Making Mistakes.... Fearlessly

Almost five months ago, I had entered the office building with a totally nervous and excited look. It was my first day in the corporate world. I had a lot of apprehensions and a prejudice about the “big bad world” out there. People used to talk about cut-throat competition and that everything is about survival. I really did not know with whom I was to compete and why. I was totally clueless.

Sometimes I wonder what have I learnt in these five months? I tried putting it in words a number of times, but the best I could churn out is – I have learnt to make mistakes, fearlessly.

What stops us from making mistakes?

Often we bind ourselves in the image that others make for us. And this is a natural tendency. If everybody around me tells me that I am intelligent, I tend to believe that I am intelligent. Vice versa is also true, when people say that you cannot do something, you tend to believe them. Once I was watching a seminar of Sandeep Maheshwari. He gave a very nice example to define this situation.

When an elephant is of very small age in a zoo, he is bound using an iron chain. He constantly tries very hard to break the chain and set himself free. But since he does not have the strength at that age, he is unable to break the chain. Years later, when he grows up, he does not even try breaking the same chain; because somewhere in the back of his mind, he believes that he will never be able to break it. This is in spite of the fact that a grown-up elephant has so much strength that he can break the chain with a single kick, but he never even tries it!

Living with those chains

It is very difficult to live with these chains. The biggest problem is that we are afraid to make mistakes. We are afraid to try new things in life, just because we are bound by the impressions others have about us. I am quite sure we all face similar situations in life. I will just give a simple example from my life.

I was appearing for my CA Final Exams. That day, I had given my paper for ISCA. It was the worst paper I had ever given in my entire life. For some reason, I faltered terribly. I could not attempt questions worth 25 marks, just because I had spent a lot of time answering the ones I liked. In short, I acted stupid. And it was a grave mistake.

After I came out of the exam hall, I remember that I had rushed home. I did not want to meet anyone. I did not want to tell anyone about the terrible mistake I had made. And why? Well, I have to confess today – it was that immense pressure that people built on me. For, everybody used to say I was most suited for an All India Rank. I was a deemed intelligent person!

I cried that day alone in my room; and thought to myself – Do I have the freedom of making mistakes?

Break-free!

Such is the power of this prejudice that it makes people blind. When people say you cannot do anything – you must ignore them, because it is not true. When people say you can do everything – you need to still ignore them, because it is not true either!

Sai Baba once said, “Do not be misled by what you see around you, or be influenced by what you see. You live in a world which is a playground of illusion, full of false paths, false values and false ideals. But you are not part of that world.”

And this is the biggest lesson I have learnt from these five months away from home. I have learnt to live away from prejudices that anybody makes for me. And this happened because of simple reasons – I surrounded myself with people who did not know me or my background or my achievements, I surrounded myself with people who are far more intelligent than me, I faced situations that I had never confronted in my entire life.

And the result – I am not afraid of making mistakes anymore. After all, in the words of Karl Marx – I have nothing to lose, except my chains!

Making mistakes… Fearlessly!

Trust me – when you set yourself free from these worldly pressures – you stop thinking and start living. That is when you experience true freedom. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be afraid of failing. Don’t be afraid of what others think about you.

Perfection does not exist. Happiness is the solution.

Motivation is temporary, learning is permanent.

I am telling out of my own experience – the biggest reason why we are afraid of making mistakes is that we bind ourselves in the images that others form for us. And this pressure is so extreme that it does not allow us to concentrate on our efforts. For once, try breaking free from this. There is a whole new world of opportunities waiting for you! There is a whole life left for you to explore and discover. Stop thinking about others, for once – live for yourself.

And remember – you have nothing to lose except your chains!

Yours forever,

Palkesh Asawa