How to become the man of the match in 2017
Dear Readers,
The year 2016 was a roller coaster ride with unexpected highs and lows. We had the RIO OLYMPICS, the race for presidency in the USA, had to adapt to the collateral damage of the war on BLACK MONEY by the process of demonetisation, surgical strikes and ended the year on a tragic note with southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, facing the cyclone VARDAH, the loss of the lives of soldiers and other talented personalities like Prince, Cho Ramaswamy, Dr J Jayalalithaa, George Michael, etc. My deepest condolences to everyone affected by the loss of lives.
On a personal note, losing my grandfather this year was the most devastating incident for me. But, the learning here is to understand that these UPS and DOWNS are not only a part of life, but what becomes LIFE ITSELF. It adds value to our lives. In my case, my grandfather’s loss has made me take up a resolution which would make him smile down upon me and make him proud. But that’s also taught me one important lesson which I request you all to follow too. Irrespective of how healthy you are, take regular medical checks and keep a tab on your health. That’s the FIRST PRIORITY and a RESOLUTION I’d like you all to take. Just BEING ALIVE doesn’t make sense, LIVE TO THE FULLEST!
So here’s to a fresh HEALTHY start and without further ado,
I wish you all a very happy, prosperous, and blissful New Year. I wish and bless that all your wishes and dreams come true this year onwards. I’m sure many of you might be curious as to what my New Year resolution is. It’s simple, to ensure that everyone else stick to theirs (pun intended).
On a serious note, my resolution for the year 2017 is to ensure that I put in my best efforts and bring smiles to more faces than I did last year and to never let down the people who believe in me. So, the best place to start would be here...
If I have to be metaphorical, a NEW year is often talked about like a NEW chapter of our lives, but, on the contrary it is NOT. It is more like trying to EDIT the earlier chapters of our lives or ensure that we write the remaining chapters better in all aspects. This happens only when we first retrospect and revisit in order to understand what we wrote wrong. We then need to reevaluate whether our thought process, planning and decisions were objective or impulsive, whether it gave us the ideal outcome or results. If it did then I’m your FAN, as I myself couldn’t achieve that. If it didn’t, it’s fine and gives all of us the perfect opportunity to introspect, evaluate, analyse and finally, gear up not to face any more inconveniences in the future. I prefer writing this way, as using words like MISTAKES and FAILURES just don’t VIBE well in my dictionary.
The first thought that I’d like to start our conversation is to appeal to you all to remember that ‘To Err is Human’! If you’re UNHAPPY with yourself, irrespective of the reason, FORGIVE YOURSELF! Denial only makes it worse. We all ultimately reach the phase of ACCEPTANCE as it’s the only way we can move on. But my point here is, WHY WAIT? Which is a BIG WASTE (of time)! Let’s just BOUNCE BACK, pull our socks up and get back on track!
When I say acceptance, there’s another angle to it. It’s not about just accepting the SELF, but OTHERS too. Many might have hurt us or caused discomfort intentionally or unintentionally. Irrespective of why, let’s start the New Year with a clean slate by forgiving everyone and moving on as TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE. Forgiving people also helps remove emotional baggage and facilitates clear thinking which is of utmost importance for our conversation today. Acceptance is the first step, which enables us to pen the remaining chapters of our lives in every dimension WELL.
Just because I say WELL doesn’t mean that we’ll never face CHALLENGES. That’s the THRILL of LIFE. No one said that life was EASY. We LEARN and apply our learnings, we UNLEARN what didn’t help us and RELEARN. This constant experimentation is another part of life that we all HAVE TO ACCEPT. There never was a INSTRUCTION MANUAL to have a PERFECT LIFE and there never will be. Each of our lives are dynamic. If that was the case, we never would have been able to be UNIQUE but rather would’ve been MONOTONOUS ROBOTS. So here’s the second thought... POSITIVE ATTITUDE! Let’s all promise to have an OPEN MIND, as this is the foundation for a positive attitude. Best tip — develop a habit of replacing every WHY? with a WHY NOT? It opens up a NEW HORIZON. This simple habit has proven to be life changing, firstly in my life as well as all my clients’, take my word for it.
The next important step, PLANNING which is dependent on the two aspects I have mentioned above. PLANNING without ACCEPTANCE and A POSITIVE ATTITUDE is like trying to win a marathon with a broken knee. We need to get better to be able to run in the first place, forget winning. It also helps us to have a clear mind which is crucial in the process of planning. We need to ensure that we set REALISTIC GOALS that are genuine, ethical, objective and practical. My advice, take time off today, if you haven’t already, and plan all your resolutions. If your resolutions require elaborate planning, take regular breaks but ensure to remain calm, relaxed, clear and fresh.
