Bamboo In The Wind

We are overwhelmed when we find ourselves alone deep into the ocean. We are on a path of no immediate return and are far from calling for help. What if we cannot escape the dangers of a rough, unpredictable deep ocean? The very thought we need to get ourselves out of the lonely sphere is paralyzing.  While the situation is daunting and untenable for our confidence to hold for too long, the real question to ask is what drew us to the deep ocean in the first place. Did we embark on the journey to discover different ways toward our goals and desires?  Did we imagine that no one would ride with us along this path? Or, did we simply not trust the available journeymen in the hope that we had to be on our work and we were self-sufficient? Most things happen in an environment of balancing forces with us as one actor. The best skill to develop is to spot an opportunity to use our resources to find other balancing forces that amplify our effort and not overwhelm us into inaction!

Options are created with prejudice! Our biases influence them, our fears shape them, and our imagination brings the options into reality. Options that work are the ones that take away the burden of being right, the burden of being compliant with the norms, and the burden of being in the race of comparison. Options must pass the test of individual choice that makes a living below our means - most vitally living below our expectations!

What determines we are broad and open-minded is the accommodation of points of view. Points of view belonging to us are vital ones. We rarely realize this, but we are selective about our own points of view.  We like to portray our graciousness regarding our outward gestures and think we are broad-minded.  However, our outward outreach often depends on what it gets us - happiness, status, luxury, or adds to our confidence. We rarely bend backward and make an outward outreach that is gracious when any of these are missing, or we are touching our fears! An open mindset is all about accommodating points of view even in the absence of benefits and even when fear lurks around us!

It is always challenging to make it look easy. Sometimes, you can focus on something other than making it look easy.  Making it look hard might certainly draw momentary attention. Indeed, it can bring the limelight at the moment. That is beside the point. The more important part is how you make the recipient feel! Got the loop to listen, setup?

How much of what we want, really want, is due to ideas that culture has given us. It is a trap that leads to endless how much we truly need!  Culture amplifies similar behavior - both positive and negative. In the process, we lose track of this is what we really want! If we are becoming captives of desires leading to no end to our unhappiness, it is best to rejig our desires fueling our priorities.  It is best to work around the idea of our desires and follow the path that makes sense.  Adopting new ideas, we did not desire might be great for all we know!

Picking yourself up from the match you just lost is not trivial! Dusting off the memory of loss is rarely easy. Reminiscing that you lost gives the comfort that your situation is unique, and all odds are stacked against you. But that is rarely the case. Most people face similar circumstances and meet similar outcomes. What differentiates those stuck in the outcomes from the ones who roar back to confidence is the willingness to understand the reasons for the results.  Those that come out ahead in life and professions often confront the reality of the outcomes with grace rather than bitterness. With introspection rather than comparison. With action rather than procrastination! Positive engagement with adverse outcomes energizes everyone into action.  Try engaging yourself! You will be up and ahead before you know it!

However much we know, there is always something we don't know. We discover that we don't fully understand when we cannot  see the outcomes. The first step is to acknowledge that outcomes result from what we know and the actions we take based on it! Thus it is vital to focus on what we know - to collect information that helps us build our understanding. Building understanding grows our knowledge and provides us ways to apply it in the real world. That is building skills. It is also vital to focus on knowing what we don't know. Then, we can collect information that builds our understanding of our weaknesses. Understanding our weaknesses increases our ability to learn about what we are missing and provides ways to survive when the odds are not in our favor. Focusing on knowing and understanding over time translates into clarity at the base of solid decision-making.

It all depends on the emotional upheaval experienced. The more the emotions, the more irrational the outlook! Then the gravity of the situation appears unfathomable and incomprehensible. On the other hand, the fewer the emotions felt, the lesser the gravity of the situation! Understanding of all events happens from the interpretations of these two ends of the situations spectrum. Bringing them to a converging point in the middle gets the viability of resolving the situation. The viability view of the circumstance is the prime need for defining the problem.  Only then can we know the problem's relevance and embark on solving it. 

It is important to periodically revisit things we are involved in. We tend to think we are doing everything right. The shred of doubt looms on us when, despite doing everything outstanding, success is elusive. Nothing wrong with missing the mark - repeatedly. But it is vital to evaluate what makes us miss the mark.  The relentless pursuit of the reasons and assessment of contributing insufficient mental models is the best investment in developing a chance of forward motion.  Introspection and honesty uncover it.

It is vital. The picture remains hazy  without piecing together the evidence,     Confusion arising from any such haziness lingers until we review the evidence that builds the theory of our vision. Review of factors that are the basis for our understanding and decision making is a great initiative. Often, it is deemed unnecessary, but it can catch errors and assumptions built from our biases. When we are unclear, unassembled the evidence that has built our picture and then relentlessly rebuild the picture!