Differentiating with thought

If you have read any great literature or short works (like James Allen’s “As a man thinketh” or Emerson’s essays), you must have come across authors who have attached prominent importance to the way we should think. Some of the literature’s greatest have been bold and harsh at times in giving the message that one controls their own fate by the manner in which they think.

So, what is the big deal anyway about thoughts? Aren’t thoughts situational? If I am in deep mess, how can I think well? Where will be the clarity? It is easy for anyone observing me to give their unwarranted advise, but nobody can be in my shoes and hence, they don’t know what I go through. Further, when I am in a mess and things are not going right, how dare you tell me to change my attitude and think positively. I am doing the best anybody can, and things are just not going well for me. This is case 1.

Why do bad things happen to me? It seems like I am a magnet for misfortunes. Things happen well for others, but not so much for me. I try to do everything right, like others do. But, why do I get tested so much. It is just not fair. I feel that god is being unkind. This is case 2.

Read the stanza 1 loud and you will feel angry. Read the stanza 2 loud and you will feel depressed or sad. We accept it or not, these two scenarios mirror closely the reactions of our hearts when things are not going well. Very few of us have the capacity to recognize it and even few, to act on it. Both anger and depression make our hearts wilt and how can this be good for us?  Do you recognize your state of mind when you spend time in a garden full of blooming flowers that dance in the breeze and bask in the sun? Do you recognize the difference when you walk by a cemetery or a barren land with not even a patch of life?

Firstly, the perception of how things are going in our lives is really a projection of our state of mind. If we are unhappy and worried, things never seem to go right. The best situations still seem the worst. It is again being in a cemetery. The cemetery can have the best landscapes, flowers and garden. But do y0u think, we can enjoy those if we have the misfortune of having to go there to bid final farewell to a friend or loved one? Probably, we won’t even notice the most beautiful flower waiting to be appreciated. That is the state of mind we unfortunately put ourselves in. We are overloaded with losses, mournings, unfulfilled desires and problems that we forget to see what things can be appreciated. We feel miserable, when things are really not that bad in reality.

Spend a day entirely with a child. Don’t question what he/she does. Just stay with them and observe. Try to see what they see. You will quickly realize that the biggest difference between them and us is that they see opportunities when we see problems. My wife once told me what she read – “If a log is lying down on the road, most of us will complain and grunt. Some of the conscious citizens might move it to the side. But a child, only a child, will jump over it without any worries. He plays.” What a beautiful story! And how true this is with the way we run our lives. What differentiates the adult and the child here – isn’t it just thought?

Just thought! How simple and yet profound! As we grow old, we are conditioned to think like “adults”. We are conditioned to think responsibly and start attributing values to our actions. Weights are attached to our actions and thoughts, and little do we realize that these weights are the baggage we carry with us the rest of our lives and make ourselves miserable. We are grown ups and our thoughts have so many variables like rationality and responsibility. And yet, we lack the simple thing a child prepossess  - clarity.

Success is a Choice

When we recognize a wave of opportunity and ride on it to our destination, that is success. Success is not a privilege bestowed naturally upon us – it is a choice we pick knowingly or otherwise.

We all have choices  to wait for a miracle to change our lives or create the miracle that changes our lives. The advantage with the latter is that we are in control of how we approach our life’s goals. We don’t get deterred if things don’t happen the way we want it to, because we, the wave-riders will climb on the next wave of opportunity.

Not my day?

I play table tennis quite regularly at office. I usually play with couple of friends of Chinese origin. They are amazing players. Quite frankly, I used to get kicked in my butt quite often for one year! Then, the game got better, techniques got more sound, my defense improved and gradually, I started winning games more often. Now, on my day, I make them look like rookies, and those days happen quite frequently.

Yesterday, some interesting thought came up while I was playing. I was down three games to zero. The games were not going quite my way. There were several narrow misses and there were streaky points taken against me. It seemed that there was no luck. Thats when I thought – Maybe, it is an indication for me to just concentrate harder and adjust my game. I decided to bank on my strength to come out of the dip. I started attacking more, which was my game and backed myself to deliver. I stood a foot back from my normal position to increase the probability of landing my smashes on the table. I completely sleepwalked the game. It was a phenomenal turn around. The next game went really close (several deuce points) but I hung around and nailed that game as well.

