Be Different - Be a Doer

Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself - Edmund Lee

There is an interesting story about a man who wanted to win the lottery. Every day he would climb up a hill and beg God for hours to help him win it. He would pray earnestly day in and day out and no matter how many times he would win in earnest for his prayers to be answered, other names won the lottery. He would feel dismayed and not deterred only kept praying harder.

 After a while, he started to lose hope and out of desperation, one day climbed the hill as usual and had a shouting fest with his Creator. (We have all been there haven’t we?  Having a one on one with God because things are not going our way. This guy was no different.)  He was wailing and sobbing as he could not understand why he was not winning. In the midst of his huge emotional upheaval, the clouds parted and the sky thundered alive. He suddenly heard a Voice.“My dear boy. The lottery you will win. But at least go buy the ticket !”

This is my case in point. Dream less and Do more.

This post is dedicated to the dreamers out there. The ones who want to dream. The ones who want to do more. Want to be more. Yet they somehow can’t replace the word “want” with “did”.

There is no questioning that life usually rewards those who bring more value to the table. So the real question to ask is, how to change titles from being just a dreamer to an actual doer?  If you are one of the dreamers, let me reassure you that you can actually finish what you started, even though it might be just a concept. Just a dream. Even though others may laugh at you or you may laugh at yourself for even trying to think you can.

It is not going to be easy, but it will be worth your while when the efforts are put in.

From Dreamer to Doer

Whenever I am approached by aspiring professionals, they usually have a lot of questions for me, but the two most repeated ones are firstly, how old I really am and secondly how I got so far so soon in life. As far as age goes, let me assure you, that you will never know!  On the path to becoming more than just a dreamer, age is just a number and might get in the way rather than assisting you.

As far as destiny goes, I have been fortunate and very blessed. However, it came at a price – Determined action, several failures and undying persistence. It is a complex package deal and one worth challenging every single moment of my life.

I have stated this in my earlier blog about the illusionist mentality coming in the way of your path to Leadership. On the path of becoming a Doer, you will always face fear. The illusionist mentality simply states that you can dream all you want, with having all excuses to back why you didn’t really accomplish that dream.

I have heard everything from “I got married and had kids!”, to “ There isn’t enough time” to “ I could have done this 5 years ago. I have commitments now ”.  The most ridiculous one was“ Youre lucky. Im not”.  If you ask me, I am married, have a son and I come from pretty humble beginnings. Pretty normal like anyone else out there don’t you think? However, I feel the missing piece of the puzzle is just “Determined Effort”. And not pure lucky breaks.

Frankly, anyone can do what I have done so far. In fact in my books, I have not achieved what I deem as success. There are still miles to go before I sleep. Is that the same for you or are you already sleep walking through life?

Lets get one thing straight. There are no excuses. Period. Want to be a Doer?  You can start at this very moment in time.

Stop dreaming away your life.

There is great wisdom here. We are all in the same boat and at the end of the day, none of us is getting out of here alive. So why not spend these allotted years in the best way possible? The different path. The path of the game changer. The Doer.

Now by a different life, I am not talking about maxing out your credit card bill, changing your spouse, getting a makeover or another nationality. The list is endless. Sadly that is usually what one thinks to do when it comes to a better quality of life. These are the quick fixes and not the root of the problem.

To me, the life worth living and the road less travelled, is the one which is based on the formula of four things.

1. Deep rooted desire and will to accomplish (Clear focus on what you want)

2. Continuous learning ( 24/7. This should not stop at University level) ;

3. Critical thinking and adapting that learning (Learning is all about adapting and being pushed towards creating possibilities)

4. Complete perseverance to the cause. ( I don’t need to explain much here)

These four gems are the unsung heroes of our time. If seriously looked at, each aspect links to the next and there is no doubt that these will be the fuel to getting you started from becoming a dreamer to an actual doer. So important are these elements to helping you achieve your goals,  that I will dwell on it in separate articles in the coming future, so stay tuned.

Where are my dentures?

Imagine this scenario. You have had back to back meetings while multi-tasking with emails, delegation, more adhoc meetings and tasks ranging from strategic project analysis to logging IT complaints such as the office printer not working. You try and take a quick break here and there. Your icing on the cake just might be a Watsap message from your partner asking you to pick food on the way home or that the TV Audio is not working. Nearing catastrophe for you. Sounding a little familiar?

Phone rings. Your Boss hands in an urgent assignment and you will have to stay back late. Huddling from laptop to quick group sessions back to the laptop, you finish your work and finally are driving back home. Its night time of course , and you are rushing on the roads. Flash! The speed detector flashed your picture at 140 km/hr in a 120 km/hr zone. Could this day get any easier?

