Purposeful Pursuits
Success is the product of skill, hard-work, perseverance, and good fortune. It is not easy to allocate percentages to these constituents because it varies with situation. Some people, groups, and organisations get a taste of success early, while others tend to attain desired results over time. Struggle is part of life and when due attention is given to processes, iteration leads to eradication of shortcomings.
Growth is life. It brings prosperity to individuals, organisations, communities, and nation. An individual cannot grow in isolation. Good work may have brought wealth at a personal level, but it was only possible when actions and thoughts were applied for common good. Ideas give birth to products and services. Some ideas may seem like they came to us readymade, but it is seldom the case.
As we have been observing the world around us, since early childhood and continually in our adult life, we must have knowingly and unknowingly observed application of human, animal and mechanical skills. When all this information is passively stored in our brain, it can trigger a thought which can then lead towards a new idea or better way of doing an existing activity.
Solutions for a Better World
Problem solving and improving procedures is the biggest strength of humans. All living beings have evolved and adapted to their environment – whether it is safeguarding against predators or growing food. Early humans roamed around in search of food and shelter. Loss of life due to hunger or being hunted by an animal must have triggered a thought to develop sharp weapons and try to grow food. Staying at one place has its benefits. Spare time led our ancestors to sit and think about expansion and growth.
Subsequently, democracy as we know it now, came in to being because people realised that concentration of power should be safeguarded by rules. Competence and consensus were hailed as prerequisites for being chosen as a leader. Why does democracy lead to growth? It is because we have seen in the past that concentration of power with select few leads to favouritism and abuse of position. Our forefathers must have gone through hardships as they would have wanted a more just and equitable life. All this was possible because they were constantly engaged in improving life after factoring prevailing situation. Had they not applied themselves, we would be living in a completely different world. Thanks to them, we have different issues to tackle.
Learning Through Action
After attaining theoretical knowledge and getting a primer on practical application, it is time to step into the real world. It helps if you can get humble and collaborative mentors. Even if the situation is not conducive to growth and success, you must be self-motivated to fructify every opportunity. Do you remember learning things as a child? It must not have been a cakewalk to learn how to swim and cycle. Transitioning from plain text to cursive writing must have taken time. We were always doing some part of it correctly, but not entirely. Consolidating our strengths and giving special attention to weaknesses helped us overcome obstacles. Many other first-time activities which later became part of our instinct would have looked impossible, but eventually by overcoming fear and apprehension we nailed it.
The Butterfly Effect
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect means a small change in starting conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes. Understanding the butterfly effect can give us a new lens through which to view business, markets, and more.
Just let go of all the preconceived notions and invest time to get better at things or learn a completely new skill. If you are occupied with a full-time job, entrepreneurial venture or have family commitments, then spread the learning period to accommodate primary engagements. There are one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week, and all that you need is a couple of dedicated hours to get better in small increments.
Graphical Representation of ‘The Butterfly Effect’
Getting better at things improves self-esteem and confidence. As we start feeling better about ourselves, this renewed belief reflects in our actions and speech. We sound more assuring and all this can enhance capability. Once we can execute our responsibilities with efficiency, it will lead to recognition. Appreciation from colleagues, partners, parents, spouse, employers, or friends will come in various ways. In aggregate, it has the potential to improve our emotional and financial well-being; everything else follows.
Books have been written by management gurus, journalists, scholars, and entrepreneurs, but even after all this information in public domain there is no template for success. With passage of time an idea or solution to a problem may become ineffective and outdated. It is after hitting such a roadblock, individual or collective ingenuity saves the day. Successful experiments become part of folklore and are later communicated in testimonials. If a course of action falls short of expectations, then a careful dissection will aid in letting go of unnecessary actions.
If All Else Fails
Occasionally, we may have to adopt a clean slate approach, where a fresh beginning is made, and the problem is analysed with new dimensions. We reach this point of reboot after experiencing the results of previous actions. There is no harm in pressing the restart button, but there can be certain failure if the problem is not diagnosed.