Reach for the skies, Atom Ant!

Akshat has asked me a couple of questions. Frankly, I was quite humbled that he asked me; these were important questions. On the other hand, the fact that he asked me these questions might mean that he doesn't underestimate me as much I do myself. 

Anyways, enough digression...

“Professionally speaking, how do I figure out what I should be doing right now to reach where I want to be? How do I figure out if I am doing the best I can?”

TL; DR

For the first question:

• First, identify where you want to reach and in how much time
• What you should be doing right now is to keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to take you where you want reach
• You should be an exceptional performer wherever you are right now. Many a times, just doing that opens up many avenues and one or some of them may take you to your destination. But mostly, it keeps you in the habit of performing better and better continuously, and  you need that to reach your goal(s)
• You should be experiencing success – small or big – on a continuous basis to understand that, generally, you are making the right moves
• If you are not moving ahead, you are slipping backwards. Professionally speaking, there is no third state of existence

For the second question:

• You have to be harsh about analysis of your performance if you want to get anywhere, which means believing that -
• There is only one best – the “Generic” best. And that is dynamic. Your personal best is of no consequence if it is not the generic best
• On a less harsh level, if your efforts are yielding you the desired results, you are doing the best required to get the result. However, is that the best you can be? Visit points 1 & 2 above
• Introspect. The more you do, the better you get at it. The better you get at it, the clearer you will be in your thoughts and therefore, the resultant actions. This helps one to perform better

The looonnnggg answer!

The first step is to be clear about “where” you want to be. Do you wish to be very rich? Do you wish to have the ‘perfect’ work-life balance? Are you someone who aches to be in command, even if it is at the cost of some money or the glamour of working in a very big company? Or are you someone who craves for that look in people’s eyes when you say you work with XYZ Inc.? Do you prefer working in smaller teams where you shine as a star, or do you want to head departments and perform on a bigger stage?

Hidden in the point of “where” is the time factor. How long are you willing to give yourself to reach “where I want to be”?

In my opinion, today is where you wanted to be sometime back. Have you today reached where you wanted to be some time ago? If yes, then you don’t need to worry as you are taking correct decisions and steps in the right direction. The funny thing about decisions and actions is that they improve with time and practice. So if your past actions have been in the right direction, you just need to fine-tune your decision-making process continually to make the best out of life.

If today, you are not where you wanted to be some time ago, then you should look back and analyze what went wrong. In all likelihood, you’ll discover that you hadn’t “thought things through” or “the circumstances were such”.

Here’s what I propose – be most harsh on yourself and analyze wherever you’ve gone wrong in the past. Don’t wallow in self-pity.

Believe that “circumstances were such” is NOT a reason for failure and that it is your doing.

Honestly speaking, there is no particular process-chart or method through which this question can be answered correctly. I don’t believe there is a unique “correct” answer to this question. This is an example of what the Sanskrit and Hindi texts call “Mrig Trishna”. Let me share a small anecdote with you –

In the times and during exile of Lord Rama, there was this mystical deer that was very attracted to a particular fragrance and used to follow its trail wherever it thought the scent emanated from. Ironically, the fragrance was produced by a gland in its belly, unknown to the poor creature!

The fire is within you. Just don’t let it simmer down. That’s half the battle won. The other half is won by keeping an active watch for any opportunities that might knock anytime, anywhere. Don’t hesitate when the time to jump comes. This is easier said than done. Then again, this is the difference between those who made it and those who almost did.

As for the second question about how to figure out whether you are doing the best you can, I have a slightly different take.

What you have done, what you are doing or what you are able to do right now is your current “best”, if you want to call it that. “Best”, in my book, is a dynamic concept. And let’s face it, whatever we deem to be our “best” today is actually not the “best”, generically speaking. I want to be the generic best. Hence, my “current best” is of no use. Ergo, work harder each day to become better than yesterday.

I start each day with the belief that I can do better today than in the past, and end each day thinking I was better in the past than the day gone today. I use this thought as a positive reinforcement. 

Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost.....!