Khattackkkkkkkk!! A loud slap landed on my surprised back.
I shouted, “Maa, whats wrong with you? It hurts!”
With equal irritation she replied, “What is wrong with you? Why are you wasting so much food?”
She pointed at the leftover cabbage, chilies and some cardamoms I had kept at the side of my plate.
“Its waste” I said. “Who eats that”.
This time with a patient tone she replied, “Son, food is precious. The food you called waste is completely edible, you just need to change your taste to ensure that you complete your food in the plate.”
To drive her point she told me the story of her workplace Vedanta Limited in Goa.
“Earlier we used to reject high alumina ore for producing sinter because just like you said about stuff you left in your plate, no one was using it. It created problem in our process and affected quality of our product. But then, we decided to change ourselves. Iron ore is a natural resource and precious. We should use it in a sustainable quantity utilizing first fully the excavated ores. Therefore, we decided to adapt and innovate. We analysed our process, reviewed our customer quality requirements, we brainstormed, we changed the way we operate our machines process thus not only fully utilizing the high aluminia ore but also producing top quality product from something which was considered ‘bad’ till now.”
I was impressed. I decided to finish the food I had left.
Mom said, “ Son, remember, nothing given by nature is waste. It is for us to find the right process and means to fully utilize it”.
Lessons Learned
- Even if the situation seems dire - we will find a solution
- No idea is as bad as we think it is. It is just in need of some adaptations and changes
- Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you can do better next time?
- Turn your failure into a lesson
- Turn your weakness into a strength