FIRST

Our obsession with standing first in every aspect of life has often been both a boon and a bane. As a boon standing first is motivation to perform well, but it becomes a bane when the expectations are not correlated with the person’s ability to achieve the first place. However, this concept of standing first is based on the popular perception of what is considered to be standing first. In reality if we change our perception of what it means to stand first, each of us can achieve the distinction of standing first frequently.  To begin with one needs to view standing first as Foremost In Reaching Set Target.

Notice now that being first is possible when we can show improved performance for ourselves. This assumes that we have some objective in mind and we set about achieving that target in more optimal ways than we have ever done before. Assume for a moment that the best academic result you achieved was struggling to get a first class. Now if you target to get a distinction without really measuring the effort required, the probability of not achieving that is very high. However if the target set is to improve your score by 10% and then you set about diligently working towards it, any improvement over what you have achieved in the past would make you stand first as compared to your past achievement.

You can also view being first from the stand point of attempting anything new. Anything you do that you haven’t attempted before is a first for you. Here again you are only competing with yourself to overcome you apprehensions and fears about attempting something new. The first day of school, the first time you went on stage, the first time you participated in a race, the first time your drove a car all alone, the first time you attempted a dare the list goes on and on.  Then there is a first that brings in to play your character, your values and your ethics. The times you refused to pay a bribe, the times you refused to cheat in an exam, the times you stood up to tell the truth, the times you apologized for a mistake, the times you kept your temper in check, the times you pardoned some one who wronged you. Every single time you are able to resist giving in and taking the easy way out because it was against your conscience you achieved a first.

The thrill of overcoming the perceived risks, the exhilaration of achieving what you set out to do and the relief that you did what you set out to do are the collateral benefits that come out of you daring to be the Foremost In Reaching Set Target.

Action Points:

Identify 3 bad habits that you want to eliminate. How will you go about ensuring you manage to overcome it? So what is the first step that you are going to take and when ?

Name the most important value that you hold most dear to you. How often were you able to hold on to that value. Can  you recall an instance when you were gravely challenged to hold on to that value with succumbing to pressures from others?

What do you consider your first and foremost achievement in your life?

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GROW

It is the natural order of life that one has to grow. All living creatures and plants have to grow physically but it is the human race alone who has the ability to work on his/ her non physical growth be it emotional growth, psychological growth, personal growth, academic and intellect, financial growth or spiritual growth. The way to GROW therefore is rooted in ones ability and efforts in Grasping Rewarding Opportunities Wisely.

For anyone to grow there are three essential conditions; the willingness to grow, the ability to spot opportunities and the daring to grasp the opportunities no matter how difficult it may seem. Most of us are content with life as it is but we are frustrated that others seem to have more luck, more opportunities and an easy path to grow. We believe that others are more intelligent ( we do not see them burning the midnight oil in order to achieve their excellence), that they are more emotionally stable ( we do not see them venting their frustrations), others are more popular and social ( we cannot phantom the sacrifices they make in order to keep their relationships growing) etc. When we see the efforts made by others, we rationalize that the end result is not worth it simply because we are not prepared to grow if it involves a lot of effort. Hence we shy away from aiming for the success of others that we secretly envy and occasionally despise. Willingness to grow therefore is the trigger that will help us explore opportunities to grow.

Just being willing to grow is not enough because we have to be proactive if we want to grow. This means that we have to be on the look out for opportunities to expand our imagination, harness our abilities, experiment and discover and furrow a lonely path with just faith to guide us along. Ironically almost all opportunities come disguised as problems. Yet we are so conditioned to escape from problems, avoid problems and pass on the problems to others that we end up scouting for things on a platter and these are really non existent. No opportunity comes out screaming aloud but we keep our senses alert we can see it in a jiffy. Alas, when we are not willing to grow we tend to lapse into a smug and contended life style like the frog who things his well is the ocean. On the other hand if we are desperate to grow, then we would like the frog who fell into a pail of milk keep continuously paddling till the milk turned to cream and then using that surface launch ourselves to take the big leap and discover opportunities galore.