100% planning but 0% execution is the most common mistake, which is nothing but PROCRASTINATION. Be it joining the gym or taking up a new course. This year, plan on executing the things you have procrastinated from either from last year or from a long time ago IMMEDIATELY by making it a PRIORITY.
PRIORITISING is the next important aspect. Ensure that you get your priorities RIGHT. One important point here, ensure that you spend enough time with LOVED ONES, NOW! Be it family, friends anybody who you love. You’ll have a harrowing experience later as the guilt of not spending enough time haunts you and repenting takes even longer. Especially elders, like I said earlier ACCEPT that they’re getting older each passing day and won’t live forever. MAKE TIME for the people who matter the most in your life. Here’s another important point, STOP BEING ARTIFICIAL. If you’re not comfortable with someone, depending on who it is, be as open as possible and put across your message in a the most assertive way. When we don’t follow this we start becoming PRETENTIOUS. Once we develop this habit, it’s not long before we tend to develop a tendency to pretend to ourselves too. We pretend that we’re OK, we pretend that we’re strong, etc. This leads to a catastrophe when reality bites. Embrace GENUINENESS and be genuine. Be who you are... not who others want you to be.
Social media and the use of smartphones are the new DRUGS which are being ABUSED today. It is driving us apart even when we’re together. This year, stick to this resolution — give undivided attention, spend meaningful time and curb the use of gadgets when you’re with your loved ones. Making time for loved ones is part of a bigger and more crucial aspect, TIME MANAGEMENT. Ensure to manage your time effectively and efficiently. Make every second count, be it at in work or on your personal front. TIME is the only TRUE LUXURY that can never be bought.
Now comes an even more important point. When you learn to manage time, remember what I said earlier about loved ones and ensure that you have enough time allotted to them. What I’m trying to hint at here is that WORK–LIFE BALANCE is another INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR LIFE.
BALANCE is an aspect that we all need to integrate into our lives at the foundation level. Strike a balance in everything and half our problems will be solved. Balance both MENTAL and PHYSICAL WELLNESS and give equal priority to both. Though, I’ve already mentioned health earlier, I’ll be focusing more on mental wellness. ACCEPT that it’s OK to feel stressed, anxious, low or depressed. We all are human beings and we need support emotionally as we’re all SOCIAL BEINGS. Make time and consult a professional if you feel you need professional guidance. Gone are the days when going to a therapist was a TABOO. Even if it is, why bother? You’re living for yourself, aren’t you? Society is important in our lives, but not what directs our lives.
Society is one aspect which we either take too much into consideration or ignore it to be branded
UNSOCIAL. This year let’s take a different approach. Let our resolutions be to ADD VALUE to the society irrespective of how it treats us. Let us enrich society by helping as many as we can. Let us work towards discouraging corruption, ragging, disrespectful behaviour towards women, etc. Let us strive to bring in strong moral and ethical values, focus on moving away from being MATERIALISTIC towards being more HUMAN and ensure we are all SOCIAL and remove all elements that are ANTI SOCIAL.
Our responsibility to the society again is a part of a bigger responsibility that we all have to fulfill, the one to the NATION. Let’s vouch to be honest, disciplined and supportive citizens and contribute to its development. Let us endure challenges that might cause us experience temporary hardships by being a STRONG, CLOSE KNIT Society. Let us become an example to the world, of how amazing a DIVERSE but UNITED COUNTRY can protect its cultural and moral values and still develop in all aspects.
Finally, the only thing bigger than our nation is the planet that we live in. We, as human beings in the pretense of development have harmed the planet enough. If we continue to do this, we might not have a planet itself to live on. Let us all work together towards improving the environment constantly and consistently. Let us stop using anything that harms our environment and search for better and greener alternatives. If there’s no clean air to breathe, what’s the point in aiming for a Rolls Royce?
I would love to go on, but I realise that too many resolutions are the reason for procrastination. So I’m sure these are enough for an AMAZING START to the year 2017.
If you observe the pattern of our conversation, it starts with ACCEPTANCE and ends with MOTHER EARTH. It starts with ME and ends with WE. Every resolution I’ve asked you to stick to, are like links to a strong chain. Without one, it’s not possible for the other to function. We all have to WORK TOGETHER for the greater good, but we’ll be successful only when we CHANGE ourselves and then progress towards changing the world. Let’s take one step at a time and ensure that we shall never lose our morale and motivation by having each other for support. Let our perseverance be the best example to all.
With Regards,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj, The Coach
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