by Sanjay Sridhar, Senior Saitechie
Actions are governed by necessity. This generalization sure seems far-fetched but flushing down the argument without acknowledging the truth associated with it, can be catastrophic. A closer look at the timeline of human existence would go a long way in justifying the motion proposed. The most radical and revolutionary advances in the history of science were made during times of war and there’s no denying that. Now, the natural reaction of the mob would be to take a step back and question the exponential increase in scientific efficiency during these phases. Well humans love ‘vengeance’ as much as they love ‘Batman’ but that isn’t the answer. Even if it were, that would be highly unsatisfactory and leave us with more such questions, only this time the questions will be of greater importance and more or less existential. Is it their need for ‘Control’ and ‘Order’ that triggered this? One thing would be to tread down this lane and eventually make out that it was a mistake but the wiser option would be to examine the question itself without taking stances. A wise man would agree that it was man’s need for ‘Control’ and ‘Order’ that brought upon this revolution but only a maverick would understand that the word need was supposed to be under quotations. Ladies and gentlemen, take it from me, in a world full of wise men I would be a maverick any day. It’s better to be one I believe. But, doesn’t make sense, does it? Well, as the maverick here let me help you (See what I did there?). Human beings have always sought ‘Control’ and ‘Order’. This is mainly due to their shallow evaluation of the absolute.
Trying to be deterministic in a probabilistic world and trying to gain oneness with the supreme source of sustainable energy (If you don’t understand what I am talking about, ‘Tough luck champ!’) through the means of ‘Control’ and ‘Order’ is stupidity in plain sight to say the least. Why? Ah..Well…Er…Because the whole universe was born out of chaos and the universe expands in efforts to reach a state of higher entropy (*Starts flipping the pages of 11th grade textbook in search of answers*). That pretty much explains the stupidity. Now addressing the ‘need’, physicists might attribute this growth to causality and realists might say all of this was serendipitous but the simple and elegant conclusion would be to acknowledge that the scientific breakthroughs were simply down to the ‘need’ of the hour. Why would you discuss all this in an article that’s aimed at motivating young readers? Well, because I want to. What’s romance without foreplay, what’s dieting without a cheat day and what’s a writer without fancy jargon? Lifeless! Now drawing curtains to this analogy, which can be deemed as inconsequential or sometimes even inappropriate, let’s cut to the chase. If you had trouble understanding what just happened don’t worry you are not alone (Even I struggle to understand my thoughts sometimes).
Why did I discuss all this? Let’s slow down the already boring article (Time dilation experience) and savor the reality for a while. Let me start again, in the usual way, with a couple of questions. At this point most of you are going ‘Take the questions out of this article, this no longer is an article’ and that is essentially right. But can’t help it. I am not trying to feed your mind a tasty meal but a healthy one that leaves a strong and effervescent after taste. In other words, I care! (Gets all pseudo emotional) To the questions, ‘How is one inspired?’ and ‘How does one find motivation?’. Well its purely individualistic. What? 600+ words to dish us this? Guys, I live in a probabilistic world, not sure which one you live in. Cutting back, yes, it is purely subjective but I have managed to pick up certain traits in individuals that are high performing or at least I presume that I have. And that’s what this section is going to be about. To explain these traits would be to answer the questions that I posed earlier.
Turns out that the time spent on presenting the analogy that you felt irrelevant wasn’t down the gutter after all. How? The rudimentary difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’, and how people perceive it is what is influential in context of performance. Let me declassify a ‘holy’ secret. There is no such thing called ‘high performance’ to begin with. What? Yeah, there isn’t. There is just want and need, and the difference between the two words (or emotions if you believe that we aren’t part of the matrix). ‘You are repeating the same words!’. I know. It’s because I need this to be etched in your memory and not ‘want’ it (Got you there!). Conventional wisdom would deem these two words interchangeable but remember, we are mavericks in a world full of wisemen. To take a step further and oversimplify things I am going to define ‘want’ as wishing for something without being emotionally invested in it. Something that wouldn’t affect your psyche if not in possession of. But ‘need’ is something different altogether. To ‘need’ something is to basically root for it irrespective of what the circumstances are because this could turn out to be an existential crisis for the subject. Your ‘needs’ give you sleepless nights and prick you like a porcupine. Not so interchangeable even as words anymore, are they? That’s right. Traversing back, it is clear as daylight that the scientific advances of the 20th century were fueled by need. So do you think we ‘need’ cure for cancer or an alternate source of fuel now? I think we do. That is exactly why the advances made in this regard have been commendable when compared to most other tech- savvy research that’s going on at the moment. The simple difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’. The bottom line is for you to be successful you have to feel the ‘need’ to be successful. Drug addicts don’t ‘want’ cocaine, they ‘need’ cocaine. Be addicted (Disclaimer: not to drugs but to your goals). The questions posed in the beginning of the section. Motivation and inspiration come from within. Even if you get help from Pacific Ridge – a reliable drug treatment center in Oregon, the urge to quit addiction should come from you. Similarly, people might disagree but like everything else this is subjective too. For you to feel inspired by something you ‘need’ to crave for that stature. For you to feel motivated to achieve something you must simply ‘need’ it. So, the next time you address your goals decide if you ‘want’ them or ‘need’ them. The next time you feel let down or betrayed just realize it’s not anyone else but you. Pointing fingers is a funny game that man invented to throw blame around instead of a ball. More entertaining surely, I must confess. Take responsibility for your mistakes or lack of motivation or lack of inspiration because it’s all you and your ‘needs’.
