Seize the Day

‘Seize the day’ is a version of the Latin Maxim - Carpe Diem. The term comes from a poem by Horace: ‘carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero’ (Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow). The verse indicates that the future is unforeseen and rather than leave things to chance, one should do all one without waiting. The suggestion is to overcome procrastination.

The term ‘procrastination’ comes from the Latin word ‘procrastinatus’, which evolved from the prefix ‘pro’ meaning ‘forward’ and ‘crastinus’ meaning ‘of tomorrow.’ Popularly it implies blameworthy delay due to laziness or apathy. However it is pertinent to note that proactive, dynamic people are often seized by procrastination.

In fact it is positive qualities of well intentioned persons that can result in them finding themselves in a position of procrastination. These qualities include perfectionism, being over analytical, saying ‘Yes’ to every task, multi-tasking and being ‘busy’. But, the real reason is not being able to commit to the real priorities that are revealed only when we connect to our passion and purpose.

Hence, ‘seize the day’ is first, a matter of temperament and then a matter of technique. We must reclaim ownership of our passion and purpose. When we follow our heart, it is easier to break from indecision. We need to sift and prioritise all our commitments, our responsibilities and most importantly the things that will make us happy.

Overcoming Procrastination is not just about doing things at the right time. Rather it is about doing the right things at the right time. Hence ‘seize the day’ is about taking the opportunities to be happy every day by following our passion, pursing a hobby, reconnecting in a relationship, doing little acts of love and doing all that makes us truly contented.

Overcome procrastination... Seize the day!

Our passion and purpose will show the way!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

MISTAKE

Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, stumbled upon glue that did not stick. Most would have considered this to be a mistake, but Silver thought otherwise. He decided to pursue its commercial application. Upon being asked if he had made a mistake, Spencer responded that he had stumbled upon a ‘solution looking for a problem’.

Indeed, it is to 3M's credit that it allowed Silver to carry this strange glue forward. The celebrated Post-it Note pads were invented on the idea of glue that does not stick, and they turned out to be the 3M Corporation's most successful product. This illustrates that quite often we stumble on creative solutions much before we are confronted by yet to come problems.

In today's fiercely competitive world, innovation, though crucial for personal and organic growth, is not easy to sustain. Difficulties arise because most persons and organizations tend to view deviations from institutionalized practices as mistakes that can only detract from overall organizational performance. Yet, to sustain innovation, some deviation is definitely required.

Creativity is all about visioning questions before they get asked. We must see the potential in what may seem to be a mistake. We must develop our tolerance for ambiguity, by seeing the unseen dimensions to a situation that seems a dead-end, but is in reality just a cul-de-sac. We need to consider whether, what appears to be a mistake, is a ‘solution looking for a problem’

Mistakes may be ahead of time solutions

Let’s discover a use to their applications!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Power of Passion

When my daughter was a little child, my mother would take her to the garden, every evening. On days, when I would join them, I would notice two types of children being escorted to the play area. The first were yet to walk and would be wheeled around in prams. The second types were able to walk and were either held by hand or followed to ensure that they did not run out of sight.

Most prams seemed quite sturdy but the wheels helped move them around easily. The ones who pushed the prams seemed quite in control and were able to easily do other tasks like talk to neighbours or knit sweaters or make phone calls. However, the most flushed were the ones who had children who could run. The guardian was practically pulled along and about all the adult could do was to guide the child in the general direction they wanted it to go.

The analogy is apt for understanding the difference between working and pursing a passion. Working is like pushing the pram. The wheels tell us to push, we can be detached and yet it would remain there. Passion on the other hand is like walking a child. You cannot take your attention away! Passion pulls you along like your child forces you to run behind to keep apace.

That’s the power of passion. When you are doing what you are passionate about, once you get started, the project practically does itself. You get into a focus zone where you see no distractions, you hear no other calls and you feel no other pulls of needs such as food and sleep... Power of passion pulls you to discover your potential and take you to happiness.

So often, so many of us crave for a vehicle – like the baby pram – that can move smoothly and allow us to do other things. However our happiness will be found in discovering our passion that will pull us to the path of true purpose. For this we need to bring our passion from the confines of the comfort zone and allow it to set foot on ground so that it can run... and pull us along!

Let’s step beyond the comfort zone cool...

Life will sprint as power of passion pulls!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Impermanence

‘All is flux, nothing remains still!’ – Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

Change is the only constant. This is true at all levels. Stars form and collapse. Continents shift. Seasons change. Our body decays, the mind evolves and relationships change. But it is pertinent to note that though we live in a world of constant flux, many of us refuse to recognize it and distress is the result.

When we fail to accept impermanence, we cling to things. We cling to days gone by, to relationships and to possessions. We cling to them as if they will provide lasting happiness. Eventually, reality intervenes. When that, what we cling to, is taken from us, we face the reality of impermanence. Thus we feel the pain of a lost car, of a failing relationship or the death of a loved one.

Remarkably, the pain arises even before the loss, in the form of fear. Though we know it is temporary, we live in fear of losing it. We can have a much better off life if we realize and accept the fact of flux. We can learn to appreciate things we have but without staking our happiness on them. This helps to make better decisions. When we know that we will change and that other people will change, then we can identify the fresh approach that’s needed.

The unhappiness that comes from clinging to impermanence is a harsh reality. Admitting the impermanence may seem daunting, however it is actually liberating. In reality, we are just conceding something that we already know. When we bring it into the open, it is not so scary. We find that recognition of impermanence brings lightness, acceptance and bliss into our lives.

Clinging is just hurtful dependence

Learn to let go of impermanence!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.