Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Need to Step Away from the Familiar and Step Up to Unknown in Order to Sustain Success

I did jump the curve – the need to step away from the familiar and step up to unknown in order to sustain success.several times in my personal and professional life.

I realized, when a frog is living in a pond, the frog thinks that the pond is his world but when frog jumps out of the pond and sees the bigger picture then he realizes world is so big and same experience happened with me. To be frank, I was little nervous when I was taking up this role but I reminded myself that things will be fine because I am a sincere and fast learner. So my learning is don’t be afraid to make changes and don’t have fear of the unknown. You never know what opportunities future has to bring to you.
 
I do know many people who want to make a change but are afraid. I tell them that if a bird wants to fly up in the sky, he must leave the branches. If you keep holding a branch and keep complaining that you are not able to fly then it is not a fair complaint.
 
I am reminded of a poem, which I read in elementary school. It is a story of a raindrop. The raindrop was afraid to leave the cloud and it was thinking; what if it  fell on a fire-stone and got burnt. What if it fell on the ground and got absorbed. But finally the drop gained courage and left the cloud. And it fell into a seashell and became a pearl. So the crux of this story is to be courageous and come out of your comfort zone, as you never know you may become a precious jewel one day!
 
When someone jumps the curve, there is certainly a ramp up which needs to happen to fit in new environments and learn new things. During this ramp up, it is very important to stay focused and open-minded. Don’t just cling to your old belief system and slow down rather embrace the change. Build upon prior experiences and learn new things with an open mind. Then you will rise up for sure. Sometimes, you may fall down during the process of jumping the curve, which is perfectly fine. That fall is not a failure- rather you are building resilience so that you can jump next time with greater force and right attitude. Remember the story of King Bruce and the Spider, try try again until you climb up the curve!
 
Remember life is a journey, if one curve or path doesn’t lead you to the way you wanted to go, find another one or make your own. There are always choices. Don’t stand still and expect someone else to blaze a path for you. You must look forward and move forward. It is OK to take small steps instead of standing still. Once you have enough strength, you can jump or take big steps. One thing that I learned during this journey is, to be confident no matter what. No one will empower you and give you step-by-step instructions or a recipe for jumping the curve. It is you who needs to empower yourself and carve your own path. You are responsible for your own journey and career. You need to drive it in the direction you want. Others are there to guide you but at the end of the day you need to drive it. Be the CEO (Chief Execution Officer) of your own job role and execute it the way you want! Self-doubt and perfection can hinder your growth. Take risks and keep going.
 
When you are moving ahead, you may face challenges and criticism. Take criticism seriously but not personally. It is worth listening to but don’t knock yourself down. You need to develop skin as thick as a Rhino! People will throw darts at you or maybe bullets, but you can protect yourself by wearing bulletproof vest! Are you ready for jumping the curve?

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