This January, when everyone was putting up their list of goals and resolutions for the year, even I took it up as a game and just for fun, scribbled a few goals on one of the FB groups I was part of. Later I completely forgot about it, until a couple of weeks ago when I started collating my writings on to a blog. Suddenly, I realized writing a blog was one of the goals I had set out along with a few other goals. The other one was to double the turnover of the business and I’d done it. If not hundred percent, at least somewhere close. My other two goals(mostly wishes rather than goals) were also fulfilled. I was pleasantly surprised and started to analyze what had helped in achieving them. I also noticed that even earlier, whenever I was able to clearly define my goals, I’d always achieved them. When I started to think, I realized the following 3 points play a very important role in achieving anything. They are:
- Clarity – We always get what we want. The problem is, most of the time we do not know what we want. I always wanted to grow and expand my business; however, I did not know how and kept trying and nothing happened. But the day I decided I’d open a new center and it would be located in Kalyan Nagar and it has to be ready by April 2011, it all happened just like magic and the center was in place by April. Clarity brings us closer to our dreams. Being specific helps. Quantifying our goals and putting deadlines gives us a clear picture of where we are heading to, and helps us to stay focused and direct all our energy to that single unified goal in contrast to going round and round, and not knowing our destination.
- Faith – Absolute faith, trust and belief is required to achieve anything. Even if you have a small amount of doubt/worry, you would actually be driving away the results from reaching you(like attracts like). You need to be absolutely sure of what you are doing, believe in it and have complete faith that it would happen. When I decided to start inlingua 7 years ago, even though I didn’t have the required experience nor the resources to do so, I was absolutely certain that I’d be able to do it. In those few months that I worked on the project, not even for a moment did I ever have any doubts or fears nor worries about anything and it really helped.
- Detachment – Once you define your goals and take action, you need to get completely detached from the results. If you are attached, you are somewhere still concerned, worried and this concern/worry itself would drive away things from happening. Even a little bit of it would also delay the results. The first few years in business, I was very attached to it. It was like my baby and I wanted to make sure, I give my best and somehow make it happen. I was also scared of failure. Then one fine day, I realized this doesn’t work anymore. I needed to let go. I convinced myself that if not this business, I’ll start another one or I’d take up a job or get into something that I love doing, like writing or painting. Just this thought and the new things that I’d planned for myself was so exciting that I completely let go of my attachment to the business and that’s when things started happening. I took more risks, experimented and made a lot of changes(that I was earlier scared of) and lo and behold, magic unfolded.
It’s the same process as when you are planting a mango seed. You are very clear that you need a mango tree and not a apple tree, then you take the seed and plant it knowing absolutely sure that it would grow and give you fruits. Once you plant and water the seed, you get detached from it. You do not go about digging it out every now and then to check if it is growing or not. You are CLEAR what you want, you have absolute FAITH that the seed gives you the fruit and you get DETACHED from the seed and allow it to grow into a tree. Then one fine summer day you get to enjoy the rich harvest from that single seed!
– Savitha Reddy