Mirror test: checking actions against values | Satish Rao | TEDxKharadi Salon
Satish Rao shares a personal story about claiming false taxi reimbursements early in his career and the profound lesson his father taught him about the 'mirror test' - looking at yourself in the mirror each night and asking if you'd be comfortable sharing your actions with someone close to you.
Summary
Satish Rao begins his TEDx talk by proposing that mirrors can serve a deeper purpose than just checking appearance - they can help set the tone for life and navigate difficult situations. He shares an embarrassing personal story from three decades ago when he was a fresh management graduate at his first job in Mumbai. His company offered taxi fare reimbursement for 30 days, but instead of taking taxis, he and his friend traveled by train (costing 2 rupees) while claiming taxi fare (80 rupees), pocketing about 150 rupees daily. After a month, when excitedly telling his father about his new job, he mentioned this 'clever' scheme. His father's reaction was immediate disapproval, asking if Rao could share this story with his company's finance manager or HR head. When Rao admitted he couldn't, his father introduced him to what Rao now calls the 'mirror test' - looking at yourself in the mirror before bed each night and asking whether you'd be comfortable sharing your day's actions with someone close to you. His father emphasized that if you can't answer yes, you don't have the right to live as a human being the next day. Rao concludes by reflecting on the profound wisdom of this simple test, noting that while your best character shows in public, your true character is revealed when nobody is watching, and that every action leaves one witness - the person you see in the mirror.
Key Insights
- Rao argues that mirrors can serve a deeper purpose beyond checking appearance - they can help set the tone for life and navigate difficult situations
- Rao reveals he and his friend exploited a company taxi reimbursement policy by traveling by train while claiming taxi fare, pocketing approximately 150 rupees daily for a month
- Rao's father taught him that nobody becomes successful in life by 'monkeying around' and challenged him to consider whether he could share his actions with company officials
- Rao's father introduced the 'mirror test' - looking at yourself in the mirror before bed and asking if you'd be comfortable sharing your day's actions with someone close to you
- Rao claims that while your best character shows in public with others, your true character is revealed when nobody is watching you
Topics
Transcript
[0:06] Let me begin this session by asking a very simple straightforward question. Why do you use mirror in your daily life or what do you use it for? I'm sure the normal answer would be yeah I use it to comb my hair. I use it to have one quick look before I step out of the house. Yeah, that's pretty standard. But what if I tell you that the same mirror can help you set the tone for your life? The same mirror can help you navigate through difficult situations in life. [0:39] Pretty intriguing, isn't it? Let me tell you in the next few minutes what I mean by this. And I'm going to explain this to…
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