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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Finding our Catalyst

Must say I am tired. Of toeing the line when it comes to societal expectations.My mother would always tell me that I should focus on chartering my own course of happiness.And the only thing we should bear in mind is to be absolutely honest. To others. And more importantly, ourselves.

That's where most of us go wrong. We succumb to what we think are external forces and expectations and lead a life that is a compromise at best and a sacrifice at worst, for some. Till oneday we rear our heads up with a new found strength and say Whoa! Enough!Maybe we don't know where to find this strength.

We don't need to look further. The strength is within us. We have the power to move mountains. Just that at times we seek a catalyst to spark off the fire in us. The catalyst could be anyone or anything- a new relationship, a new job or passion, travel, solitude,a friend, a colleague, a boss, a client.

Catalysts spark off energy that lies dormant and rejuvenates. It changes or reveals a perspective that we have been looking for and helps us resume our journey of life. With new found vigour. With a catalyst, we don't have fear. Of external pressures.Or internal misgivings.

How do we find catalysts? Actually we don't. Most times catalysts come our way because of our own determination. We create or discover them. By not giving up our dreams. By not giving up hope and belief. In life. And once they spark us off, life takes on a new meaning.

Writing on the Wall

In today's world of communication, social media, new expression tools, one often tends to overlook the power of the unsaid. We are so obsessed with talking and outshouting and competing that sometimes we fail to see the writing on the wall.

We need to see these writings. At work, in the family, in relationships. While invisible, the writings on the wall send out strong signals. We just have to learn to be receptive.

Often we hear about big business losses and witch hunts that follow. A post mortem often reveals that signals had already been floating around for months before the axing. We just choose to ignore or failed to respond.

Relationships break because we are blind to these writings.

So are writings on the wall prophetic? Maybe yes in a way. For they predict something in the future. Whether it is marketing or relationships or workplace, we have to learn being sensitive to these writings.

The best way to address this is to be aware of what is unsaid. We have to stop going by what we heard, what we saw, what we observed alone and learn to decode what is left unsaid."We are not happy with the way things are going" can start off as a casual comment over a regular coffee meeting but can assume gigantic proportions if we don't act on time. Or " Ooops I forgot that today is our anniversary " can at times be more than just a temporary memory failing.

At the workplace,the best way to read and respond to signs is to act and not wait.
Ask, start a dialogue, understand issues, pursue, change , show passion, interest, respond ... these are some of the ways in which we can address what may lie in the offing.

Same principles apply to life and relationships as well.

Finally, I read this wonderful quote- “Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.”