Got aspiration, but not a plan. Sorry.

Got aspiration, but not a plan. Sorry.

For a kid, the first aspiration is most likely to become a doctor, and then a teacher and then a policeman. These aspirations are based on their exposure to the respective profession at different ages. As we grow, our aspirations evolve constantly with more knowledge, experience and accomplishments. Several external factors also play a vital role in this evolution. We slowly start to see the barriers to achieving the aspirations.

Some overcome the roadblocks with passion and commitment, while others settle down with what they could do or keep searching for alternatives. At a certain age, we get so engrossed in our daily routine we forget to even aspire. Many may not even have a coherent response to the most common interview question – “where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?”. One may justify by claiming that the priorities in the life has changed. The truth is that those individuals have started to lead the life by reacting to happenings.

Don’t aspire for something and think that it will automatically happen. Miracles do not happen always. Mere aspiration and no action create anxiety and amplifies a sense of failure, disappointment and displeasure. If you are convinced about your aspiration, commit yourself and learn what it will take to accomplish. Do a reasonable amount of research to learn the ways to accomplish and challenges you may encounter along the way.

Based on the knowledge thus earned, develop an action plan that is reasonable and realistic. Your plan should adhere to the principles of a ‘SMART’ plan. Get your plan independently evaluated by your peer, mentor or coach. Enable yourself with proper tools to monitor your progress and be flexible to accommodate changes to the plan based on your progress.

An aspiration not backed by an action plan is like a kid aspiring to become a doctor, this time not with innocence but out of insanity. Sorry.

Got an aspiration, start with a plan.



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Declutter: reclaim the treasures
Declutter: reclaim the treasures
Even before you realize that you are in year 2019, a month has gone past. And what about your new year resolutions – some did not make any, some forgot about it and others wait for better time to start implementing.Never mind if you forgot about new year resolutions. You need not for wait the next new year to make new resolutions or restart the forgotten ones. You can start today, to make a positive change to your life and become a better person. Time and tide wait for none!!If you are scrambling on where to start, here is our recommendation for your first step – Declutter.Decluttering, in the personal development context, is a conscious effort by an individual to identify things in every environment, that has no immediate or perceived usage in long-term, and discard them or repurpose for better value. To understand the process better let’s break this in the following lines.In your normal routines, you interact with the environment in various dimensions –physical such as living room, office room, work desk, wardrobe;personal belongings such as backpack, wallet, document holders;electronic such as mobile phone, laptops, email, cloud storage, social media.The definition of environment can be extended to nonphysical aspects such as mind, thoughts, and our human network as well.Over time, you may not realize how much you have cluttered these spaces, with things that are not required anymore, never to be used in future, may be rarely used, or just placed in the wrong place. These items have been lying there because it does not harm you directly. For instance, you will throw way a rotten apple drawing your attention with bad odor, but do not care about an unused CD when you no longer have a CD drive.Why should you declutter these spaces, and ultimately your life? The answer is plain and simple – eliminate the weeds. These things are like the weeds in the agriculture world – they do not serve any purpose, snatch away your limited resources and spoil the valuable produce as well.Some of benefits you may expect to derive from decluttering your environment are –more space in your living room, bedroom, office desk, wardrobe and so on;more time as you will now navigate through or handle less items;important documents and files do not get buried in the rubble of unwanted mails and brochures;critically examine everything around you and make conscious decision to engage or disengage;refocus your energy and time towards your passion or things that you feel important to you;live a healthier and peaceful life – now that you are surrounded by only what is important to you.If you are excited about decluttering your life, follow our Facebook or LinkedIn page, and share your email id here. We will share our well researched decluttering checklist and instructions manual.Note: This is our first article in the personal development series. Click here to read the introduction to this series.Make your life blissful and wholesome!!!
What got you here, won’t get you there
What got you here, won’t get you there
In the book Blitzscaling, the author has cited Marshall Goldsmith’s – “What got you here, won’t get you there”. It would be injustice to apply this quote only for managing business growth, the main subject of the book. The wisdom conveyed can be applied to every aspect of personal life – education, sports, fitness, family and career. Today, a considerable share of the workforce is in the age group 30 to 45 years,  referred to as ‘mid-career’. Many in this group face ‘uninspiring’ growth prospects in the existing institution and lack of alternate career opportunities. “What got your here” – You might have reached the current level, with specific set of skills. These skills might have helped you to progress in a fast-track. It is quite possible that your are still a leader in those areas. “Won’t get you there” – However, you may notice that often, your supervisor do not have the same set of skills or the same level of expertise in those skills as you. This clearly suggests that your supervisor is performing successfully at a higher level in the institution, but with a different set of skills. If you are aspiring to grow, you will have to demonstrate that you either possess those skills or had earned the confidence of the management that you can develop these skills quickly. In other words, the professional skills and personal virtues that helped you to grow until now, may not have the ammunition to propel you further. Once you realize and accept this fact, the next step is to set a clear goal, make a fair assessment of the void in skills, and make efforts to fill them.Kickstart your journey now, to get what will get you there.
Stuck in a frame (Don’t)
Stuck in a frame (Don’t)
Your current and future action is determined by your thoughts. Your thoughts go through a constant evolution process influenced by your experiences, beliefs and values. Hence, you may act differently when faced with an identical challenge at two different points in time. For example, you had to gather a lot of courage to take your first roller coaster ride. Your next and every subsequent experience is shaped by the cumulative experiences of earlier rides and beliefs.Your thoughts set the boundaries or the frame, inside of which you believe that you are operating freely. Quite often and many individuals in general try to remain within the boundaries set by their thoughts. The “status quo” gives a sense of security and comfort, until an external factor disturbs the equilibrium and proves it to be otherwise.This false sense of security puts your mind in a dormant mode. It finds every possible rationale to tell you not to ‘Rock the boat’. You may get easily enslaved by this attitude, which not only restricts your growth but also blindsight you from the wonderful opportunities that pass just outside your immediate comfort zone.To ensure continued growth and to seize great opportunities, be curious to explore and experience what is outside your comfort, and nudge the boundaries of what you can do. Either by yourself or with the help of a trusted partner or mentor, do a honest introspection of your thoughts and actions, question your status quo, assess your potential and re-program yourself to scale higher. It may sound a lot. Do it. Else, you may get stuck inside the frame.