Our life starts with a dream. Whether at work or at home, we have a dream. We then try to realise our dream through our efforts. It is perfectly normal to dream and try our best to convert that dream into reality. Some of our dreams are realised, while others fade away in spite of our best efforts. There is nothing wrong about it. It is fair to expect that all that we dream about in life may not be realised in our life time.

This does not mean that we should stop dreaming. It is like every organization has a vision and then strategies to achieve that vision. What is in control of the organization is within it and there are many factors outside the control of an organization. This is true at the individual level too. We need to have a dream. We then need to evolve our strategy to achieve our personal vision in life. I firmly believe that through stint of hard work, most individuals may be able to attain their personal vision in life.

Some organisations do not achieve their vision in spite of their best efforts. This is not because they did not have the right intent to achieve it. On the contrary, it could be that inspite of their best efforts the environmental factors swayed against them and hence they could not achieve their vision. This is also true for individuals. We need to realise that sometimes our best intent and efforts may not take us where we want to go. We should not lose hope. I would stay we need to press the “Control+Alt+Del” button and reimagine our goals in life.

My lesson in life is that the world is not perfect. Just like we as human beings are not perfect. We need to learn to enjoy the imperfection in the world and in us. We need to learn to adapt and change. We need to learn to redefine our goals and move on. Most of us spend our time analysing why the world is imperfect ? It is like analysing why the formation of the clouds is different each day in the sky.

We have to believe that nature has created imperfections in the world to enable us to learn and change. We need to trust our capabilities rather then worry about the failure of a plan. We are human and the world is not perfect. Hence, the earlier we get used to this fact, the better it is for us. We will learn along the way and change. We have to accept the clouds in the sky as they are and appreciate that every day is a new formation and a wonderful creation of nature to admire.

Life is no different. It is neither perfect nor imperfect. Our ability to deal with life as it is rather as it we want it to be makes all the difference. We have to build the ability to change rather then wait for others or the world to change. We have to remember that it is easier to change thyself than to try to change others. Our success in life is directly correlated to our ability to change.

We need to be able to reconcile in life. We may set a vision for ourselves. We may even define the path to achieve the vision. However, as we go along, the path may change even if the vision remains intact. Sometimes, we may need to restate the vision as the environment around us has changed rapidly. It is frivolous to think that anything is constant in life. The ability to anticipate variability and deal with it effectively makes us a winner in life.

As in the photo above, the peak may be at a distance but we need to continue our journey facing all barriers on the way with focussed commitment to achieve our goal.

I have gone through my own ups and downs in life. Every time, I was about to lose hope, I rekindled my commitment to my goal. I learnt from my mistakes and was willing to redefine my goal and the path. This helped me to be in tune with the times. I realised along the way of life that it is not perfect. I have tried my best to do everything to the best of my ability but accepted imperfection as a way of life and living.

What is your take ?

S Ramesh Shankar