The soul that has no established aim loses itself. Michel de Montaigne
The biggest problem that people face is a troubled mind. Sometimes they are sad, other times worried, occasionally they are angry, then there are times when they are fearful, often they are lonely and most times they are simply aimless and frustrated. In fact most times the soul is restless because it is drifting around aimless and frustrated and as a result, the natural tendency is to lapse into a poor me syndrome. Thereafter it is simply a matter of choosing the theme to mop around on and wallowing in misery. When we are aimless there is no motivation and definitely no goal that we have to aim for and this results in a complete confusion and consequentially translates into frustration.
Why does one become aimless is a moot question that defies easy answers. The major reason is our own lack of any worthwhile ambition which is partly because of our casualness and largely because we do not really understand our own strengths and the immense possibilities within us. Then there are so many competing interests that we are passionate about, that we find it hard to make up our mind and perhaps find it difficult to commit to the rigors of those disciplines. E.g at a point we may want to be a writer and at the same time when we see the success of cricketers we want to pursue that. Then there is our own limitations and weakness that impede us from focusing on a goal. These could include wanting quick money, instant fame, parental expectations, peer pressure etc.
So how does one attempt to ensure that the soul has the right aim and focus? It is imperative that we have some value systems and tangible beliefs, if we have to establish an aim in our life. Unless we are anchored to some firm values and aspirations our aim can never be steady. It could be religious values, it could be personal values or it could be acquired values from the examples of others but we must have some values to hold on to. Using these values as the fulcrum, we can explore the possibilities of zooming in to deciding on our goal. We can have a major guiding principle like some fixed values systems that govern our thoughts, deeds and actions and our goals can then be developed around it. It is equally important that we be aware of our personal weakness and limitations so that we can factor these in when firming up our goals. E.g if we have a short temper or have a tendency to be too critical then we need to know that being a customer care executive or a marketing man would not be a very apt choice for our professional life.
By having something to anchor our life, we ensure that we are never adrift in the sea of life. It is when we take life casually, treat opportunities carelessly and meander around like cows and sheep in a pasture then we are setting ourselves up for trouble. Life passes by swiftly and suddenly we wake up to the terrible realization that we have no clue about the way forward. This is when many people give up hope, turn recluse, become cynical and worst of all experience terrible loneliness and suicidal tendencies. With an aim in front we proceed with focus, work with ambition and experience the joys of life fully and completely.
Remember: “The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” Henry Miller
Try this:
- Jot down the following
- You long term career goal
- Your personal goals for your own self satisfaction
- Your goal as a committed citizen of this country
- Your one value system you will never compromise on
- Your commitment to a social cause
- Assume that you are really concerned about the dwindling tiger population in the world. Outline the various proactive steps you would take to actively contribute to this cause. Implement at least one of these and ensure it is not a very simplistic thing like merely forwarding links about the problem, on various social networking sites or by email.
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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