It seemed an impossible task, trying to jump across the barbed fence that was a
little more than half of his own height. Retracing his steps, he took a run up
to the fence once again, but only to abort his attempt as he approached the
fence. These attempts were leading to nowhere and were now beginning to make him
increasingly frustrated and despondent. Eventually, he took out his wallet and
threw it over the fence. He deliberately forced himself to a point of no return,
as he severed options that might lead to his not jumping over the
fence.
Often, our anxiety and sense of insecurity forces us to keep alternatives. We usually have a plan B, C and D to every plan A, as a kind of insurance against possible failure of plan A. But this very insurance may sometimes blunt the efforts to make plan A successful. We read about the 'rags to riches' stories of people who overcame tremendous odds to rise from the brink of total destruction. The desire to succeed gets amplified in inverse proportion to available options. The 'no-other-option' mindset now becomes a matter of survival.
''Action and reaction are equal and opposite,'' states a fundamental law of motion. When the forces against are perceived as potential threat to one's survival, the reaction generated is also one that matches these forces. Do we really strive to do our best in every endeavour of ours? Is it necessary for circumstances to push us to a point of no return to get the best out of us? In the Gita, Krishna spoke of doing one's best with no regard to the outcome. Pushed to the limits, one is scarcely obsessed with the outcome as what remains is merely the instinct to survive.
Then the success of all endeavours is relegated to becoming just a by-product of one's efforts. The strength of one's efforts lies in one's conviction in self-capacity. Self-confidence ought to, ideally, surpass one's faith in any other, be it a deity or person. Embarking on anything new involves exiting one's comfort zone for this zone becomes bondage. It raises imaginary fears of failure that stymie the will to rise and go forward. Most success stories have an element of acting on strong impulse (sometimes labelled foolhardiness).
Yet, these very stories are also coupled with a strong self-belief and a never-say-die attitude. Problems are part perception, largely self-doubt and a bit of reality. That is why a problem to one person manifests itself as opportunity to another. Necessity is the mother of invention. This obsession spots the obvious where conformism and comfort blind conventional vision. Leaving oneself no escape route requires immense courage and conviction. Having a plan B is what wisdom would suggest, but wisdom is the luxury afforded to the comfort zone.
Security eliminates the thrill of going all out and blunts the cutting edge of effort. The paradox of a no-alternative mindset is that it opens up alternatives within us. We become aware of facets within that we never knew existed. This helps develop a lateral thinking ability and raises the bar of our own abilities. Hence adversity often stimulates growth. And there is the contribution by the limitless universe as we tread on this path of no return. Serendipity and help from unexpected quarters are nature's way of rewarding courage and conviction to the traveller who chooses to take the plunge.
Often, our anxiety and sense of insecurity forces us to keep alternatives. We usually have a plan B, C and D to every plan A, as a kind of insurance against possible failure of plan A. But this very insurance may sometimes blunt the efforts to make plan A successful. We read about the 'rags to riches' stories of people who overcame tremendous odds to rise from the brink of total destruction. The desire to succeed gets amplified in inverse proportion to available options. The 'no-other-option' mindset now becomes a matter of survival.
''Action and reaction are equal and opposite,'' states a fundamental law of motion. When the forces against are perceived as potential threat to one's survival, the reaction generated is also one that matches these forces. Do we really strive to do our best in every endeavour of ours? Is it necessary for circumstances to push us to a point of no return to get the best out of us? In the Gita, Krishna spoke of doing one's best with no regard to the outcome. Pushed to the limits, one is scarcely obsessed with the outcome as what remains is merely the instinct to survive.
Then the success of all endeavours is relegated to becoming just a by-product of one's efforts. The strength of one's efforts lies in one's conviction in self-capacity. Self-confidence ought to, ideally, surpass one's faith in any other, be it a deity or person. Embarking on anything new involves exiting one's comfort zone for this zone becomes bondage. It raises imaginary fears of failure that stymie the will to rise and go forward. Most success stories have an element of acting on strong impulse (sometimes labelled foolhardiness).
Yet, these very stories are also coupled with a strong self-belief and a never-say-die attitude. Problems are part perception, largely self-doubt and a bit of reality. That is why a problem to one person manifests itself as opportunity to another. Necessity is the mother of invention. This obsession spots the obvious where conformism and comfort blind conventional vision. Leaving oneself no escape route requires immense courage and conviction. Having a plan B is what wisdom would suggest, but wisdom is the luxury afforded to the comfort zone.
Security eliminates the thrill of going all out and blunts the cutting edge of effort. The paradox of a no-alternative mindset is that it opens up alternatives within us. We become aware of facets within that we never knew existed. This helps develop a lateral thinking ability and raises the bar of our own abilities. Hence adversity often stimulates growth. And there is the contribution by the limitless universe as we tread on this path of no return. Serendipity and help from unexpected quarters are nature's way of rewarding courage and conviction to the traveller who chooses to take the plunge.
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