If we are undertaking a journey by road, we would consult a roadmap. Life works in the same way. We can wander along knowing for sure where we are going or we can set goals and develop plans.
They may not guarantee a smooth trip but they will indicate the right direction to travel. Without them, Iife is like getting lost on a freeway. We can go around in circles without getting anywhere.Some people hesitate to set goals. One version is that it is better not to have any goals and be pleasantly surprised when good things happen. It is better than setting goals and not able to reach them.
It is common that man thinks that only good things will happen. Rarely people fail to reach a goal after setting them in the beginning. If they don't reach the goals, of course, there will be disappointment. One can wander along never knowing for sure where we reach or we can set goals and develop plans.
Naturally, each day we live gives birth to the next: we all live for the present because the future is uncertain. Even if we write down what will happen a decade hence, it does not happen that way because we change so much along with the world.
It is, therefore, important that we make short-term goals and long-term goals. The advantage is that we can see the progress we make as we travel ahead in life. Each day, that we live is followed by another day until suddenly we have a lifetime behind us.
The fascinating part of getting older is that our goals become clearer and more complex. We can relax a little after the first goal is achieved before setting the next one. We can challenge people more as we love them more. We can forgive ourselves more often as we constantly push ourselves to greater heights. Each day of a lifetime is new and each day is a foundation and a step. We are all writing the story of our life everyday that we live. Some are short stories and others are novels because we add imaginary things to make the story interesting !
Anything works in life if we are willing to take risks. While in the police, it was all risk whether it was crime or law and order. When I came out of a crisis. I used to feel exhilarated because of the feeling that I have achieved something.
It happens in all trades and professions and that perhaps is the thrill and excitement we go through !In a study of about many managers, authors, psychologists of different universities, it is found that leaders who faced stress with a positive attitude of challenge, commitment and control, remained much healthier than their pessimistic counterparts. A positive attitude can slowdown the aging process.
Optimists suffered less from degenerative disorders, lived longer, healthier lives than did their pessimistic peers. I have seen a woman running her 100th marathon, trim, attractive, vibrant in her seventies. Some people look aged 50 when they are 70 and the secret is optimism.
The two defining aspects of human nature are being reasonable and light hearted, being able to reason and laugh. Laughter is a powerful coping tool in our lives.
Laughter is healing. Some people read comic stories, see comic movies and perceive the lighter side of life. A sense of humour allows us to shift perspective enabling us to distance ourselves from stress, regain equilibrium and discern solutions to solve problems. Psychologists say that humour snaps open our minds stabilising our emotion. Abraham Lincoln once said "If ever I met someone uglier than me, I will shoot the wretch and put him out of his misery".
Some wiseman said, "Life is not a risk, life is not a duty, life is a glorious adventure." A Chinese philosopher tells a story of a man who makes accurate arrows and another an exceptional bow.
Each man praises the excellence of his creation but accomplishes no more until the master archer showed them how to use the bow and arrow together to hit any target. The Japanese distinguish between heaven and hell, saying that hell is a vision of suffering and frustration, heaven is a vision of delight !A leader is one who can convert a problem into an opportunity. He is able to figure out multiple ways to get to the destination. A pessimist sees a problem as a roadblock, wrings his hands in despair and stands where he is without doing anything. W Edward Deming, the man who brought Total Quality Management to postwar Japan said, "Improve constantly and forever every process of planning, prevention and service.”
The Japanese translated that into KAIZEN, a philosophy of constant improvement. Continuous growth is affirmation of human spirit. Who knows what lies below the surface!
(The writer is a columnist bases at Khordha. Mob: 6370675562)