Exploring Possibilities: Convert Your Race To Grace

Today I am going to share an analogous inspiration with all of you. For those who might understand the term, analogous inspiration means we quote an occurrence of one field and take inspiration from that to understand a complex situation of other distant fields.

It’s a way to look for solutions in different contexts that may be applicable to your challenge or inspire an idea.

This observation was noticed by me once when I was on a flight to Mumbai. Before the takeoff, once all the necessary arrangements were made by the inflight staff, there was an announcement from the pilot that to welcome everyone on the flight we were ready for a guaranteed take off.

I, by the virtue of sitting on the first row asked the hostess jokingly, do you also provide guaranteed landing. She smiled back and said, that can be guaranteed only once we reach Mumbai, we pray every time to God almighty for a safe landing.

We all are aware that when we take off in the flight, it's completely beyond us. We can do nothing about it. It's completely in the hands of the pilot. Similarly, even the landing is also beyond our control.

It's again entirely in the hands of the pilot. Actually many times when the landing is very smooth and we don’t even realise that the craft has touched the ground, many gentle souls appreciate and clap for the pilot. I also do the same, or update the hostess about my appreciation for the least. But landing is beyond our control too.

Now once the flight took off, there was some turbulence due to the rains and bad weather. Announcement was made that the wind speed is high outside. I suddenly realised that even this turbulence and its reason responsible are beyond our control too. What was in our control during the flight was our choice.

I observed that some people went to sleep, a few were looking and appreciating the view out of the window. Some decided to watch the movie. A few scholarly types took out a book to read. A few even decided to walk down to the aisle and have a look at the fellow passengers. Some took the opportunity to grab some food and drink. A few made new friends and improved their network. So what to do in that journey was in our control.

Similarly, in our journey of life, takeoff, i.e. the birth and landing i.e. the death is beyond our control. God or nature never plays KBC with us and does not give us 4 options to choose about the family, religion, socio economic class, country to be born. Similarly, lots of people say that once their assumed duties are over, they want to die out of a massive heart attack.

One push and woof. No hospital, no trouble to them and their kith and kin. Despite their best intentions, it's beyond their control. And what about the turbulence, problems, issues during the journey of our life. That is beyond our control too. We have little or no control over the challenges that life throws at us.

This tells us that in this journey of life, take off, journey and turbulence none is in our control. But we have in our control how to have this journey. We have control over the choice, have the right choice at the right time. Spirituality teaches us to have the right choice at the right time. When we learn to make right choices we lead a balanced and happy life despite the turbulence outside.

We can be male or female is a matter of birth. A male becomes a man and a female becomes a woman, it’s a matter of age. Being a gentleman or a gentlewoman is a matter of choice. There is a saying that if we are beautiful, it’s a God's gift to us, but if we live our life beautifully it is our gift to God. If we run alone it’s a race, but if we run with faith in nature and God we enjoy the grace. Let’s enjoy his grace and explore possibilities.....

(The author is a Certified Designed Thinking Master practitioner and Clifton Certified Strength Finder Coach, Corporate Trainer and a Leadership coach. He is based in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India.)