In this new series of blog posts, I have decided to share some insights about being inspired and motivated in things that you do - mundane or one off. Here I fire my first salvo. Enjoy!
Take the bull by its horns
According to usingenglish.com –
Taking a bull by its horns would be the most direct but also the most dangerous way to try to compete with such an animal. When we use the phrase in everyday talk, we mean that the person we are talking about tackles their problems directly and is not worried about any risks involved.
Often in life we come across situations that we have never encountered before. Things we have been always wanting to do, but for some reason, were unable to do. Tasks we always wanted to perform but were unable to do. The reasons for not having done such things may vary from your dog being ill to you being tied down to the social stigma attached with performing such an activity. It can be absolutely anything! Think of anything that is bizarre or stupid or insane or outrageous and that could serve as a good enough reason for you to not do what you have been longing to do. ALL YOUR LIFE! But do you realize that deep inside the fear of not having done that thing in your life grows to the point of making you insecure and bogged down? Does the abstinence truly pay off?
What I truly believe (and have realized over the past few days) is that the world anyways exists, with or without you. Your absence, temporary or permanent, may affect a 'close ones' in your life but then, that’s about it. Your absence in your job may affect your coworkers to a certain extent, but beyond a certain point, it certainly affects no one at your workplace as well. As Narayan Murthy, one of the founders of Infosys, famously said, "Always remember, you are not married to your company and that you are perfectly replaceable." If this does not serve as a wakeup call to you, what does?
Do that one thing you always wanted to you. Break away from your mundane activities, activities that you do for the sake of pleasing people around you - for your boss, your family, your friends, your uncaring coworkers and do something for yourself. I just stumbled upon this thought once I was strolling in my garden - "If you are perfectly replaceable, you might as well spend some time doing something that makes you feel good, in harmony with yourself, your true self." And thats when I decided to take up the Yoga class, something I had dreaded all my life. And guess what? I feel alive again. Brimming with positive energy to share and rejoice.
For you, that one thing could be anything or perhaps, many things. It could be going out for an adventure sport workshop; it could be taking up Taekwondo classes, it walking through the slums of Mumbai and meeting those people. It could be absolutely ANYTHING! I read a wonderful quote on my Team Lead's desk - "If not now then when? If not us, then who?" As Katrina Kaif says to Hritik in ZNMD(one of my personal favorite movies this year) "Seize the day my friend! Kal kya ho kisne dekha?" The more you try to postpone things, the more your fear of facing them increases, thereby inducing more reluctance in you. It’s very cyclic, isn’t it?
So now is the time for you to take up that challenging role, that journey you had always wanted to undertake, that path you were always afraid to trod, that feeling you had always wanted to express. Go scuba diving in Lakshwadeep(if you are a hydrophobiac like me), go bungee jumping in Rishikesh, mountain rappelling in Uttaranchal(if you are an acrophobiac), water rafting in Haridwar, immerse yourself in the serenity of Kerala, start a Travel Guide blog, visit a wildlife sanctuary, travel in a bullock cart in one of the villages in India, explore the unexplored, meet new people, make new friends. Do just about everything you wanted to do. 'Cos if there’s any time to do it, it is NOW!
So take the bull by its horns!
GET…SET…GO...
