Stop complaining, act now

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Stop complaining, act now

Sunday, 01 November 2020 | Ketan Krishna

Stop complaining, act now

There will always be stuff in life beyond one's control, that would divert and derail them from the goal. All one has to do is stay focused, says Ketan Krishna

Krish looked hassled while filling the exit clearance form. It was his last working day in the organisation. I thought it was the pain of documentation that was troubling him.

“So Krish, what next?” I asked. “I don’t have anything in hand. I am leaving because the manager and organisation did not bother to solve my problems.” Krish said. His response was cold. I could sense frustration, anger and aggression in his tone as well as in his body language.

Significant learning that I have gained working as an HR Professional is to let people talk their heart out. Krish, it turned out, had hundreds of points to complain about. For Krish, everything was wrong, everyone was wrong, but Krish himself.

This incident took me back to an important lesson I learned before my graduation. January of 2000, after my last paper for medical entrance (MBBS), I was sure that my dream of becoming a doctor would remain a dream. I was not going to make it this year too.

From the time I started preparations, I used to dread the competitive landscape of medical entrance. Two thousand-odd seats out of four lakh applicants; it was tough. “Ordinary people like me can never crack these exams,” I used to tell myself. That day too, with my mind full of excuses, I came back home where an uncle, who happened to be a doctor himself, asked me about the exam. I vent out my frustrations, which was a long list. When I was done, my uncle asked me a question that changed my life. “Ketan, how many seats do you need? “ he asked. “One,” I responded. “The go get it, stop giving yourself excuses”, he said.

That is when I understood that there will always be stuff beyond my control. Things to divert me, derail me; but I have to stay focused. I should not care and spend energies on things outside my circle of influence. There is nothing, you or I can do to change the things beyond my circle of influence.

We tend to wait for that perfect moment when we wish that everything would fall in place. And when that happens, we will give it our best shot. That never happens. Look back at your life, you will get your answers.

Three years after this hit me, I completed my graduation with a gold medal, got through merit-based M.Sc courses and studied at one of the best B schools in India.

I changed, the way I looked at the world changed; so did the results. That is why perhaps I could relate with what Krish was undergoing. While he had his problem statement, I could see the answers lying within him. Krish was in the “Why me” zone. He had to shift to “How to” and “What next” for things to change. He just had to accept things that were outside his circle of influence and commit to focusing on what was within his circle of influence.

We all have been in this situation. Ask the following questions to yourself when stuck in a similar situation:

  • What facts or signals have you been ignoring or turning a blind eye to? Did you reach where you are in a day or overtime?
  • What could you have done differently when you first realised the problem?
  • What new did you learn about yourself from the situation?
  • What are you going to lose if you stay like this and don’t change?
  • What is that one thing you will do today? What will be that one small action you can take today to move forward?

Remember, you and only you are responsible for where you are in your career. Own up your current state, establish where you want to be, have an action plan. Results will follow!

Otherwise, you can choose to wait for that perfect moment when all the variable of the world will come into perfect alignment and make way for you to act and succeed.

Krish waited for sixteen years, how long are you going to wait?

The writer is an HR practitioner, a coach, an author, and a speaker

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