It's an old story; but I have to do this. I had sent an email to someone, who I thought I had admired, but it turned out I did not, in November of that year. The response was immediate on the next day. Happily I wrote on the same day mentioning how I admired his approach to investing, and noted my plans of leaving the job and starting investing as a career choice. I asked a few questions and sought some clarifications.
Fourteen days later (yeah, I did not note the signs) I get a response saying that he was quite busy at that moment to guide me individually, but was happy to answer my questions in January next year. He also graciously extended his offer to meet him in his city if I wished to. I mentally noted that I had not sought individual guidance as he perceived it, but had only sought some clarifications on his approach to investing and my journey as such. Anyways that was that.
As was my wont, I promptly replied on the same day. I mentioned that I would be happy to meet him, and also that I would be happy to call him in January as he preferred. I also sought some information on reaching his city since I was working elsewhere.
Four months later (yeah, I should have noted the signs this time) in March I get an apology (I give it to him for that) for the late reply and asking me to call him the next day at his number that he supplied.
A week later it was my turn to apologize as I was tied up with work and could not check mails. I sought another date and time for the call. Five days later I wrote again to tell him that I would be out of station and would not be in a position to check mails for a week. A week later I promptly wrote again asking him to give a date and time convenient to him. Eight days later in April I again wrote to him. A week thereafter I wrote again.
Finally the next day of my previous mail I get a response (effectively a month's delay, and no apology this time) asking me to call him the same day. I said fine as it was my problem, not his.
The fun and games began on the call that I placed in April. I mentioned about my plans to leave the job and start investing as a career choice managing my own money. The conversation was so embarrassing that there was no time to ask questions and seek clarifications I had noted in my first email. He vaguely said something. Then he said that I was a professional and how I could talk about specific stocks. I mentally noted how the heck he thought that I was seeking stock advice. Was he out of his mind, I mean, was his mind somewhere else? Was it lack of interest? There wasn't mention of a single specific stock. I neither give, nor seek stock advice. It was my turn, obviously only in my thoughts, to note that he also was a professional and I did not expect such a sloppy response from him. Then I had to close the call as he appeared to be in a hurry. Man...Neither any of the questions I had in my mind were asked, nor any of the clarifications were sought. It was one such waste of time.
All my working life I was with the biggest of consulting firms in the world. I met strangers often both in life and profession. If there was a call, there would be a response. If there was a mail, there was a reply. Nothing great about it; every professional did this. More importantly, if there was no interest in communication, there was an apology to that effect. No stretching, dragging, and crap. That's professionalism both in life and work.
Yet I wrote to him on the same day thanking him for his time. I also thanked him for the encouragement although there wasn't any. I mentioned that I would write to him in August as he had preferred regarding meeting him in his city. In fact, as I had no such plans at all, may be I should not have mentioned about meeting; never mind.
Any other gentleman would have responded immediately wishing me regarding my decision to move on with a new career. Nope, none of such. Was I expecting, after all of this? Man...
As I reflected on the whole later, I realize that I need not have contacted him at all. I need not have flattered him at all; I need not have admired him at all. I had been investing in stocks long before and had reasonable success. My thought process was already evolving based on my quest to learn. There were books that I had read and was reading. I was tracking life and times of investors I admired. The knowledge was building up, and I was already aware that investing was a life long learning process; and lots of fun too.
More importantly, I had already informed my office regarding my decision to relocate and set up my business of investing. This was long before I first wrote to that person. It wasn't even that he changed my course of sort. My decision to move ahead was independent and irrespective of the results of my communication with that person. All arrangements for relocation had already been made much, much earlier.
Yet these things had to happen, and teach me some valuable lessons. I learned a little more about human behavior. There was reinforcement on how people wear masks all the time. There is no regret of course because I did not know what was about to happen. I find it all funny now because I realize that there wasn't anything special about that person in the first place. Perhaps, I got a little carried away since I was to start this very interesting journey that had been my favorite pastime.
I had put in my papers already and had announced to everyone in office about that. I was to leave office and relocate. I had made that decision. Yet I had to write that email and place that call. Heck. But then life is like that, isn't it?
Well, I have moved on. I have been investing. I have been learning along; I have been reading. I have been doing exactly what I had planned for myself; Investing as a business has been good for me and my temperament. And more importantly, I have been having fun.
How about that someone, that person? I don't know, and I don't care. Man...
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