Every Successful Man Does It. Then Why Not Us?

I devote this entire post to the most important practice of life which most of us fails to do. If you have read my previous post “why aren’t you happy” you have had known by now the purpose of life for which we all should strive (refer https://buildyorcharacter.blogspot.in/2017/12/why-arent-you-happy.html). Pursuance of self actualization & transcendence needs is the ultimate source of happiness & satisfaction in human life. Abraham Maslow in one of his statements said that, every human has a need to grow & use highest of his potentials in the right direction. This need if hindered by any way, leads to a sense of guilt & unworthiness in one’s life. But there is a major difference between knowing things & doing things. So how to devote oneself to achievement of such needs?

In the words of Stephen R. Covey “you can’t build a house, if you don’t have a map of it”. Thus planning combined with action is the prerequisite for achievement. We can’t lead a useful & effective life if we don’t make an applicable plan for it which goes till the end. In my opinion every ill nature & criminal activity done by men in this world is the result of lack of planning & lack of knowledge regarding the true purpose of life. If we develop the wisdom to know the right direction & can plan to know the right path then we can never go wrong, then we can never be ineffective. So how exactly can we plan our life? What really it takes? To find the answer let us follow the step by step approach.

1. First of all take a notepad & a pen out from the least touched area of your almirah. Close your eyes for 5 minutes, take a deep breath & iterate the word ‘Om’ several times. Now open your eyes & start answering the following questions in written form– Who am I? Why am I born? Which activities interest me the most? What are my hobbies? What kind of work I enjoy the most? What is my passion? What are my fantasies? What is one unique thing that no one can do better than me? What are my needs? One last thing I want to do before dying? How can I contribute to this society? When do I don’t feel to be myself? What are my habits? What are my values? What are my beliefs? My philosophy for life? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What are my addictions? DIG INSIDE YOURSELF as deep as you can. It may take a day, a week or a month. The better you know your own self, the better you can plan your own life.
2. Once you have had explored yourself, you will have an idea of what exactly your interests & capabilities are. Based on your passion choose a VISION that contributes for the development of the society. The famous scientist Albert Einstein once said that “only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile”. No task, no work can ever give you pure happiness & satisfaction if it’s not done keeping in mind the larger purpose to serve the society. Only humans have vision, animals don’t.
3. Once you have developed your vision, form a LONG TERM GOAL to achieve it. This long term goal simply answers the question – How? How will you achieve your vision? For example, protecting & serving the country is a vision; but aiming to become the Field Marshal in army is a long term goal which is being made to achieve the vision of serving the country.
4. Formation of SHORT TERM GOALS is the next step. It is simply the lower steps being taken in order to achieve the higher steps of long term goal. For example, to achieve the long term goal of becoming the Field Marshal one must first aim to clear the army entrance exam to achieve the position of Lieutenant.
5. After short term goals, IMMEDIATE GOALS need to be formed. These are simply those goals or means which one needs to achieve in order to achieve the short term goals. Now, developing a good physical & mental health, improving general knowledge, developing reasoning skills, communication skills etc. are necessary to achieve the goal of cracking the army entrance exam.
6. Once you have planned your goals, set a TIME FRAME for attainment of each one of them. Taking the same example, one can aim to become the field marshal at the age of 58, & Lieutenant at the age of 22. Starting from the end plan your time till today. What you will achieve in next 40 years, 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, 6 months, 1 month, 1 week, 1 day, 1 hour. Of course the ideas & plan will change with your experience & knowledge. But never ever stop planning due to the fear of the change in plan. Leading a life with a flexible plan is much much better than leading one without a plan.
7. After you have put everything onto a paper, convert it into ACTIONS. One major reason for why people fail by their will power to achieve their everyday goals is because they don’t really are able to attach their every action to a larger purpose or vision. They may have a plan, but don’t have a clear idea of it. Once you have everything on a paper, it will clear up your mind, & more importantly will bind you to the plan. Judge your every action in terms of its contribution towards your vision. Whenever in life you get off the trail this piece of paper will guide you in the right direction.
8. REVISE REVISE REVISE. Revise your whole plan every month. Set goals for every week & every day, revise them thoroughly.