Determine Your Fulcrum in Life !

Our life comprises of multiple spheres or compartments  such as Work, Home, Friends, Relationships. Attaining holistic well being is about achieving balance in each of the sphere independently and also striking a balance among multiple spheres. It does not take much to create imbalance in life, just an event or a person but it does take a lot (time, energy and effort) to create the balance again and bring life back on track.  

Attaining a balanced life is about determining the right fulcrum

(support)  to live your life completely . Determining our life’s fulcrum is a matter of choice and largely depends on the type of orientation we carry towards our life.  This orientation is nothing else but our disposition towards life and comprises of our attitudes, feelings and actions that guide our life’s movement, either forward or backward.

The 2 possible choices of fulcrum in our lives are  Negativity and  Positivity. Considering that the essence of life is balance, growth and achievement, let’s explore what each of the 2 choices entails for our life.

·         Negativity – In this case the perception gets shrouded with clouds of doubt and criticism which  breeds feelings of inaction and stagnancy. A negative fulcrum in our life would result in

o   Backward movement

o   Dullness and Lethargy

o   Low Self Confidence

o   Living a Purposeless life

o   Abundance of Stress

o   Seeking excuses for inaction

o   Non-achievement of goals

·         Positivity –  In this the perception is laced with rainbow of clarity and hope which breeds feelings of action and movement. A positive fulcrum in our life would result in

o   Forward movement

o   Excitement

o   High Self Confidence

o   A purposeful life

o   Abundance of good health

o   Seeking opportunities to make things happen

o   Achievement of goals

  

So, if we want to move ahead in life and be an achiever, let positivity be the fulcrum of our life ! 

Finding Your Talisman in Life !

Humans never feel satiated with Success, Happiness, Achievement and always want more of it and so the quest to discover our talisman also never ceases because we want more of things we love, enjoy and cherish !

Human history is also replete with instances of many famous people seeking to discover their talisman. Just to mention a couple of them - the Gordion Knot for Alexander, the number 7 or the Swastika symbol for Hitler.

If you believe in talisman then the key to finding your talisman lies in where you look for it. Let’s explore where we can discover out talisman

•   External/ Outward –  Discovering/ Finding your talisman externally/ outwardly would entail dealing with multitude of factors like circumstances, people, situations, objects, etc. which by their very nature are

o   Dynamic and Temporary

o   Out of our “scope of control” and hence cannot be influenced

o   Susceptible to change but cannot be aligned with our belief/ value system

o   Cannot be trusted or relied upon every time and needs to be revisited again and again

Also, there is a very thin line that differentiate a talisman and superstition

·        

•        Internal/ Inward – Discovering/ Finding your talisman internally/ inwardly would entail connecting with our values, belief system, purpose, mission, attitude and more which by their very nature are

o   Personal to us and creates our personality ; this personality is what creates our disposition to the world

o   Permanent through practice

o   Within our “scope of control” and can be altered, influenced to enable us prepare better for the challenges

o   Susceptible to change but can always be aligned with our belief/ value system

o   Can be trusted and relied upon always 

So, identifying your talisman internally or inside you would not only help us bring in consistent forward movement in life but also build up an “internal locus of control” which is so essential for everlasting success in life.

Beautiful thoughts by Mahatma Gandhi

So, go ahead and identify your internal talisman – whether your attitude/ belief system/ passion/ … !

N.B. : The example of Alexander and Hitler cited by me in the article above does not mean to suggest looking outward for talisman but purely a case in point to highlight the importance of talisman in our lives. 

The Art of Achieving Goals !

GOALS are an integral part of our lives and play a catalyst role in our growth and development. By keeping us focused and directed,  they enable us to move forward towards the objectives set by us.

Nothing more can reiterate the importance of goals in our lives better than the fact that to achieve/ accomplish each of us have at some point or the other set goals for ourselves in different spheres of our life (Work, Home, Relationships, Career, etc.). But here lies the irony – very often the goals  established by us to move forward in life never get achieved. There’s something that ails achieving of goals ! It’s  “the inability to make a transition from goal-setting to goal-getting” .

 Mere planning for something would not ensure achieving the attached outcomes unless there is an execution or action. Likewise in case of goals also, there are steps that would help make a smooth transition from goal-setting to goal-getting. Some of the relevant steps are :

·         Getting  rid of the PLACEBO effect – Placebo plays its part in the goal process. They play an enabling role during the process of setting challenging goals but thereafter Placebo effect could only debilitate goal accomplishment process. It may put us into a false state of achievement which may restrict us from taking appropriate action towards our goals. The sooner we get rid of Placebo effect, the earlier we would start on the process of achieving goals.   

·         Setting Goals that are BIG in terms of

o   being holistic in nature, encompassing all the spheres of our life.

o    challenging but achievable. The goals should make us stretch ourselves and push us to limits but within the range of our available resources.

·         Setting up mini-goals to ensure our progress towards your key goal(s).

·         Aligning Goals with the mission and purpose of our lives to ensure that every action and achievement of ours contributes to our identified purpose for living.

·         Inculcating the habit of writing down goals. This would activate the RAS (Reticular Activating System) which would ensure that our brain start focusing on the goals.

·         Internalising our goals through Creative Imagery. Imagining ourself as having already achieved the goal(s) through all our senses make it appear real to our subconscious which helps in taking positive actions.

·         Reinforcing self with positive affirmations whenever we achieve a mini-goal keep us focused on taking necessary actions for accomplishing major/ BIG goals.