Seeing impossible dreams is a part and parcel of life. And mind refuses to accept certain lessons despite committing the same mistakes again and again. So what motivates us to commit the same mistake? What drives us to run on the slippery task and ignore the risk of skidding badly and hurting back? What drags back to the cushion of inertia and coats our mind with lucrative dreams? Answer: the prize.
Whatsoever we may believe, shifting focus from result oriented to process oriented warrants time. One cannot change his/her approach overnight. Even after changing approach, some degree of craziness are bound to crystallize in the adrenaline(for instance one may exhibit result oriented approach sometimes, despite a complete change in outlook). I cite an instance in which three friends submerged into world of fantasy while working hard on their dreams for 3 days.
"I would give you a treat, take care of sightseeing in Delhi and ensure you have a comfortable stay" said Gold Lady, as me and Smart Dude were cajoled to propel our team into the campus round of a prestigious event. Gold Lady was expected to attend a function which happened to be at the same place of campus and at same time of event. We had qualified the preliminary round and working out the next round. The incentive of qualification in this round would be an invite to campus followed by our presentation of ideas.
With an awareness of string of bad lucks of past events with me, I tried to tone down the expectation and warn Gold Lady. But soon after Smart Dude switched sides and advocated Gold Lady's belief, I was lured to be optimistic.
So, what exactly does mean by being 'optimistic'? A frank confession from soul would elicit a clear answer "to dream that you can and have achieved the prize". And those who try to correct the 'dream' in the latter statement with 'belief', I must draw their attention to a feeling that there is a blurred line between 'dream' and 'belief'. Do hard workers not dream? Do people who do not work not believe?
We gave our best shot, dreaming of visit to the campus round and eased our anxiousness by mixing it with fantasy of making it to the final round. But..we didn't made it to the finals!
Sometimes its hard to explain a failure, as hard as it is to explain a victory. The only difference being, in times of victory your soul seldom demands an explanation, whereas in case on other side you perform all sort of analysis to understand the reason for loss. Coming to terms with loss is a slow and gradual process, just like recuperating from illness(you don't get well overnight, do you?).
It is easy to point to the fact that the element of dream was the culprit in spoiling our result and question our commitments. But won't that same dream acted a motivator and helped us push the envelope of commitment and hard work.
My belief for victory was a bit muted than Gold Lady and Smart Dude, but I don't blame either of them for believing ourselves to the final round. It is not the first time I have seen efforts gone to bin, unappreciated and rejected. Being persistently exposed to similar rejections showed me a bigger picture. But that has not ceased the urge to dream of accomplishment, and this dream gets grandiose in the waiting time(i.e. time between submission of your efforts and declaration of results). And the extension of result deadline just inflates your curiosity and dreams.
But when I look back today, I realize what I achieved in the process. Three mediocre but arrogant souls burnt midnight oil in a fantasy. Perhaps this is one of the best team effort I have witnessed in life. There has to be a trade off between realism and fantasy as each has its merits. You lose the merits of one, when you exclusively go for a sublime choice. Thus, all our choices are blend of fantasy and reality.
Whatsoever we may believe, shifting focus from result oriented to process oriented warrants time. One cannot change his/her approach overnight. Even after changing approach, some degree of craziness are bound to crystallize in the adrenaline(for instance one may exhibit result oriented approach sometimes, despite a complete change in outlook). I cite an instance in which three friends submerged into world of fantasy while working hard on their dreams for 3 days.
"I would give you a treat, take care of sightseeing in Delhi and ensure you have a comfortable stay" said Gold Lady, as me and Smart Dude were cajoled to propel our team into the campus round of a prestigious event. Gold Lady was expected to attend a function which happened to be at the same place of campus and at same time of event. We had qualified the preliminary round and working out the next round. The incentive of qualification in this round would be an invite to campus followed by our presentation of ideas.
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| The trio poses for pic during a break from the hectic 3 days effort. Although in vain, the effort got the best out of the team. |
So, what exactly does mean by being 'optimistic'? A frank confession from soul would elicit a clear answer "to dream that you can and have achieved the prize". And those who try to correct the 'dream' in the latter statement with 'belief', I must draw their attention to a feeling that there is a blurred line between 'dream' and 'belief'. Do hard workers not dream? Do people who do not work not believe?
We gave our best shot, dreaming of visit to the campus round and eased our anxiousness by mixing it with fantasy of making it to the final round. But..we didn't made it to the finals!
Sometimes its hard to explain a failure, as hard as it is to explain a victory. The only difference being, in times of victory your soul seldom demands an explanation, whereas in case on other side you perform all sort of analysis to understand the reason for loss. Coming to terms with loss is a slow and gradual process, just like recuperating from illness(you don't get well overnight, do you?).
It is easy to point to the fact that the element of dream was the culprit in spoiling our result and question our commitments. But won't that same dream acted a motivator and helped us push the envelope of commitment and hard work.
My belief for victory was a bit muted than Gold Lady and Smart Dude, but I don't blame either of them for believing ourselves to the final round. It is not the first time I have seen efforts gone to bin, unappreciated and rejected. Being persistently exposed to similar rejections showed me a bigger picture. But that has not ceased the urge to dream of accomplishment, and this dream gets grandiose in the waiting time(i.e. time between submission of your efforts and declaration of results). And the extension of result deadline just inflates your curiosity and dreams.
But when I look back today, I realize what I achieved in the process. Three mediocre but arrogant souls burnt midnight oil in a fantasy. Perhaps this is one of the best team effort I have witnessed in life. There has to be a trade off between realism and fantasy as each has its merits. You lose the merits of one, when you exclusively go for a sublime choice. Thus, all our choices are blend of fantasy and reality.
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