Redesign life
World leaders and successful entrepreneurs, artists,
sportsman, actors, scientists play the game of life by nurturing every moment
of this gift of life. If we look at the biography of any leader, there are
elements of adventure, risk, fearlessness, pain, challenge, sacrifice and above
all joy of achievement. They explore their boundaries and rarely stay in their
comfort zone. We often get caught in time warps about the world and ourselves. We
forget to alter our perception of the dynamic changing world of objects and
beings. To keep growing, we need to stay alert to stagnation as well as
opportunities.
Curiosity and wonderment is key to staying alert and
redesigning life. The way we master new information about various objects in
the external world, we can also change perspectives about ourselves by shifting
the subject of curiosity inwards. We view life through our lens of beliefs,
memories and interpretations and write the script of our life. We then allow
that story to define our relationship with the world, shape every decision and
above all control our sense of happiness and freedom. Like any other story, our
life too has a defining theme – Poor me, Let me be, I’m cool, I’m like that
only, I’m the best, I’m no good…….
As a coach, I work with people to restructure their life by
creating new patterns of thinking. For instance, I worked with an executive who
grew up in a fragmented family environment and did not have a secure
upbringing. The feeling of ‘I’m unloved’
was deeply ingrained that every relationship was viewed from this sense of
distrust. This filter impacted communication and personal inter-actions. When
we are young, we need external support and validation, whereas as an adult, we
have the ability to empower ourselves and seek support when required. We also
have the ability to make choices, take decisions, take actions and manage the
consequences. We are no longer helpless or incapable. However, out of sheer
habit, we keep seeking that external validation.
These themes are like movies with sequels. We keep producing
film after film with the same characters and theme and selling it to the world
with a deep desire for people to buy it not once, but repeatedly. The irony is
that we sell the story repeatedly to convince ourselves that we are right to live the way we are living.
While living from one wave of experience after another, we forget to ask
ourselves – ‘who is the author of this script and who has the power to rewrite
the script?’ Become aware and redesign your life.
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only
at death.” Einstein
