Use your mind like a parachute
It is my unshakable belief and conviction that all ‘humans’ at birth are pure and positive. We are all born with a divine dosage of positivity that is free of impurities. Hence, what is noble and pure is embedded in our persona. By growing up and living through respective years of life, humans begins to gnaw at the positive and noble inner self; this movement arises out of the several unpleasant experiences, most undergo at the hands of other fellow humans. No human is either born ignoble nor is a bomb of negativity.
The state of mind is dependent upon what it is fed with. The infusion into the thought process of the material, by its very nature, either positive or negative will determine the responses that our mind will generate to events and situations as they arise in life.
It was in 1952, that Norman Vincent titled his book The Power of Positive Thinking, wherein, he espoused that, “Positive thinking is the practice or result of concentrating one’s mind on the good and constructive aspect of a matter, so as to eliminate destructive attitudes and emotions.” Both types of ‘thinking’, be it lateral or vertical must be anchored within the confines of positive undertones, which in turn must form the sheet anchor, upon which positive thinking and attitudes must be built.
Thoughts that are negative in nature become impediments. We need to guide our thoughts instead towards cultivation of positive energy that doesn’t hinder but facilitates achievement of goals. A thought that doesn’t propel a forward movement is actually the thought that is holding you back from action.
Most of us are susceptible to imbibing thoughts that emanate from the influences of the environment that we live in. Man is known by the company he keeps. The old dictum’s validity remains unquestionable, where all societies recognise that the kind of company an individual keeps or spends most of her/his time, is reflected in actions. The influence is subtle and seeps unbeknownst to the person. Some sage had remarked, ‘tell me where he goes, who he meets and I will tell you what his character is.’
If a choice is made to spend life in the company of negative individuals, who are full-load varieties of toxicities, then, the outcome mustn’t surprise anyone. No person can on a long term basis pretend to hunt with the hounds and live like a docile hare. The environment grows on the personality. The tendency to adopt wrong practices and irrational responses becomes visible in individuals as well as in group behaviour.
Let me share my experience. I normally and mostly wake up every single day as a happy person. By habit, I read at least three newspapers early morning and regrettably every single day, the contents of these dailies sap my positive energy; they almost make dry the placid lake of happiness. I find that I become upset, depressed and on some days end up even being agitated and combative. On the way to office I jettison the negativity gathered from the newspapers and arrive as a happy and calm person. The challenges of the daily grind do influence my state of response to various situations but it doesn’t alter my personality. The pacific station of behaviour is not lost. Handling professional issues doesn’t cause stress, it is the surrounding noise that upsets most.
Upon my return home, as is customary with all my compatriots, I slump into my arm chair, and surrender my attention to the idiot box. So again from a state of satisfaction and general happiness, the slide to depression begins by listening to vociferous anchors whose currency of trade is sensationalism. A mere auto-rickshaw tyre burst is breaking news. These programmes thrive on negative news.
On introspection, I have begun to control my mood, by realising that my inner peace is overrun by the overflowing lava of negativity that has the potential to imperil my goals and targets. This is just one flavour of how environment influences the quality of our thoughts and state of mind. We waste our positive energy on things that we cannot change. This leads to frustration. The bottom line is that it is in our control to maintain positivity and reject negativity. The choice lies with us.
At the work place, it is important to remain cognisant of what types of colleagues, you would like to move around, hang out and spend time with. If the environment is toxic, you would eventually adopt, a negative bent of mind, leading to irrational responses to people and situations. It is when such attitude becomes a habit due to repeated performances that the conduct on the shop floor starts to be of an unbecoming nature. These individuals then begin to face institutional distancing from both the entity and the associated people. It is therefore best to have a thick wall that circumferences and insulates oneself from transfusions of these negative forces.
All streams, rivulets and rivers of gossip fall into oceans of negativity that each one of us houses inside us. As leaders and managers it is critical to exercise control over these negative flows, so these must be nipped in the bud. Identify the source and take swift action to plug the flow. The illusionary splendour of a sudden thought must not be adopted for action immediately; instead it must be allowed to simmer and pass the litmus test of possessing inherent positivity.
Our respective reservoir of thoughts guide our lives and actions, as it is the mind that determines how we react to any given situation. By virtue of what we think, we possess the potential and ability to make our temporal life, a living hell or a replica of serene heaven. In Paradise Lost, Milton wrote, “The mind in its own place, and in itself can make heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven.” A positive state of mind is a serene kingdom of inner peace and joy.
Whilst working within a group, focused attention must be given towards maintaining good terms with positive thinking. Any separatist activity can lead to temporary separation or complete divorce with positive energy. The barrels of guns and cannons in the armoury of a leader/ manager must blaze only with helpful and constructive approaches in attending to problems, issues and situations. A negative state of mind clouds elements of reason and logic, hence must not be put to use, in the decluttering the cobwebs of challenges.
Those managers who do not permit their minds to be thoroughfares for negative energy, remain calm, and this attitude helps in keeping a lid of decency upon germinating thoughts. A manager’s purity of mind and purpose ensures commitment and full attention of teammates. If there is purple haze it is unlikely that commands for performance will not be viewed through a tainted lens of doubt and suspicion, by the followers. Our minds must operate like parachutes, because these function only when they are open.
According to Vex King, a young social media content creator and Mind Coach “Escape your mental limitations. Don’t spend your life being imprisoned by a belief system that limits your potential and prevents your dreams from coming true.”
Leaders in all facets of life have to take command and control over emotions and perceptions, failing which, negativity would start to dominate and impact actions, efforts and words.
To live perennially in the positive zone of thinking, it is imperative to continually fertilise and irrigate our minds, ensuring enrichment of thought patterns that must be founded upon the edifice of goodness and gratitude. Only then can there be an expectation to harvest the many benefits of positive energy.
Sirajuddin Aziz is a senior banker and freelance contributor
All facts and information is the sole responsibility of the writer