HAVE THE DRIVE - BUT DRIVEN DON'T BE

Having the drive and being driven are two things different. The first one is good, we all know that; it takes you to your dreams; it provides you with the much needed push to plod on persistently towards ambition and dreams. The latter, on the other hand, can make you --- self-destruct. You don’t believe that? I don’t blame you. You must have seen people so driven in their desire to make good and got it. But, you know what, that’s not the whole story. Behind that you will find heartbreaking stories that will rend your heart --- broken families and relationships due to neglect, deprivation, false hopes, unmet expectations, with dear ones and fond ideals ignored – all cast aside as last on one’s priority list. Just because something else comes to you which you think needs you most does not give you the right to do that to the people you love. Because the people around you are part of you; you cannot leave them behind or shelve them, albeit temporarily, just because you are on something important. What’s more important than the people you love – they who mean the world to you – they who help shape who you are – they who stand steadfast and devoted to you regardless? So why not take them with you – involve them in your quest, share with them your joys and sorrows and hardships – keep them close because only they can love you best when you become possibly quite ‘unlovable’ (oh yes, that will happen) through that long arduous grueling demanding journey.

Have the drive, that’s wonderful. It can take you to great and greater heights. Don’t be too driven though because that can be your own downfall - it won’t let you think of anything else. Remember that life isn’t all about things; it’s mostly and primarily about people – especially the ones after your heart.

DREAM IT - PLAN IT - WORK IT

"You will recognize  your own path when you come upon it,  because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need."  -- Jerry Gillies

That about answers the question asked me so often when among the young hopefuls I’ve interviewed for a job before. They tell me that they have so many plans, so many dreams, and yet never seem to know which one is the right one for them. Confused and bewildered they keep on hammering at a wide range of choices believing that the right one will surface and show its face and that somehow things will break and they will hit gold – but maybe or maybe not. I’m not convinced with that method.

It’s not always smart to spread yourself thinly over a wide field of prospects. It’s like using up energy and shooting wild bullets with no specific target in sight. Besides it will wear you out faster and pretty soon you will find yourself dragging your feet from one place to another. That’s a candidate for frustration and disappointment and a waste of precious time and talent – one which you can’t afford to lose.

And I have seen other young people take on a well-thought out and planned approach. These boys and girls start out with a well-defined and definite sense of self and purpose; have equipped themselves with the necessary education and training, and studied their prospects sorting out those which they believe will be a sure fit. They don’t bother with anything which does not fill the criteria they have set down. In such a way they succeed to narrow down the choices to the best of the crop. Once this has been decided then and only then do they gear up for the pursuit and journey. Armed with a clearer vision of who they are, what they have and what they hope to achieve..... amazingly the required enthusiasm energy and imagination needed to see it through springs out or bursts forth in unexplained measure and further throughout the journey would gain even greater momentum as each time the goal becomes closer to one’s view and reach.

"Start believing now that we can be who we are." --- (Anon.)