Don’t be afraid
While addressing the students of University of Pune a few weeks back, Wipro chief Aziz Premji shared some secrets of his success. He said that for him life is an eight-lane expressway — if you use these lanes intelligently, you are bound to zoom ahead.
One of Mr Premji’s commandments was “respond, don’t act”. It was significant to note that a top-notch businessman like him advised students to be aware of their emotions and to manage them. But you cannot learn this lesson in any of the management schools; one has to learn this from life. It can be learnt if you are watchful and observe the difference between people who react impulsively and those who disengage themselves from their emotions and respond objectively. By reacting emotionally, you are letting the other person control your behaviour and by using your will and reason you are looking at the issue directly.
Most people are afraid of taking a decision because they want to avoid making mistakes. This thought is an obstruction to both personal and professional growth because making mistakes is an essential ingredient of learning. Osho says, “Don’t be afraid of making a mistake, but don’t make the same mistake again. Make a new mistake!” What people forget is that taking a decision is an intuitive flash, it is a gift of the heart. Intuition is to be in tune with oneself. And out of that tuning, solutions arise. It is not a logical conclusion, it is a leap of consciousness. Once your intuition has started functioning, you need not go and ask a guide for any advice.
When the brain works in sync with the heart you arrive at the right decision. But that also means living dangerously.
Heed Osho’s suggestion: “Whenever you have alternatives to choose, always choose the unknown, because the known you have already lived. The known is known, so you will simply be repeating it. Never miss the unknown. Always choose the unknown and go headlong. Even if you suffer, it is worth it, it always pays off.”
The more decisive you become, the more integrated you become. Of course there are possibilities of going astray, but the risk is worth taking.
By going astray you will become richer. You will be happy that you went astray, because there are many things that can be learnt from the new experience. From all this struggle you will emerge a winner.
But playing to win does not mean winning all the time; it means putting all your energy with maximum intensity. Then whatever happens, you will not be a loser.
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