Monday, September 23, 2013

Use or Lose

The annual awards ceremony of the Trainers’ Association of Goa was held yesterday. The TRAINER ICON award was given to Atul Shah who has made a difference through his dynamic style of infectious inspiration, deep insights and creative innovations. Nevertheless, all those, whose lives he has touched, will tell you that his greatest competency is his flair for eloquent oratory.
While speaking on the occasion, Atul shared how his father literally pushed him into becoming an expert at elocution during his school days. However, in college, the skill was hardly used and Atul would dread to see the sight of a mike or a lectern. He said that it was a case of the famous saying ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’. Atul had to resume the journey again to reclaim his skill!
The predicament, of losing a competency because we have stopped using it, is commonplace. Skills, we are proficient in at a younger age, seem difficult to take on, when we are older. So often, so many of us give up using the skills we have acquired in our learning phase. After a gap when we try our hand at the same skill, we find ourselves at sea.
Actually, we do not really lose the skill; we lose the confidence to use the skill. And this is the most importance lesson. Confidence comes from getting better and getting better will come from consistency. Not just oratory, to be better at sports, arts or any other skill, it is important to not stray away for long from its use. It is steadfastness in the use of that skill that ensures its sustenance.
Many of us give up on things because we are busy with other priorities. But, if we consider that we have invested considerable time and effort to reach to a level of confidence in using the skill, it is surely foolish to lose such a treasure. We must find the time to do all the things we could do earlier. We must reclaim our original capacities by just using every opportunity to use them!
To BE BETTER at retaining it
Just be consistent in using it!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
Goa, India.

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