PETER VIRDEE: The Complete Singh

Spirituality

Can you define your relationship with God?

I can say and I would say, God is my best friend. Everything you see around me, my surroundings, the environment I live and work in – this is all the blessings of God. I’m so grateful to the one above and I’m fortunate to say my relationship with ‘Him’ is very special.

Do you talk to God?

Yes very much so… I pray and talk to God regularly. When you do an Ardaas, you are talking to God.

Yes, but not just prayer form. When you say friend, do you have a conversation with God.

Yes, most definitely. There are times when I’m just randomly walking down the street and for a moment I’ll just stop, look up and thank God, saying “God thank you for everything you’ve blessed me with.” It can just be a moment of realization or when a turn of events occur, there is no specific time or place for me to express my gratification because I’m so grateful. I’m truly thankful for everything God has given to me and for unmerited favor where more than my needs have been met. It’s not just for the wealth, its for my health, my family, protection, guidance, for all the incredible experiences in my life – it’s for everything around me.  I’m thankful every breath and I can’t thank him enough. So to be honest, I feel very blessed and fortunate to be in the position where I can say ‘I’m connected to God.’

Do you feel God helping you and being with you in your journey? Any specific story you want to share where things just fell in place with divine intervention?

Everyday! Every morning when I wake up and I’m breathing, I thank God.  I always say when one door closes, the almighty opens two more doors for me – I’m a firm believer of this and I’ve said many times in my past interviews.

When my parents came to this country, they worked very hard to get to where they are now.  I’m also very hardworking as it’s in our genes, but it’s one thing to be hardworking and another thing to see the hard work materialize. So on that aspect God has blessed me graciously. So much, that I’m privileged to be in a position where I can donate money to people – that’s a blessing in itself. There are many who have money but don’t have the courage to give it out. So I’m not only thankful for all that God has blessed me with in life but even more so, for the qualities and values he has instilled in me – absolutely everything. There is no ‘one’ special moment I can sit here and say that was the one time I felt connected to God or when I remembered him. I can give you several moments where things happened that were not supposed to – I didn’t even dream of them happening but he made them happen.

What does success mean to you? How seriously do you take it?

It goes without saying, success is very important to me. I don’t believe in failure – I won’t accept it. The word ‘failure’ doesn’t exist in my vocabulary, therefore there is no alternative for me as success is paramount. Anything I do, I want to do it successfully and whole-heartedly, then I leave the rest in God’s hands. I give it my 100% – once I’ve done that, that is a success for me. Sure of course the results matter just as much but the hard work that goes into it is just as important to me because then you know you’ve done the best you could, and the outcome now lies in God’s hands.

What does money mean to you? Has all this achievement changed you in any which way? And do you ever consider success without money?

No – realistically I believe you can’t consider success without money. Money plays an important role in all our lives; it influences our thoughts and actions in ways we’re not aware of. People kid themselves when they say money isn’t everything (in terms of success) but let’s be real, they wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for the money!

In today’s world we are facing some very challenging times where money is a crucial element to our success. People’s livelihood and businesses all revolve around it – it’s the universal language of the world. I’ve been in a situation where I haven’t had money and believe you me – you’re on your own. So as much as we all hate to admit it, money is important and it makes a profound difference in ones life –financially and socially, and it’s without doubt a fundamental part of any businessman. We all get up, we go to work, we do it for the money; sure of course we do it for the pleasure as well, but the money element is always there. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should change you as a person; one of the three cardinal virtues of Sikhism is humility and charity, which I strongly believe one should observe, as your wealth should justify your state – not your character.

When it comes to the impact it’s had on me… I believe money amplifies the kind of person you are. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has a corrupting influence on you if you have a solid set of values right from the start. My parents established the foundation of my values, and through my own personal experiences I’ve been able to cultivate them further – enabling me to grow, prosper and thrive personally and professionally. So yes, I would say money has changed me over the years to be an improved person but not a better person, as my life is influenced by success not money – you can’t put a price tag to ethics and values. In the span of my career, I’ve come to appreciate – and really value – the other attributes that define an individual’s success beyond the P&L.