All of us want to achieve something worthwhile to enjoy the present and secure our future. Our parents and relatives do want this to happen. In my motivational sessions a number of people want to know about the ways through which this dream or aim can be achieved. Surely, believing in yourself; being mentally and physically strong; ready to take responsibility with an open mind; being always sincere and positive about what you do and ensuring better time management are some of the basic ways to be taken care of. Yes, we need expert advice and guidance from time to time. But to take the final call to decide something based on all the inputs available at our command depends on our own judgement. Isn’t it?
Swami Vivekananda says that the wind is blowing; those
vessels whose sails are unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but
those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that the fault of
the wind? So, take the full responsibility on your own shoulder and accept that
you are the creator of your own destiny. All power is within you. The greatest
sin is to think yourself weak.
Do you agree with what Swami Vivekananda says? If you look around you
will easily find some people who are in the habit of depending on others even
for simple daily tasks – may it be related to office work or domestic work.
They needlessly and sometimes shamelessly seek support, are hesitant to go
alone, are reluctant to face any challenge, are not able to take any decision
on their own and are very eager to shift the blame of their non-performance or
failure to others. The notable point here is that this habit of such people
gradually becomes part of their working style. It is equally unfortunate that
in this process they commit a serious mistake of forgetting that due to this
habit they gradually become weak in respect of self-confidence and courage. Not
only this, they also fail to behave like a matured person and also fail to live
their life freely. They become so dependent on others that they are forced even
to compromise on their self-respect. In family and friend circles their image
becomes that of a confused, incapable and weak person. Naturally, they pay the
price of that negative image for long and justify the old saying that as you
sow, so will you reap.
It is true that everybody has more than one leadership qualities and
also the eagerness to find new and better ways to tackle a problem, but in
reality, most of the people are willing to be the followers or take the known
and easy routes to success. Anyway, what do wise and successful people normally
do? They generally listen to all, but analyse the available inputs thoroughly
in order to make a well thought of decision without any confusion. Yes, if by
any chance the decision fails to derive the desired result, they don’t blame
others. On the contrary, they take ownership of that decision and try to take
suitable lessons. And when their decision brings success which normally
happens, they not only enjoy that happy moment themselves, but also share it
with their colleagues and friends with a strong sense of gratitude. Actually,
such people are self-driven; and control of their life is in their hands. Nobody
is driving or controlling them remotely.
When asked about the secret of their success, the people who reached the top in their respective field of activities by virtue of hard work and many struggles, they normally come out with a common reason behind their success and that is their ability to make right decisions. When asked about the reason behind acquiring this quality, they attribute this to their experiences gained during their life journey. On further probing about the experiences, it is said that the life changing experiences are the result of their learning from their wrong decisions.
The message is crystal clear. Be courageous to take decisions independently; bring out the leader in you; stop following the easiest and known path; never be afraid to fail; instead take suitable lessons from each failure to improve yourself for trying again in a better manner for better results.
So, “control your own destiny or someone else will" – as Jack
Welch rightly says. To be precise, if you continue to learn, decide and act
confidently and judiciously, you can not only enjoy your present well, but also
can secure your future and the future of many others associated with you.
As always, I'm keen to know what you think on this subject. Hence, I request you to post your comments to share your valuable opinion. (hellomilansinha@gmail.com)
# Published in my Sunday Column of "Morning India" daily. # Click here to enjoy my Blog in Hindi, "Chalte, Chalte" (चलते, चलते)
