Except for the ones who are differently abled, almost all of us are born with the same ability, ability to speak, hear, see, think, etc. But it's the attitude that has made a few of us outstanding while the most of us ordinary and a few left out to be termed as below the mark. A Significant Life is a product of actions and thoughts, backed up by a purpose and determination. The act we perform everyday and the betterment we attain makes us different to begin with and outstanding later.
We can choose the way we live our life, either we live like any other ordinary person does; or leave an unforgettable impression on others largely by our act(s). The choice is up to us whether we make the most of our life and be an inspiration for the next generation or just prefer being titled “the common man”.
While most of us have aspirations in life, very few of us reach where we intend to and the rest either find it challenging and even quit before giving a start. What is holding us? Why can't we have achievements in life like most of the famous personalities in the world? How are we different and what should we do? Destiny does not believe in favoritism. Dreaming big is good but there will be no outcome without heading towards it. What we do matters the most in our life. Every act of ours needs to carry a value. Every thought of ours should be towards productivity and improvement. Every habit that we inculcate within ourselves would take us closer to our dreams.
How difficult is the transformation from an ordinary to an extraordinary person?
Well it depends upon one's own determination, self-belief and resilience. Aristotle, the philosopher once remarked "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act but a habit". All great leaders, entrepreneurs and artists haven't done anything complex to achieve success but the cumulative effect of their daily habit has made them exceptional.
Lets understand how we can add value to our own life. The journey that we envisage towards our dreams would need dedication and commitment along with cultivation of the below mentioned by one's own self.
Self-belief: "Yes I can do it".
Often, the beginning of anything has a greater confidence and passion but it fizzles out after plowing on. We face challenges while on the path of our dreams and at times tend to give-up. Dec. 10, 1914 a massive explosion erupted in West Orange, New Jersey. Ten buildings in legendary inventor Thomas Edison's plant, which comprised more than half of the site, were engulfed in flames. Despite a determined loss of $919,788 Thomas Edison started rebuilding again without firing any of his employees.
Staying unruled by any discouragement holds the key in preserving self-belief.
Our attitude towards finding the solution(s) holds importance here. We need to invest our thought process in reaching towards what we want. Unconventional thinking helps when we are at the crossroads. Remember, finding a solution is the most important thing to move ahead.
Also many of us have developed a consistency of rejecting a change or an idea even before evaluating it. This terminates the skill of creative thinking and hinders the self-belief of exploring new probabilities.
Productive thinking:
As narrated by Carl Jung "Thinking is difficult that’s why most people judge", most of us invest time in becoming a critic rather than a thinker. Democracy of speech and expression is availed to the core. Velocity of words carrying optimism fabricates cloud nine feelings, and the ones with discouragement lowers the spirits. It's not our business to think what others think or talk about us.. Getting disappointed or discouraged by someone's thoughts would prove fatal and unproductive. Our thoughts should be moving towards improvisation parking aside the negativity. Getting carried away by words of appreciation is a direct invitation to overconfidence. Productive thoughts would outcome productive action and vice versa. Sceptical thinking would limit the habit of a constructive thought process. A broad minded thinking eliminates even the slightest of preconceived notions, redesigning the overall perspective.
Our thoughts followed by our action would form the base of solidifying our dream.
Time Management
Along with money we are also investing our efforts. Time does not have wings and it never flies. Monetary losses can be compensated but time never comes back. Give priority to every task involved. Don't try to execute everything by yourself, delegation of tasks which are not of very high importance or priority will aid in managing the time well. Calculate the time involved to execute any particular activity. Overall project measurement in terms of time is a key thing in achieving its success. Keep some time buffer for any ad hoc situation. Apply the 80-20 rule to ensure the best utilisation of time. 20 percent of actions should yield 80 percent results. Vice versa would be termed as "donkey work".
Lastly remember "negative thinking is a waste of time".
Stay Focused
We cannot control the people or the events happening around us, but we can surely control our response to such a stimulus.
Stay away from distractions, it can come in the form of an opportunity as well. It happens quite often that in the middle of an ongoing execution of an idea or work we may come across any other opportunity. Sailing in two different boats will not have any yield. Probability of losing at both ends is higher. Distractions again can be of any sort, just keep yourself focused and stay away from the odds. Don't get involved in unnecessary arguments and discussions. Disappointments are the largest distractions and it may come with any unfortunate incident, don't hang on long as the happening can't be reversed.
Executing ideas
Post the cultivation of a person so termed as "visionary" it's time to act and march toward the dreams.
Planning is the beginning, and executing our plans and ideas is the start of a journey. Don't just waste time talking. Start the execution once planned. Have a clarity on who will do what, when and how. Phase out your overall plan. Organise every piece of information and activity. Ensure nothing is overlapped or missed out. A well executed idea can only lead to success as there is always chaos to be welcomed.
Have alternative plans
It's important to have a back up plan or a Plan B in place. It's important to build the ship before it starts flooding. This readiness can be helpful in any situation and it would ensure that we stay focused and move ahead.
Measure the dream
The most important part is to know how far we are from, where we intend to reach. This is a regular activity for people with true passion for others it would be similar to a ritual. Be holistic with numbers and avoid excuses. It may be time to get pushed to the wall for a brighter day light. The road ahead would definitely have pit-stops but numbers would help us step back on the gas. Much needed direction always arrives from statistical data.
Have some free time
Don't exaggerate, mind and body needs free time. A fresh mind can think much faster than a tired one. Take regular breaks and have free time for yourself. Entertainment may be a need at times for the mind, just don't over do it.
Perseverance pays off well. Dr. Abdul Kalam belonged to a poor family and did most of his studies under the lamp post. Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before finally getting financing for his dream of creating Walt Disney World. KFC founder Colonel Sanders was rejected 1009 times before finding a taker for his chicken recipe. Disregarding all the odds and disappointment they kept moving ahead till they got what they wanted.
Moving out of the comfort zone is moving out of the cocoon ready to explore the world and the opportunities ahead.
Very
super wordings sir. super article