Grasping the opportunities is more tricky mainly because no one wants to confront difficulties and most opportunities come disguised as difficulties. Take the case of someone wanting to improve his physically appearance and get a 6 pack. He has no choice but to follow a strict exercise and diet regime. The same holds true for someone wanting to lose weight. Are we really prepared for that strict regimentation? Human nature would ideally want life to be smooth sailing, fun filled and bereft of unhappiness or sadness so anything that disturbs that equilibrium is shunned, despised and consigned to the back burner. What we fail to realize is that even diamonds need to be polished and cut before they sparkle and gain value. It is not just hard work that is required but also persistence, self belief, risk taking ability, courage of conviction etc. that are put to the test, when we Grasp Rewarding Opportunities Wisely and attempt to frog leap ahead in life and GROW.

Try this:

1. Click on this link and observer the image carefully. http://tinyurl.com/23lmmj6. Can you see the two images in this picture of the young lady and the old woman. Our life is like that image…it GROWS the way we see it.  
2. Outline 3 areas of growth you plan for the coming year in the following dimensions of your life

•  knowledge
•  social service
•  personal potential
•  environmental awareness

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now. 

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

 

CHANGE

The problem with change is two fold; it is constant and yet it is so variable. It may sound ironic but if you delve deeply into the subject of change you would realize that there is a change every moment and that is the constant factor while the type of change keeps varying each minute too. Unfortunately since most of us are creatures of habit, change is something we find hard to  accept, impossible to avoid and difficult to ignore. Yet if we just decide to objectively look at change we can with a Clear Head Accept New Growth Emerging.

Ideally we would like the status quo to continue except on the rare times when we are in pain or discomfort or if there is hope of getting something better, enjoyable or enviable. In real life change often brings about these positive benefits, but in our skewed and concocted way of seeing things we focus on the short term compromises that change will necessitate in our lives rather than seeing the long term benefits of change. With a clear head if one tries to appreciate the need for change you will realize that in most cases the beneficiary is us, albeit the fact that we may have to pay a small price for it. Look at the concept of an express highway, which may charge us a toll and it could possibly be a few kilometers longer but the drive is smother , more pleasurable and we reach our destination faster too.

Change in personal life is not so clear cut. Age brings about changes that we may not like; wrinkles, aches and pains, baldness etc but these are gradual so we reconcile to it with a sigh. Marriage brings about a big change for we are no longer one but two in one. The adjustments that come with it stress us out once the honeymoon is over, the starry lovers dreams suddenly become a distant dream and the chores of family life suddenly overwhelm us. Most of us adjust well to these changes because we are mentally prepared for it and we have examples before us to follow. However the change that strangles you suddenly, like the loss of a spouse or child is much more harder to bear. It is not only hard to accept but it is near impossible to see the benefit of that drastic change brought about by fate.

There may not be any rationale for change and yet we have to believe that by accepting the change we can be long term beneficiaries. Death of a loved one is classic case in point. Some changes are extremely tough to accept because it may run completely counter to your point of view. Abolishment of the death penalty or reservations for the less privileged could possibly fall under this category.  Some changes are so subtle that by the time we realize that there has been a change we are either forced to accept it or forced to wring our hands in despair for it is too late to counter it. The ill effects of climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, garbage disposal problems, depleting water resource etc. are some pointers to the malaise of change.

Since change has to be accepted as a way of life, it is best we anticipate the changes, prepare for changes likely to come and accept change and adopt or adapt to it.  It is also imperative for us to realize that all change signifies opportunities for improvement, benefit and growth. However it is only a Clear Head that Accepts New Growth Emerging. 

Action Points:

1. Can you list out 3-5 changes that you know will definitely come your way in the next few years?  How are you going to cope with it? Eg. You could fall sick. I will have an insurance cover for it.
2. Being creatures of habit we find it hard to easily accept change. Hence we shall attempt to do a few exercises to appreciate this.

• Attempt to write with the other hand than the one you normally use. (Does this make you more responsive to the difficulty of a small child trying to write for the first time ).
• You might be used to having a fixed style of putting your wallet and handkerchief in your trouser pockets. For a week change the pockets in which you keep these paraphelia. (See how disturbed you get.)
• For a week, change the road that you normally take to work. Did you make any new discoveries like a new eatery or lovely tree on this road? (You won’t discover wonders till you are prepared to change.)

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/