Bamboo In The Wind

Much of our creative journey happens while we are in conversation with others. Listening to someone else's thoughts gets us going with those of ours. It is as if we have found a vehicle to learn their world. In doing so, we happily start imagining how we would act if we were to share a similar experience. Before long, we stray into areas completely unrelated. We continue to grasp the conversation we are in, even while walking on an independent track that only we know. We converge on the discussion at will, on interruptions, while at other times, we continue traversing our world gaining insights about us, our little world. As if we are soul searching what we must explore and do. When we cannot figure out what we should do, riding on others' thoughts is an excellent way to get into action!

Fear grips us in the throes of inaction. Feeling disoriented, abandoned, shattered, and lonely, we imagine being at no point of return!  Why do we feel so? Fear makes us see our place in our surroundings relative to others. We find ourselves poorly positioned when compared to others. Stumped, behind, needing to play catch up, and ill-equipped.  Until we bottom out of that fear! When we realize there is nothing more damning and damaging than what we are experiencing. In some ways, it is the uncertain starting point of a new race. When this reality hits us, that much is now up to us. That conscious realization gives us a view of the datum of worst-case scenarios. Once we know our ground zero, it gives us the strength to spring back on a path of return! How does one get back on a path of return? Sincerely accepting our situation and admitting the reasons for it. Engaging in the very acts that were scary and we hated to indulge in.  The best part of mustering courage is it th...

Interactions are a privilege. Privilege is earned because someone trusts we will bring our best to them and then, in turn, offer theirs.  Interactions don't last very long when there is no tooth in them.  Unless there is a meaningful exchange of thoughts, opinions, listening, or expressions, there is very little energy for the interaction to carry on. We only realize the importance of engaging and fueling dialogues once we see a dearth. Often, we take it for granted that we will get opportunities for interaction. It comes from the sense of entitlement overpowering us. Clearly, interaction is an earned right. We can rarely demand it at will. Unless we feed the interactions with valuable insights or allow ourselves the time to absorb vitals from them, they lose steam over time. The loss of privilege is damaging because right always sits on the foundation of trust. In the connected economy, transactions are at the forefront of all our dealings. Instantaneous feedbacks, ratings, l...

Upward and onward movement is quite desirable. Everyone wants it. Very few get it. There are mechanics of understanding what contributes to the forward motion. It is the combination of desire or a will followed by a supply of energy that aids in sustaining momentum. Desire or a will comes from within. It is the most vital part of making things progress. Something has to strike a cord internally before our actions become coordinated and our attention becomes fully involved. Supply of energy depends on kick-starters. Some of them come from us, such as building a clean, simple, and easy-to-follow model of what we need to do to get from here to there. We get tremendous energy to bounce back where we can perform activities efficiently, verifiably, and unobstructed. Can there be dampeners even when there are clear plans? Of course, there can be. But then, the recovery from mistakes is fixable with effortless actions.  Rebounding to normalcy requires accepting feedback, returning to the h...

Mountains are perceived as tall, unyielding natural structures. On the other hand, molehills are little bumps formed by ants hauling dirt to create a surmountable pile-up. They are hardly comparable. And yet, we often see that confuses one for the other! Many times we like to think of temporary obstacles in progress as mountains. Unsurmountable and impossible to get past. It is a perspective that develops because avoiding confronting complex matters might badly bruise us. We prefer to bury such issues under the rug of the unwanted section of minds! By doing so, the problem has not gone away. It remains unresolved and alive. Many circumstances can bring situations that can open the issue from under the unconscious.  It takes so much energy to keep it under there, yet we try to avoid confronting it and resolve it once and for all.  That is a mountain made out of a molehill! An unaddressed emotion. A scare, a fear, an anger, a decision, an action that never was dealt with and was...

It is common to set out for great destinations. We embark on a supercharged highway for a smooth ride. Little do we realize that the intended destination is only sometimes the first stop. Often, we make stops that may seem inconsequential. We like to pay no heed to them. They often differ from the ones we expect to inspect as potential destinations. If we look back, many great journeys happen because of our experiences during the stops along the way. It is rarely just the memory of a flamboyant destination. It is about experiences that weave into an incredible journey. These innocuous-looking spots give us a glimpse of where you are and who you are with. It lets us experience what you do in the short span that you are there. It makes us curious about what lies ahead, and further lures us. Most things in work and life are built upon unmissable learnings we receive at most unexpected parts of what we set out to do. All we need is to be present and open to every stop, regardless of whethe...

There are a few things that drive what happens to us. We have a system of determining truths; We have a system of engineering our actions; And, We have a system of what we actually do based on these two. The first system is the belief system. It places a picture of our reality through a tiny time window through which we absorb all our experiences. And, through a high-speed network wired to our brains, we make sense of the truth we have absorbed.  The thing about a belief system is its DNA can be rigid. The first experience of the world develops an image of the actual or false nature of what we just experienced. We extrapolate from our past experiences.  The repeat experience helps amplify our belief or reject it based on how cemented our version of the faith is. It reflects the difference between the two mindsets. Closed mindset or Open mindset. The second one is a system of engineering our actions is a value system. The value system reflects what we actually want and must do....

It is easier to place our judgment about things in a positive light or otherwise. We take a clear position by placing our opinions rather than being on the fence. Often being judgemental puts our emotional bias as our honest opinion. Being judgemental can be a quick response and make us feel like we have provided valuable contributions, but often it results in a tilted view of how we think about things. It has the potential to create a clear yet unfavorable instinctual bias. It has the scrutiny of facts. On the other hand, Discernment focuses on understanding the line of opinions and the reasons for having those opinions. It emphasizes looking at evidence from factual information. Thus it leaves doors open to change our minds based on a well-rounded understanding of facts. Discernment allows us to develop a balanced view of the situation and has the edge over spur-of-the-moment reactions drawn from being judgemental. When we deploy an ability to discern, we demonstrate care for underst...

Have you ever realized mistakes quickly catch our full attention? They do because mistakes create an impact in the form of a lack of progress and disappointment. We rarely want to be seen as regressing and yet still be happy. And thus, mistakes make us sharply focus on what is wrong. However, when it catches our attention, there are possible reactions.  1. We unabashedly try to hide our mistakes because they create embarrassment and shame.  The inclination is to brush aside acts that create such emotions and make every attempt to show control of the outcome with no responsibility for it on our shoulders. Make it look like not our doing, or blame it as a silly slip-up. Both ways, we protect our skin despite being responsible for mistakes and outcomes! People will see through your attempt to defend your self-image and will learn to stay away from you. 2. We own up to the mistake. We assess the actions that triggered the outcome and learn how they could have been avoided. It requ...

When life knocks us down, it can look like a terrifying path of no return! We freeze in action, feel low, and don't find a way out of the endless spiral of hopelessness.  What exacerbates this feeling is that no one can help and understand our plight. We find the world around us simply walking on while trapped in the most difficult. We are lonely and tempted to fight our battles alone! Contrary to how we feel, that is usually different. The world around us is exceptional and competent enough to notice our problems. People around us have a wealth of experience and initiative to show us that life is full of ups and downs, success and failure, and acceptable and unacceptable. We simply need to listen to what is coming our way! We learn setbacks are followed by comebacks! If we care to ask or listen to those who care, we will understand ways to weave emotional experiences into a rewarding string of comeback actions. This change of thought that we can overcome difficulties is where a re...