Being Powerful

There are 34 posts tagged Being Powerful (this is page 1 of 17).

The Blank Slate

Do you ever think about how complex your life has become?

While you chase your dreams and meet the goals you have set, your lives get so confusing, slowly.

The puzzling nature of things goes on, one small step at a time.

I wake up in the morning, check some key business metrics, go for a walk, do some exercise, take bath, eat breakfast, rush to the office and then get involved in diverse activities that I have allowed in my life.

The clutter multiplies.

Who’s the creator of such a cluttered life?

Me.

Who allows so many challenges (read: opportunities, threats, scarcity mindset, fire in the belly to make it happen …) to visit me often?

Me.

It’s because I want to see myself at the apex of what I consider my mountain.

It’s because I still have what is called the scarcity mindset: If I don’t do XYZ thing, I might lose on something important.

It’s because I feel I’m incomplete; it’s because I want to accomplish something; it’s because I want to make a difference.

If our life were a project with a non-negotiable goal to experience it fully, isn’t the clutter that we allow happening a “Scope Crepe”?

We are born into this world to experience our life fully. Anything that prevents us to do that is a scope crepe.

Clutter.

“Should we not chase our dreams? Should we not chase excellence? Should we not cultivate the achiever mindset?”

Don’t ask these questions.

Instead, ask a better one: are we experiencing this very moment without worrying about losing on something important in the future?

No?

All these questions; all these to-dos or not-to-do things; all these wise or silly looking decisions; all these right or wrong things; the complicated mess …

Okay, I want to get rid of this complicated mess but how?

Start with a blank slate.

A blank slate is neither cluttered nor uncluttered. It’s just that – a blank slate. The Blank slate means nothingness. Nothingness has the capability of creating something.

Nothingness is a possibility. A possibility to create an uncluttered life for you if you choose to create it.

A blank slate has limited space. What would you write on it?

For me, I might put some quality time with people who matter to me; traveling to unknown lands; exploring different cultures; long walks along with good friends; creating a state of health that I’m proud of; indulging in the work that gives me joy and continuous learning.

Those are the things that I’d write on my blank slate; because they feel appropriate to me. What would you choose?

Once we’ve figured out what we want to write on our blank slate, we know what makes our life worth living … now we just need to consciously be aware of all what we are doing and ask: “Is this one of the items I would write on my blank slate?”

No?

You know what to do.

The 4 enablers of excellence

We all want to be successful. The excellence, as it turns out, is the vehicle to achieve success.

So what it takes to achieve the success? What are the 4 pillars? What are the four enablers of excellence? Here they go:

  1. Essence: “I chose because that’s how I live my purpose. I’m responsible.” 
  2. Ownership: “I’ll make it happen no matter what.”
  3. Gratitude: “I’m thankful for all what I’ve got. Now let me give something back without expecting anything in return.”
  4. Courage: “If I don’t try, I can’t fail. But then what’s the point? Fear? Sure I do have my share of it. But I choose to feel the fear but do it anyway.”

We were born excellent. Fearless. We had all the above qualities although we did not have the distinction that lets us know that our core is made of pure excellence.

Then they taught us to be obedient. They gave us rules to live by…a sense of right and wrong from the perspective of society. Stories of punishments we will get if we don’t follow the rules became a part of our lives.

What they did not teach us was this understanding: it’s okay to break the rules; it’s okay to create your own rules…and be responsible for what you’ve created!

The result? Mediocre we. Yes, you. And me!

They were none other than our beloved family members, school teachers, elderly people whom we respected in society and alike.

They wanted to see us happy but their understanding of happiness was against bringing the “excellence” out from us.

Their definition of happiness was fulfilled if we get a “secured” job which was predictable enough to raise children, go to Europe tour once or (twice at a maximum) in a lifetime and live an apparently “settled” life.

Now, nothing is wrong with that definition if we are okay with mediocrity. Excellence takes something else.

The choice has always been ours; the choice will always be ours: we can choose to dance on the head of fear and get the sh*t done or let fear dance on top of us.

A choice well made is a choice which we won’t regret on our deathbed. What choice do you want to make?