An interesting gentleman (aged 33) approached me last year. His problem was that he was never able to complete his tasks/ Goals in life. He planned big, but was never able to implement most of his plans. I found him reasonably intelligent, well educated, and his family atmosphere was also cordial. He was happily married with an understanding wife and one little kid. He worked for a private bank as Branch Manager. After two meetings with him I couldn’t figure out the real problem with him. In my second meeting with him, I found him browsing his Facebook profile on his mobile. He seemed to be quiet active on Facebook. After the second meeting I told him to come after two days for a third meeting.
I was now aware about his Facebook profile. I browsed through his profile and found something interesting. He was too open with his Goals. He used to share each and every Goal of his on Facebook. Chanakya says that “Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise counsel keep it secret, being determined to carry it into execution.” I also analyzed comments by his friends on his posts revealing his Goals. I immediately had a solution in mind.
On our third meeting, I asked him about his religious orientation. He was a great follower of Lord Hanuman. I asked him to create a folder in his Lap top with the name Lord Hanuman. Then I asked him to list his three most important Goals in Life, and further asked him to create three separate files under Lord Hanuman folder. I advised him to refrain from posting about these Goals on Facebook, and further told him to share his thought process about these Goals with only Lord Hanuman by writing on the blank files created in the folder.
After three months, he approached me again with a box of sweets. He was now more oriented towards his Goals. I again warned him not to share his Goals, neither on Facebook, nor with anyone else. When he met me after six months, he had achieved one of his three Goals. I told him to immediately share his achievement on Facebook, but again warned him not to share his remaining two Goals. He asked me the reason for the same.
Then I explained him his problem. I told him that I found the root cause of his problem from his Facebook account. When I saw his Facebook account (after that second meeting), I found that he was too open with his Goals. On analyzing the comments of his friends on his posts, and his subsequent replies, I found that this Gentleman was wasting his energy on justifying his Goals to his friends rather than utilizing his energy on achieving his Goals. By giving a religious angle to his Goals (by creating a folder in the name of Lord Hanuman), I could ensure that he keeps his Goals to himself. Then why did I ask him to share his success on Facebook? The reason was that this post would command positive comments from his friends, and these comments would act as a motivator for achieving his remaining Goals.
Lesson we learn from Chanakya is that never disclose your Plans/ Goals to anyone, as their comments/ suggestions may distract you, and can create self doubt in your mind Once you achieve your Goals, and share your success, your image/ self-confidence will receive an immediate boost, which will motivate you to do even better.
© Kujnish Vashisht, Expedient Consultants
www.chanakyaneeti.com, www.sharepundit.com