What differentiates a person who wants something from a person who needs something? It’s an interesting avenue to explore as the results are there to be analyzed and the observations tangible. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, people who ‘need’ success don’t play the blame game. They accept reality as it is and work to live and compete another day. They don’t see rivals in others but compatriots. Growing together and feeding of positive energy is how universal consciousness can be attained. It is noticeable that the greatest contemporary professionals have nothing but respect and admiration for each other. Take Federer and Nadal as examples. Subtle yet sublime. That degree of admiration coupled with effort is what helps them in their pursuit of excellence. Taking responsibility for downfalls and sharing credits for successes is an appreciable trait in not only athletes but also among civilians. Secondly, people driven by ‘need’ are ready to step out of their comfort zones. Artists like Mani Ratnam, Nolan, Rahman keep constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant. Only if you step into the mysterious woods will you get the treasure! What better teacher than the wilderness? It tests your perseverance and tenacity as an individual. Next up comes awareness of the highest order. This is one of the two things that stand out with individuals of ‘high performance’. The second, I will discuss in the subsequent section. Now, what do I mean when I mention ‘awareness of the highest order’? I am calling out their extent of self- understanding which is ridiculous. Such people gauge their abilities in critical situation with noticeable ease. The physical beings that they are seem to be in perfect harmony with their mental presence. They know the confines with which they operate and the extent to which their abilities would help them explore. Self- awareness is of utmost importance when discussing planning and trouble shooting. The process of attaining this self-awareness is no secret. They attain this mastery by repetition. Design and repetition are helpful in the long haul, and this must not be overlooked. Just consider the case of Virat Kohli investing time on his fitness to convert singles into doubles on a cricketing field because he is aware of his exploits as a power- hitter. That level of self- awareness is what we are talking about. The real deal. Now, professionals would try to give this a structure and bring in S.W.O.T analysis but I am no professional and don’t confine myself to the spaces of structures. I believe in chaos! I believe quantifying a mental state is a bit of a stretch and the only way to reach that level of self- awareness is to train the subconscious to deliver your skills and the conscious to make the right decisions. How? Getting down to the field, throwing yourself at potential accidents (The author is not responsible if readers jump walk into an accident. METAPHOR!). Repeating that every other day. That’s how it works. So, if you ‘need’ something, it shows. You can’t really get away. If there are DUIs , DUI first offense penalty should be checked out!
Coming to the final and most admirable quality that the subjects of interest have. Well, before I jump into the quality, I am going to begin another philosophy lesson (‘Surely, No!’). If you have a liking for cosmology and astrophysics you might have come across this interesting fact that if one were to present the entire time from the big bang to this point on the scale of one single year, the bang would occur exactly at 00:00 on the 1st January. Do you know when human life would come into existence? No prizes for guessing and at this juncture if you are surprised with the answer, I would be highly disappointed. It would be 23:59 on the 31st December. Human life didn’t evolve for the whole year. It is important to understand that we are part of a grand design and probably an intermediate species in the complex process of evolution towards cognitive revelation. In simpler words, we are as insignificant as a speck of dust that’s observable in sunlight (Tyndall effect). The subjects of interest manage to attain the realization of how insignificant they are. Hence, they play their parts without much fuss or sound. One added quality that comes with this realization is the ability to let go. Not every humanly relationship works on a ‘no strings attached’ basis but they manage to distance their conscious selves from emotional drama at most points in their lives. And that’s how they stand apart. The mavericks in a world filled with wisemen. A ‘Neo’ in the matrix. Voila! But this realization doesn’t come easily. Sure, does take a toll.
Now to wrap this babble, let me put forth a couple of pointers real quick and summarize what’s been discussed. The qualities discussed above might sound unsurmountable. In all honesty, they are! No one individual possesses all of the aforementioned qualities. Know why? Because perfection doesn’t exist. So, it is important to accept the imperfection but still stay on the path for perfection. The beauty of nature lies in its asymmetries and not in its symmetries. Acknowledge that and you reach a state of acceptance. The state where when you work with diligence you reap rewards, where growth is an organic process. Accept reality and learn to let go. To be authentic and genuine is all you can try to do. You have invested so much time into this article because you found it genuine and authentic and that is reassuring to me. That’s what one should aspire to be. Remember, to be inspired and stay motivated is your prerogative and not someone else’s. You shall pass faster than time. Be a maverick in the world of wise men and be a human in a world full of mavericks. That’s how simple it is. It was never complex anyways until human intervention. So be grateful!