It was about 5 am on a cold winter morning. Normally, she would have preferred to snuggle within the warm blankets longer. But that day, she was just anxious to get to work. She had been dealing with quite a lot for some time and was perplexed if she had to move on with the changes that were imposed on her or try harder. Restlessly, she picked up her mobile and scanned through her emails. There was an email that caught her attention. It looked like a god-sent solution to her long struggle. With mixed feelings of joy, excitement, and apprehension, she prepared herself for a conversation with her supervisor.
With earnest prayers, she walked confidently into his office. After providing a brief update on work, she gradually apprised him of the message she had received from the headquarters. There was a hint of a smile on the boss’s face, that excited her. But a remark of disapproval soon followed. It was an opportunity of a lifetime that would have not only pulled her out of the crisis but also boosted her career. No amount of coaxing worked though.
She knew she had to take a tough call. With a heavy heart, she walked into the cafeteria to catch up with a friend. He listened to her patiently and then asked, “Hey, do the words ‘Apple’, ‘Amazon’, ‘General Motors’, ‘Toyota’, ring a bell in you?” She was confused at this sudden query, her displeasure evident.
Her friend continued with a smile, “Listen, we all know these are organizations who have had their tough times and successful stories of change as well. When such huge setups have been able to sail through a series of ups and downs, it shouldn’t be all that difficult for you to smile through the eye of the storm and find your life. Change your outlook. Move on with the change!”
The words were insightful and set her thinking. The resistance to accepting the situation seemed to fade away slowly.
‘Not that painful after all’
She got back to work and pushed herself to execute the tasks on hand. She so wished that she had got a call from her boss, granting approval, after all the hard work that she had put in over the years. After a bleary day at work, she paused by the lake on her way back home. Standing near the water’s edge looking at the bright red sun, she saw the ducks playing and squawking in the water. The ripples in the water caught her awareness. “Nature has the ability to change our perspective of things,” she thought.
It reminded her of a series of crisis situations from the past. They seemed very remote now; nothing more than mere memories, devoid of emotions. She could immediately sense the ripples in her mind settle down to bring in a clear state of mind. She found herself drifting from the situation and something powerful dawned upon her – she felt larger than life!
Isn’t it intriguing to know what is going on inside you? What are the stereotypes and prejudices that you get caught up in?
It would be interesting to ponder on how one reacts to different situations in life. People are different; the way they react to different situations at different times in their lives is different. There is continuous evolution that happens in one’s thought process in the journey of life. You have the ability to turn the mind inward and see the phenomena of change; the churn that happens from within!
Observation, perception & expression
Our vision depends on the color of the glasses we wear.
Perception is all about how we look at the world outside. When awareness is high, we will get to see how people perceive us; not just how we perceive people or situations.
Our thoughts and reactions to what we perceive give us an observation of our inner world.
If the perception is very good, our observation keen, the level of expression will be very good and dynamic.
A whole new spiritual paradigm opened. She felt a deep connection between nature’s ways and life; be it business or personal – a life guided by nature.
Nature takes us through various seasons
Winter brings out the satire and the ironies of life, a moment of self-reflection; spring brings out the blossoming of flowers reflecting love and affection, an opportunity for learning; autumn, the season of the withering leaves, refers to the serious or tragic times of life and summer shows the bright daylight, times of joy and happiness.
If change did not exist, the unchanging part of us (our nature) would not be evident. The dichotomies we see and experience gives a better understanding of ourselves; our likes and dislikes; joys and sorrows; strengths and weaknesses give us opportunities to bring out the zeal in our lives at work and home, providentially guiding us through our journey.
Also, accepting situations brings us to the present moment and opens the door to solutions we need:
- Accept what you can’t change
- Do your best to change what you can
- Show bravery in the face of adversity
These thoughts brought her a lot more clarity. She called her friend and cheerfully remarked, “Change is the way of life. Thanks for your timely advice.”
She got up briskly and walked towards her car to get back home. She knew she had to now prepare herself for an exciting change in her life.
When you change the way you look at things, things start to change.
Written by Haripriya Vasudevan
Based on Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s talks
