Could Have and Should Have

When you were young, you might have wished that you should become a painter, a poet, a sculptor, a journalist, or an architect. Or, you might have had a passion and wanted to pursue it. But due to various reasons, you might not have pursued your desire. You may now be working for a company but may perhaps not be satisfied with the 9 to 5 grind because you are asked to do the same work day in and day out. Therefore, you may very frequently think that you could have and should have gone after your desire so you are not in a situation in which you are spending days and nights of regrets.

Studies reveal that there are more number of people who nurture such regrets than one can imagine. Most notably, it is the fear of risk that generally prevents people from taking a plunge in the field in which they have interest. If you are one among such a group of people, you are also risk-averse like them. Experts advise that everyone should analyze risks before deciding not to pursue the desires they have been nurturing. Let us find out more on this.

Unreal risks

Most of the risks people are afraid of are simple narratives that get created in their heads. This means that these risks are not real at all. 

Real risks

Of course, there may be a few tangible risks as well and so, they are real. Therefore, it becomes imperative that you need to analyze them thoroughly before deciding whether to take a  plunge or not. 

The fact is that regardless of whether the risks are unreal or real, they might have stopped you on your track and hence, you might not have pursued your passion. But experts emphatically assert - "no risks, no rewards." They suggest a simple and workable exercise as well so that you improve the chances of gaining the required momentum and pursuing what is burning inside you.     

What is the simple exercise?

This involves 2 steps.

1. Write a few lines describing the details of your desire and passion and send it over to three of your close friends or relatives. Write a date also before which you will begin pursuing the desire or passion. Request these people to be in touch with you regularly for checking the progress you are making on that front. The purpose of this step is to have an "accountability web" around you. Remember that when you become accountable, you will start taking the required action that leads you towards success in pursuing your interest.

2. Make two columns on a sheet of paper. On the left side, write down the risks you may encounter if you pursue the passion. On the right side, write down the risks that you may have to face if you do not pursue it. In other words, you are asked to get into the "action habit" without getting crippled by the thoughts related to the risks. 

The main purpose is that you will have more clarity if you take this step. If the risks pertaining to not pursuing your passion are more than or stronger than those that you may face by pursuing it, it means that you have to go ahead. Otherwise, you can leave your passion as another unfulfilled wish.

Remember that regretting that you could have or should have pursued your desire may be a heavy punishment. Therefore, do not subject yourself to it. Instead, follow this simple advice and stay true to yourself. You are certain to benefit immensely. 

A Tip from My Experience for Succeeding in Your Career or Profession

If you are employed or pursuing a profession, there is one particular aspect you cannot overlook, especially if you want to grow in your career or want to sustain and succeed in your profession. An incident that happened in my life will show how important this aspect is. 

I was studying in the 9th grade. Though I was an average student in other subjects, I had always been winning appreciation from my class teacher, English teacher, and others for my English language skills. Thanks to these skills, I used to score high marks in English.

At the fag end of that academic year, the school announced that there would be an essay competition. A number of students including me gave our names for participating in the competition. The topic of the essay was "the cow and how the animal could be of use to humans." Since I had always been good at writing English contents, I was confident that I would win the first prize in the competition. 

On the day of the competition, I was confidence-personified and went to the school with my head and spirits high. All my co-students also believed that I would be the winner and they did not hesitate to share their belief with others also. 

All of us went into the hall where the competition was being held and were asked to be seated. We were handed over white sheets and pens for writing the essay. Everyone started writing. I also began writing. I wrote a few sentences about the animal and suddenly, I found that I did not have any points to write. I was trying to think but could not get any new ideas or points about the topic. What all I knew I had already written. In other words, I ran out of ideas.

I observed that all the other students were busy writing and I was the only one in the hall who remained idle because I did not have anything to write about. After the stipulated time of one hour, we were asked to hand over the papers to the supervisor. I was feeling ashamed within myself because while the papers of other students were filled up, the paper I submitted had only a few sentences on it. 

As expected, I did not win any prize, not even a consolation certificate. In fact, my teachers were shell-shocked and puzzled as to what happened to me. But I realized that my sense of arrogance had blinded me to realities. I accepted the result as a fait accompli and of course, with a dose of shame. At the same time, this incident opened my eyes. 

I knew that there was no need for me to invent a solution for my problem because the moral of the whole episode itself provided me with a solution. Amazingly, the moral of the story is as relevant today as it was when I was doing my schooling. What is it? 

Moral of the story

The moral is: However creative you are, and however good your language and communication skills are, you need to do your research and have a lot of information, and more particularly, those relevant to your job or profession with you. Otherwise, you will not be able to produce or come out with ideas.

This rule is applicable to all those who want to grow in their career and all the professionals who aim to sustain in their profession. In short, be ready to put in efforts for doing a good research and gathering all possible details about the topics relevant to your career or profession. Otherwise, you cannot impress your employers or your clients and sustain for a long time in your profession. 

The inference is that you have to read every good content you come across or lay hands on. Reading and reading alone will enrich your knowledge. This will help you use them liberally when you are trying to create ideas.

What else did I learn from this episode?

My failure to win a prize in the competition did a lot of good to me. Had I won the prize, it would have fed my narcissistic appetites. Thanks to my fall from grace, I realized that I should never allow myself to be affected by what is known as the Narcissistic and Arrogant disease or NA disease. Precisely put, I had become richer on the "wisdom" front. The lesson learned is true today also. The lesson is that if you are arrogant, you can never learn. 

Once I learned this lesson, I decided to develop my knowledge in a sustainable fashion. I also understood that in life, I would encounter bigger battles, and that I should be ready for them. This means that I should equip myself suitably for facing those battles squarely and surmounting them.

"How you dress for work is far less important than how you dress your thoughts. Wise men have always known this." - These are the wise words of a successful professional and nothing can be more useful to ambitious folks than this advice.