes with a motivational call to the audience to make firm decisions rather than linger in doubt.
Chapters
Bhavesh bhai, I am selling you this at the best rate in the market. Trust me, this is the best rate just for you. ₹83. Confirm? Okay, done. Guys, have you ever closed a deal? Isn't it the most amazing feeling in the whole world? I went back to my computer and started writing my deal down. Sold at ₹83, bought at ₹91. It's my dad. Hello? Yeah, Dad, I sold the material, but I'm really sorry, I sold it at 83 instead of 93. I got confused between the numbers. Hello? Hello? I lost 1 lakh rupees. Have you ever lost money? Have you ever been confused? Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. I can't think things through in my life. I get confused way too easily, way too often. In fact, now that I think about it, I've pretty much been confused all my life. Growing up, I used to play a lot of cricket. Now every time I used to play cricket, I could smell the roasted potatoes that my mom used to make at my house, and I used to eagerly wait for it. And as soon as I smelt it, I left my bat and ball on the ground and used to run home, and only to find tindi being made. The potatoes were at my neighbor's. Now, growing up around this time, I also didn't have the best communication skills. I could not differentiate if someone was saying something to me sarcastically or was he genuine. So after I graduated from my 10th grade, I went and met an old cousin of mine. Now, he sat me down and he told me, "Dhanay, engineering is the only way to succeed in life." "Look at all the great CEOs in the world, they are all engineers and they are from IIT. If you want to succeed, go to IIT, you will get in." I confused his sarcasm for truth and I thought, "Perfect, I will study for IIT." After 2 years of preparing diligently, I actually ended up at IIT. Gujju IIT, DJ Sandeep. Now engineers might seem like the most confused bunch of people in the world. Right? Because every engineer pursues a field that is irrelevant to engineering after graduating. But let me tell you something. Engineers are actually the most unconfused bunch of people. They have maximum clarity. They know which lectures to attend? None of them. They know who is the most important person in college? The printing guy outside the college. They know what not to do in life? Engineering. The real confusion for engineers usually kicks in after they graduate. That's what happened to me. After graduating from college, I was utterly confused for months. I didn't know what to do. I had many good options in front of me— doing an MBA, going for a job, joining my family business. I stood right there as good opportunities went ahead, and I did not make a decision. I spent months at home just thinking about what I did. Now when my father saw all this, he went back to his old cupboard. He removed a bunch of papers and books and letters that he had written years ago. He removed a letter, brushed off the dust, and gave it to me. I read the letter, and I quote, "This is the letter I wished I received when I was young, but I didn't have a dad to give it to me." But I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did, so here are 3 truth bombs for you. Truth bomb number 1: The youthful hunger to change the world will die away and responsibilities will take its place. Your response? Truth bomb number 2: Your responsibilities will pile up far quicker than you can imagine. And truth bomb number 3: Life will zoom past from 25 to 40 before you even know. But when I read it, I was shocked. He thought I was 25. Now, after my dad gave me this lecture, this letter, I was sure that I couldn't end up with no decision. I went back to my room, opened my computer, and I stayed up all night trying to search everything I could. The best MBA degrees I could get into, the best, the different jobs I could get myself into, and the scope of my business, where I could lead it. After spending an entire night thinking about it, and with the 3 truth bombs in my mind, I finally made a decision. I decided, and I have done— I've been working in my family business for the last 9-10 months now, and I managed— I did not want to give up on my MBA dream, so I joined STOA. On the weekdays, I used to do— I used to work with my dad, and on the weekends, I did my MBA course. And I miss this place. What I learned from spending this time here is that the antidote to confusion is definitely not indecisiveness. The antidote to confusion is making a decision and then making it good. So many of us spend so much time thinking about our decision. When we are writing a speech, we get stuck on a line. If you are making a decision about a career, we stay in the same place for years. The only reason we don't do it is because we don't know how to manage confusion. And that's what I learned from this experience. The only way to solve confusion is to go through it, never settling for a bad answer. And that's exactly what happened the day I went home after losing ₹1 lakh. I went back and I told my dad, Dad, I'm sorry, I lost the money. He looked at me and said, "It's alright, we'll make it again. At least you made a decision this time." Make a decision, ladies and gentlemen. Indecisiveness is hurtful. Thank you so much.