The point I am trying to make is – when you feel you are in bad patch and things are not going your way, it is important to show more determination and trust your strengths to bring yourself out of whatever bad patch y0u feel you are in. In game, it shows faster; in life, it takes longer to see the result. But, it will show. The principle is still the same.

A misfit? Really??

Have you ever been called a misfit, meaning you don’t belong somewhere like your workplace, church, community, etc. Is that because you are different from others?

Not fitting is actually very good. I just came across these amazing people who are changing how music is played. Computer programming combined with live music – check it out. Another classic example of carving a niche for yourself. The world needs your talent.

attitude

Don’t walk as if you rule the world but walk as if you don’t care who rules it…That is attitude.

I read it through one of my best friend’s email forwards. I believe that whoever wrote this basically nailed it. When you think you rule the world, it is arrogance. When you don’t care who rules it and do your stuff, it is attitude. Ruling here is used in a very generic sense. Ruling might mean – running your organization, running the government, chairing some committee, etc..It can be anything like this.

One problem that seems to tag along with several people is that they either believe that they are powerless and are intimidated by some pseudo, self-proclaimed higher power in the society, or they believe that they can do anything they want because they proclaim themselves as very powerful. There is very thin line to walk there. One person might exhibit both tendencies at different point in time. For instance, at his work place, he might be intimidated by his boss and not have the courage to express his heart’s will. When the same person returns home, he might be showing off his “power” to his family, friends and neighbors. These people are neither here nor there.

Attitude is not exhibiting either of these qualities but staying right on the middle. It is the ability to brush away both forms of fear – receiving and imposing.

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Are you ready?

Your achievements depend on the answer to this question. If you think you will be ready in five years, it will be five years. If it is two years, two years it will be. But the point is,  you never know this for sure. When that said time arrives, you might find yourself still wanting.

Believe that you are ready now, and you are! If you believe you are ready (to lead, to invent, to execute, to inspire) then you start exploring ways to do that. I honestly believe that it is the right way to spend our energies.

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For who?

Have you ever asked the question – For who?

Whom do you work for? Who are you trying to impress? Whom do you write for? Who are you trying to make happy?… so forth.

The fact is that if the answer to your question is not ‘myself’, then rethink your actions. Because, the best way to achieve something is when you do it for yourself. If you are an author, if you constantly think if people are going to like your work, you can never be yourself. Be yourself and you will create a master piece.

It is a simple rule – try it out, you will definitely see a change in the quality of your creations.

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Choice

How do you choose between doing and not doing something?

Easy, choose the hard one. For instance,

• If you have a choice between temptation and restraint, choose restraint.
• If you have a choice between perfection and lazyness, choose perfection.
• If you have a choice between quality and quantity, choose quality.
• If you have a choice between following and leading, choose leading.
• If you have a choice between kneeling down and standing up, choose standing up.
• If you have a choice between reasoning and blame, choose reasoning.
• If you have a choice between guilt and experience, choose experience.

Remember, easy does not necessarily mean right.

Passion and Faith

I was digging through some of old Seth Godin blog posts…There was an article he wrote about faith and passion in fast company (2007). Awesome read.

An excerpt that probably summarizes the entire article..(that is, if you don’t have time to read the entire article)

Here’s what I learned from one handed molly: Sadie and Greg are a metaphor for every company that says that it wants to be fast. First, the people at the company have to have faith. Faith that their idea is a good one. Faith that their mission is worthy. Faith that people will want what they have to sell, and faith that, in the end, the world will be a better place because they made a unique contribution.

We all know people who work in jobs where they lack faith. It’s just a job. It’s a paycheck. Just a way to pass the time and pay the bills. Without faith, these people will never take a risk. Why should they? What’s the point?

Who is a perfectionist?

I don’t know about the accepted or worldly meaning. I think perfectionists are -

1. People who cannot compromise on quality.
2. People who will always take the extra step to make things just right.
3. People who trade laziness to hardwork.
4. People whose never have “almost” in their dictionary. It is either done right or not done.
5. People who rarely compromise on the result of their work.
6. People who are meticulous and pay attention to every detail

Doesn’t this make them fascinating and wonderful employees? More so, wonderful people?

Some great points to add from http://vinylart.blogspot.com – Daniel.

4. in the extreme can get one in trouble, not starting until the end is assured. I’m still learning how to just start and that listening to my gut will lead me through.

3. can go the other way as laziness can inspire great activity bourne out of a desire for efficiency.