Focus on what could be controlled
Thinking about, spending time and energy on things you can't control
as a person puts an unnecessary burden on you and directs your power
towards a dead end. Why should you worry about how bad the global
economy is? You can voice your opinion about it but there is absolutely
nothing you can do about it.
No matter how much you think about it, nothing will change. Take
another example closer to your heart. Why should you spend too much of
your time thinking and talking about the poor performance of our cricket
team against Pakistan in the tournament in Dubai.
You might have a counter argument. Yes, we are a part and parcel of
our country and society so we cannot disconnect ourselves from matters
relevant to us. I do not disagree but all I'm saying is, don't let
external events you have no control over hamper your own performance.
After all you are expected to perform well in your job. You will
create value for yourself and or others only if you keep things you can
control or do something about, your priority.
You mostly worry about uncontrollable events due to lack of
performance or failure of those events. Does your worry help the
situation? Look at the psychological effect on you when you empathise
too much with something that has less relevance to you. Don't you feel
down as well? Where does that feeling take you? Leave your emotions
aside and find a rationale answer.
Focus on a few things
The simpler your life is, the fewer things you need to worry about.
So instead of doing a lot of things, focus on the few things that are
most fulfilling and give you the most return on your time and effort.
You might have made mistakes in the past and be still worrying about
the consequences. Don't let your worry drag you down. Change your
attitude, accept responsibility and move on. You still have a lot of
great things waiting for you, within your purview.
Attitude
Given people's inherent behaviour, it is natural to focus on things
that could go wrong and forget about the many things that have worked
well for you. So it is important to keep your perspective in balance.
It makes you realise that for a thing that goes wrong, there are many
more things that go right if you spend your time and energy on your own
scope of work.
Optimism within controllable parameters is a must. But pure
imagination is a double-edged sword. You can use it to dream big things
and keep your aim very high, but it can also discourage you. I do not
buy the philosophy that anyone can achieve anything in life. But at the
same time not unleashing the full potential to do your best is a waste.
Making the double-edged sword single edged with the right balance has
a greater probability of yielding the desired result.
Have faith
You should focus on things you can control. But what about things you
can't control? What can you do to eliminate worrying about them? The
answer here is faith. You need to believe that everything will go well
no matter how bad it might seem at the beginning. Having faith
eliminates a lot of worries in your life and gives you the attitude to
take better control. It disciplines you and gives you peace of mind. |