Where Is My True North?

I recently came across a very interesting talk by Prof. Prasad Kaipa of ISB on the topic “Finding Your True North”, where he talks about the role of Emotional Intelligence in the pursuit of one’s aspirations. I found it to be quite insightful and thought provoking.

Each one of us embarks on a career path with some underlying motivation: making money, security or the pursuit of social recognition. Most of us continue along the path, never once stepping back to ask a few vital question:

• “Am I really enjoying what I am doing?”
• “Do I feel like I’m pursuing a genuine passion or that I have been dragged into a pursuit that really doesn’t inspire or excite me?”
• “What kind of happiness or joy do I bring to people around me?”
• “What if I am in a role and meeting everybody’s needs but I’m miserable performing that role (I don’t like the company, the approach, I lack the capability etc.), am I really doing justice to myself and others by continuing to be in this role?”

First of all let us begin by exploring what the speaker really means by “True North”. Each one of us has a personal compass within us which points us in the right direction, toward the path that we deeply desire to follow in our lives. This could be the path along which our true passion lies and along which we really yearn to go. More often than not, caught in the quagmire of responsibilities and expectations that life thrusts upon us, we end up short changing ourselves of our true aspirations and dreams.

Finding our true north in my opinion is not about making an effort to do something unusual or different. It is about being in a state of effortlessness where we allow providence to guide us through the path towards our right destination. Finding our true north simply means following our instincts, and along the way, nurturing personal traits like courage, authenticity, truthfulness and caring. It is about letting our uniqueness to come alive (unique passion, energy and magic), bringing it into every conversation and every action and that will make all the difference.

This talk gave me many valuable insights for life:

Enjoy the journey, not just the destination: So many times we get so obsessed with the end goals that we lose sight of the process to get there. How many times have we ended up feeling tired and burnt out after strenuous day’s work and just wanted to get the job done with. Staying focused on the process allows us to not only unleash our true potential but also gives us the opportunity to recognize what we truly enjoy doing and what genuinely inspires us.

Enlarge your field of vision: Look beyond the obvious. So often we limit ourselves to actions and results that may not be true indicators of our potential. We need to constantly keep asking ourselves, “Am I allowing myself to manifest my true potential with every little thing I do?” true north may not always be obvious but by giving our 100% to every situation, we will eventually unearth it.

Listen to the personal GPS: Each one of us has a personal GPS: Guilt, Pride, and Shame. We should never disconnect ourselves from it as it is an auto regulation mechanism that prevents us from veering off course in our pursuit of true north.

Focus on reflection and continual improvement: Work through the cycle of Awareness, Attention, Action and Reflection. Every action needs to be performed with awareness and attention. And if the result of the action is not what we envisaged make course corrections through reflection.

Let your True North evolve: Our personality blossoms with time i.e. part of us does not change but our understanding of our self evolves with time. Our goals may change and evolve but as long as we are true to ourselves we will eventually realize our true north.

In the process, don’t screw up relationships: Success at the cost of relationship is not worth having. It seems like the first thing that comes part of the package of a successful career is strained relationships. Pursuit of true north cannot be enriching or meaningful if the price one needs to pay is relationships!

What Does It Take To Be A Maverick?

Jonathan Livingston Seagull has taught me one of the most profound lessons of life: “follow your heart, chase your dreams, and stop at nothing” and “always...learn from your mistakes”. I have presented here the excerpts of a small yet power packed book titled Jonathan Livingston Seagull authored by Richard Bach. This book is about people who make their own rules when they know they are right. People who know there is more to life than meets the eye. I choose to write about this book because of its seemingly simple yet profound message which has deeply resonated with my thinking.

This book follows the life story of Jonathan Livingston, a seagull that chooses to tread along the road less travelled, who follows his heart and finally creates a possibility for himself and others that no other gull in his community ever dreamed of. It takes us through the magical journey of Jonathan Livingston, a journey of hope, despair and courage, which finally leads him to the ultimate realization of his dreams. This book bowled me over by its profound message packaged in a down-to-earth narrative style. If I were to categorize it, I would say it is a book about leadership, adventure, self-help, spirituality, passion, courage and much much more.

Jonathan’s problem is that he is a misfit in the Seagull brotherhood because he chose to follow his own heart rather than accept customs of the society. And that made all the difference! He dreamed of achieving what no other gull ever had. Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For Jonathan though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.

Very early on in his pursuit, he realizes that being different from the community is not the way to make one’s self popular with other birds. Even his parents were dismayed as Jonathan spent whole days alone, making hundreds of low-level glides, experimenting. His maverick ways ultimately draw the wrath of the gull community and lead to his eviction. But this humiliation does not dampen Jonathan’s spirit. His only sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see.

As he wanders in pursuit of his dreams, Jonathan comes across a flock of gulls exactly like him, evicted from their communities and harboring an undying passion for flight. Being with this flock, especially its leader, Chiang, a senior gull, Jonathan learns several nuances of flight such as low-level gliding and flying at terminal velocity.

Eventually Jonathan returns to his own community to impart all his learning to other maverick gulls curious to follow his path. Jonathan keenly mentors several gulls and helps them progress in their pursuit of flight supremacy. Jonathan delivers a simple yet profound message to his protégés: “Each one of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull (God), an unlimited idea of freedom, and precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us, we have to put aside.”

This metaphoric fable inspires us to take the road less traveled, which may ultimately prove to be the difference between greatness and mediocrity. It tells us that unless we challenge our limitations, we cannot grow. The author’s description of Jonathan’s struggle for breaking the barriers of flight is magical. It urges one to abandon the tried methods and attempt the unknown to reach the next level.

If I were to highlight the key lessons I have learnt from this book, they have to be:

• Dare to dream: Never allow conformity to corrode you. Challenge your perceptions about your own limitations and never settle for mediocrity.
• Courage: Luck favors the brave. Never allow fear to intimidate you; instead use it as a ladder towards your goals.
• Persevere: Always consider failure as a stepping stone for success. Don’t give up; you probably are already at the last mile from your destination.
• Don’t follow the herd: Herd mentality will always condition you for mediocrity. Be wary of the groupthink syndrome and never fall for it.
• Learn from your mistakes: Nothing is more valuable than the lessons that mistakes teach us. Don’t hesitate to screw up sometimes; learn from your mistakes but never repeat them.
• Adapt: Not all life situations are favorable. The mark of a successful person is in taking cognizance of unfavorable situations and making course corrections suitably.
• Be selfless/Share your knowledge: You only grow by helping others grow. Don’t be narrow minded and hold onto your knowledge, be willing to share your knowledge and wisdom.

I have learned from Jonathan Livingston Seagull that everything is possible provided that you have faith, courage, and some sense of leadership to share your vision with enough people to make it live. This is what I try to apply to my personal and professional life. Negotiating the twists and turns of life in a highly competitive and dynamic environment demands courage and a strong drive to succeed. In this context, Jonathan Livingston is a model and an always inspiring and motivating force for me.