Functioning on all four cylinders

The beauty that is revealed when people are functioning on all four cylinders is wonderful to see. For non-car enthusiasts, this means functioning at peak level, optimum level, the best level you possibly can function from, for now, that is.

Many of us  are used to operating using only half our energy and ability, sometimes substantially lesser. Not getting too in depth into activities, jobs and life in general,  is something we teach ourselves as soon as we realize we can get by by doing just the bare minimum.

If we have 4 hours to complete something, we finish the task by expanding the task to the 4 hours available, even if it takes lesser time. If we are given instructions of what to do, we follow the steps to the T even though we find inconsistencies in the instructions given. If we see something wrong happening, we assume somebody else will take care of it. If we think there are better ways to do things, we don’t take the effort to change the status quo. We let things be as they have always been and that’s okay. The world continues to go round and remains as it is. But, static lives are not the ones that revolutionize the world.  The lives that go all out, into the depths, with determination and hard work, those are the lives that shake things up and those are the people who gain the most satisfaction from life.

If we live complacently and are unexcited about life, content in the shallows, it is exactly like driving a powerful car at 20 km/hr. As a person who loves driving, this immediately makes me cringe because whenever I have to drive at 20 km/hr when I can go faster, I feel frustrated, I lose interest in driving and I wish I was somewhere else.

Many of us are going through life frustrated, completely uninterested and wishing we were anywhere but here. We are doing the bare minimum and this is how we feel and we have no one to blame, but ourselves.

If we want to not feel this way. If we want to get up every day with a sense of purpose. If we want that feeling of satisfaction. We need to rev ourselves up and fire up those extra cylinders because going at 20 km/hr at in a 200 km/hr zone is ridiculous, inefficient and absolutely frustrating both for us and for the world around us.

Driving faster is obviously not the easiest. Our senses need to be heightened. We need to be aware. We need to have the appropriate skills or build them if needed. We need to put in the effort. We need to take the time. We need to be super focused. We need to sacrifice on what we might want to do at the same time. We need to do one thing and we need to do it well.

In life that translates to- wherever we go, whatever we do, we need to commit to doing our best, not just the basics. Living up to our potential is what we were built for.  This is what brings satisfaction. This is what starts revolutions. This is what changes our lives. This is what changes the world.

Yes, there is more risk. Yes, distraction is not an option. Yes, It means more responsibility.  But, the satisfaction experienced is honestly. definitely and considerably worth it.

Are we privileged?

I recently saw an interview where the interviewer asked a question about privilege and it got me thinking. So, I am turning the question to you to think about and the question is :-

“Do we as individuals see ourselves as privileged and whether that understanding makes any difference to our life?”

Now once you’ve done thinking about that, well, here is what I think (if you care to read on).

I think that all of us are privileged, to different degrees of course, but yet privileged. The fact that we are alive in itself is a privilege and I was reminded once again about this reality  when I read Malala Yousafzai’s book, ‘We are displaced’, where she shared stories of refugee girls and young women running from their homes for the sake of their lives. Privilege is also seen in the parents we have, our childhoods, the schools we went to, the friends we had, the access we had and the exposure we have to the world.

So, we can debate whether we are privileged or not, but, I believe we all are and that is my starting point.

When we accept our privilege instead of denying it, the next question is whether it makes a difference. Of course, it makes a difference to our life path and to the opportunities we get but does it make a difference to our own behaviour and thinking?

I personally think that if it doesn’t, it should.

I know a lot of people think that taking responsibility for something that we don’t really choose, like our family or their economic background, is foolhardy. But, I also think that we would be remiss to deny that our privilege, the things that we were born into, did give us a head start in certain areas than other who don’t have that particular privilege. So, we can choose to ignore the fact and pretend that we are where we are because of our own self or we can show gratefulness for that head start that was bestowed upon us and acknowledge it in our day to day lives.

What that acknowledgement looks like, is firstly, not taking things for granted.

When we realize that many of the things we have received, the love that our parents gave us, the ability to move our body, the ideas that were shared with us, the education that we received and many other such things were not because of anything that we have personally done, then we also understand that each and every one of those things is a gift given to us  and a gift that sits at the back of a closet gathering dust is a wasted gift. That puts the onus on us to use our gifts not only for our benefit but for the benefit of those around us, because, we did not choose this. This was chosen for us for reasons beyond our understanding and we would do well to give because we too have been given.

This also means that we don’t waste anything. We take care of our body because we have been given a healthy body. We sharpen our minds, because we have been given the ability to think. We work hard at whatever we do, because we have been given the opportunity to do it. Nothing goes to waste.

Acknowledging our privilege also means that we don’t judge others for where they are at in their journey. It is very easy to look around us and even in our thoughts judge others for where they haven’t reached and that kind of thinking changes when you realize exactly why they haven’t reached there and you have. This is when we can understand their stories, understand their circumstances and support them instead of making a prejudicial opinion about them in our mind. That’s where the true action part of not taking things for granted comes in, because in addition to not wasting our gift, we share our gift with others because the scarcity mentality has to become a thing of the past, in my opinion anyway.

So, what I am trying to say, in a long rambling way, is that, we have to reach the point where we are honest with ourselves about the extent our privilege and take up that responsibility to the extent we can to ensure that our privilege does impact the way we act and behave in our daily lives, not so much as a burden but more as a choice we make personally because as I always remind myself, “ With great power comes great responsibility”. This is the way I choose to live my life and I would, through this post, like to encourage you to at least think about it.

UPDATE: New YouTube Channel

Hi Guys. Just wanted to give a quick update. I have started a YouTube Channel as an extension of my blog. In addition to my blog posts, I will also be creating content on my channel. Though the content might be sometimes linked to my blog posts and at other times completely separate, the thrust of my channel is going to be the same. It will be all about life and the lessons I learn from it.

I am going to be putting in a lot of effort and love in providing you with good content on a weekly basis. So, please subscribe to my channel  so that it is easier to be notified about new videos.  Thanks for supporting me.

-Rhoda