Exploring Possibilities: Set The GPS Right!
Once I was travelling from Lucknow to Bengaluru. Travel journey was planned from Lucknow to New Delhi by train and from New Delhi to Bangalore by air. Since it was a 4 days’ workshop, I had to carry lots of stuff. There was no problem while I travelled from the train, but the moment I checked into the flight reception counter, immediate objection came from the girl.
Maintaining a smile on her face she communicated to me the unpleasant news that I cannot carry the stuff more than the prescribed norm. In case if I insist, I will have to pay the requisite penalty. Since it was a necessity and I had a generous client, I agreed for the additional charges.
Many of you must be thinking as to what is so special in this anecdote. Actually every incident has so much to learn from it, provided we are cognisant and conscious. Do we ever think as to?... Why is there no limitation to the weight of the luggage we can carry in a train, whereas in aircraft there is this cap….
It’s because aircraft has to fly in the sky. It has to cover greater distance with high speed. Trains in India travel with an average speed of 55 kmph, whereas aircraft have to travel at the speed in excess of 1000 kmph. So ladies and gentlemen, if we have high ambitions and goals in our life, if we need to move fast, fly high, we need to have less baggage with us.
When I talk about baggage, I refer to emotional and psychological overweight which set our minds to move at a reduced speed. Our adverse internal dialogue creates the cloud of doubt. The moment this cloud appears; our vision gets blurred.
Our mind has a GPS in it. In a GPS if you set the destination, it starts navigating you towards it. If by chance or mistake you enter a mid-route in it, the direction changes and your actual destination gets out of sight. This doubt created by our internal dialogues changes our destination and the GPS of our mind takes us toward the destination of doubt.
One such baggage we carry is the fear of failure. Let’s analyse the impact of this baggage on our intelligence. Let us talk about nature and it's natural intelligence. A seed which is inside the earth always wants to grow to its potential. It sends its roots deep into the soil and gains power from it and thrusts its sprouts high above the grounds.
With unfolding of its tender buds, it announces the arrival of springs. By doing that it can feel the warmth of the sun on its leaves and enjoys the blessing of the morning dew on its petals. Now if the same seed is given a virtue of interference by its own internal dialogue just like we humans have, it will have a different thought process. Doubt will force it to think, if I send my roots down below, it's too dark, I never know what I will encounter with it? If I push it high above the ground, I may damage my petals.
If I open my buds, a snail may prey upon it. If I open my blossom, a small child might pull me out of the ground. It's much better for me to wait until it is safe. So this worry or fear of failure kills the dream, desire and desperation to grow. We as humans should have the willingness to take the plunge. This creates the willingness to take risks and leave our comfort zones.
Of course risks should be calculated ones and efforts should be deliberate. Patience is required for the factors which are beyond our controls, but when it comes to efforts, we should give nothing less than 200%. So ladies and gentlemen shrug of this extra baggage of worry and move ahead faster and much beyond your own expectations. Always remember success = intention – internal interference
Enjoy success 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.)