How many times has it happened that life offered you two paths to choose from and you
took the one most people traveled by, for you had no reason to doubt their collective
wisdom. Our choices are often influenced by what majority seem to be doing. This
behaviour stems from a combination of a) Reluctance to work hard b) Inadequate self
belief c) Need for approval.
We have been taught not to pay much heed to the heart, as apparently it is the head which makes the wiser choice. But is the wise choice really the best choice for an individual or does he need to delve deep into himself and figure out what is it that really defines him?
Making the right choice is not just about blindly following your heart; instead it is a point of intersection of your passions, aspirations and competence. One has to have enough passion for the field he wants to get into. Being passionate means one should have gone deep into the subject. He should have a good working knowledge of that subject and not mere love for it.
A hobby is one which fills your heart with joy while you are involved in it. A passion is all consuming; it keeps you engaged at more than one level i.e. physically mentally and emotionally. An aspiration is one where you align everything in your life around the goal you strive to achieve. It is when you have a burning desire to fulfill your passion.
A person who sketches well, if sketches in his free time, it is his hobby which he is
pursuing. If the art of sketching intrigues him and he tries to learn some techniques and brings about innovation in his form of sketching by learning these new techniques, then one can safely say that he is passionate about the art. Moreover, if he is ready to accept the pros and cons of sketching as a profession offers and takes steps for making it his career; it means he aspires to become an artist.
All said and done, if you do not have the competence required to fulfill your dream, then a reality check needs to be done and the fact needs to be accepted with grace. If there is a competence gap, it needs to be filled over time.
Then comes the part of what happens when taking all the above three components you
jump into the world and engage with reality. Does life bog you down or are you able to get up and demonstrate resilience. For example, choosing to become an artist is a ‘hard choice’ to make. How do you deal with initial phase of criticism and rejection? If you have enough of self belief, you will be able to survive the negative pulls.
One who makes the hard choice has an internal measure of success. His locus of control is intrinsic. He has the ability to take risks and break away from the ‘status quo’. The world does not decide the meaning of success for him. He does. His worth in his own eyes is more important that the external rewards like social status and prestige. When Mohan Bhargava in the movie ‘Swades’ returns to India to meet his nanny and decides to stay back and contribute towards the village’s development, forsaking the lucrative job at NASA; it is his inner calling that he is listening to. Making the hard choice doesn’t come easy. One has to pay the price for it- it invariably entails giving up on the comfort and security that the herd choice offers, also it means having the maturity to make a mental shift when the reality demands you to rethink the goals you have defined for yourself.
So, remember to make the choice which when looked back upon, doesn’t invoke regret or
a sense of emptiness, of not having done something worthwhile in life. At least give your self a chance, that way you would only be fair to yourself.
The joy of making the hard choice comes out poignantly in the well known poem by
Robert Frost
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference’.
wisdom. Our choices are often influenced by what majority seem to be doing. This
behaviour stems from a combination of a) Reluctance to work hard b) Inadequate self
belief c) Need for approval.
We have been taught not to pay much heed to the heart, as apparently it is the head which makes the wiser choice. But is the wise choice really the best choice for an individual or does he need to delve deep into himself and figure out what is it that really defines him?
Making the right choice is not just about blindly following your heart; instead it is a point of intersection of your passions, aspirations and competence. One has to have enough passion for the field he wants to get into. Being passionate means one should have gone deep into the subject. He should have a good working knowledge of that subject and not mere love for it.
A hobby is one which fills your heart with joy while you are involved in it. A passion is all consuming; it keeps you engaged at more than one level i.e. physically mentally and emotionally. An aspiration is one where you align everything in your life around the goal you strive to achieve. It is when you have a burning desire to fulfill your passion.
A person who sketches well, if sketches in his free time, it is his hobby which he is
pursuing. If the art of sketching intrigues him and he tries to learn some techniques and brings about innovation in his form of sketching by learning these new techniques, then one can safely say that he is passionate about the art. Moreover, if he is ready to accept the pros and cons of sketching as a profession offers and takes steps for making it his career; it means he aspires to become an artist.
All said and done, if you do not have the competence required to fulfill your dream, then a reality check needs to be done and the fact needs to be accepted with grace. If there is a competence gap, it needs to be filled over time.
Then comes the part of what happens when taking all the above three components you
jump into the world and engage with reality. Does life bog you down or are you able to get up and demonstrate resilience. For example, choosing to become an artist is a ‘hard choice’ to make. How do you deal with initial phase of criticism and rejection? If you have enough of self belief, you will be able to survive the negative pulls.
One who makes the hard choice has an internal measure of success. His locus of control is intrinsic. He has the ability to take risks and break away from the ‘status quo’. The world does not decide the meaning of success for him. He does. His worth in his own eyes is more important that the external rewards like social status and prestige. When Mohan Bhargava in the movie ‘Swades’ returns to India to meet his nanny and decides to stay back and contribute towards the village’s development, forsaking the lucrative job at NASA; it is his inner calling that he is listening to. Making the hard choice doesn’t come easy. One has to pay the price for it- it invariably entails giving up on the comfort and security that the herd choice offers, also it means having the maturity to make a mental shift when the reality demands you to rethink the goals you have defined for yourself.
So, remember to make the choice which when looked back upon, doesn’t invoke regret or
a sense of emptiness, of not having done something worthwhile in life. At least give your self a chance, that way you would only be fair to yourself.
The joy of making the hard choice comes out poignantly in the well known poem by
Robert Frost
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference’.