Finally you reach home and its time to start the “Second shift” of your job as a loving partner, wonderful son or simply a great partner in crime with your best friend- The leather couch situated directly in front of the TV. You choke down dinner in front of the TV (without the audio!) and call back a few more friends. Within a few hours, once the duties are done and you have paid your dues, it’s time for bed and you are all set for the next day’s onslaught.

Let’s accelerate this daily routine and before you know it, you are about to retire, have joined the ranks of the golden employees and you look back one day and say,

“Where did I keep my dentures?”

My point entirely.

What was that? The point I am stressing here is that look towards the quality of your efforts rather than just “pulling along”. Life will pass you by in a blink of an eye and you will very soon, be looking around for your new set of fake teeth.

Serve your best client. Yourself!

The best relationship you can have is with you yourself. On the path to becoming a Doer, you need to firstly lay it all straight. There are aspects in our life which we cannot necessarily change, but what we can do is making the most of all that we have. That is the deal breaker.

Ask yourself these questions. In fact, you can see my own personal cues on them.

1.What is it that you absolutely love doing? (For me it was anything to do with numbers and of course, Cricket!)

2.What makes you feel that sense of accomplishment? (Giving my all to it,  or else it wasn’t worth my time)

3.What makes you want to wake up in the morning? (Being blessed with one more day to try again!)

4.What are you afraid of? Your fears. (Sharing too much time with dreamers and not doers. What else did you expect? Heights, Cats, Deep water?)

 Once you have this  “drive behind your drive” clear, you are ready for determined action. That’s all that will set you apart from the dreamers.

 Being different is all about doing it differently

It is not only about what you do. It is about how you do it. Think about it. Follow the below and let them be your anthem from now onwards.

• Selling yourself an hour a day

Since you are your own best client, try selling yourself an hour a day. Why am I saying selling? It is because if it is not important enough to you, you will not do it. Sell yourself this one hour a day where you can portion out your continuous learning. It takes a magical flight of its own, when you are researching and trying to find every detail possible to help you achieve your dream. Don’t just brisk through life. Everyone else is. Being different is about taking out that daily special slot just for you and putting action to your dreams. It starts from that simple step. Break it into parts if you have to, but give that time to yourself daily

• Fear is the biggest obstacle

 Now your fears will, in the beginning be a long list, but the strange thing is that no matter where you are, they will always be there. Rudyard Kipling once said, “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your fears”. Just understand that whether you are working on your dreams or are not, fear is like a shadow that follows you everywhere. You are born to contest it at every stage and be more than you once were. It is all possible.

• Learning is a 25/8  Job, 366 days a year!

Simply put. Find out what you love and let it resurrect you.

Now the interesting bit. In your time for yourself, simply start expanding your knowledge. Read everything out there possible as you work on your action plan. Talk to experts, bloggers, and experienced people. Anyone who can help you. Start knocking on doors and expand your knowledge database. My grandfather always used to say that either you are smart and learn from other’s mistakes, or learn by falling in the ditch yourself, despite being warned. I prefer the latter anytime.

Warren Buffet was once asked how he achieved so much. Was it that he was a Billionaire and that gave him the right of being smart and rich? Was he born with a special gene? His reply was simple.

“I just sit in my office and read all day!” . His winning formula is to read 500 pages daily. Yes daily! Known to spend 80% of his time confined to reading books, for him “It builds up knowledge, like compound interest”. His goal was to find the best way possible to invest wisely and that is what he usually read up on. His Business partner , Charlie Munger, also shared the same view. “Go to bed smarter than when you woke up” was his mantra.  

Make a think tank group or subscribe to a blog of daily knowledge. Once you start, never stop your learning. This will help broaden your vision with which you see the world and help give you answers to making it a reality.

Be observant and inculcate wisdom no matter your age. With learning, you must reflect. Surrounding yourself with people who are on the same wavelength or ones who are working on their dreams is a must. Find them. They are out there. You must share with them what you have learnt.

• When everything is amiss, Try once more!

It is well known wisdom that fire is the test of gold and adversity the test of man. Perseverance to the cause is the litmus test of commitment to what you want to realize. If it’s enough to deter you, then maybe you are not committed enough. Be patient and don’t ask for immediate results. It will happen, though slowly but surely.

 It is these very hurdles that will shape your character and help you become the real you. The new and refined “You” just waiting to be discovered. This is a time when you need to love yourself a little more. Doubters and rejection will be there, but as guides to push you towards better pastures. Just persist and push harder.   

 The Universe is fascinating. Once you see that you are gaining momentum on your path, people, incidents, knowledge and understanding will come your way to support you in your cause. Very soon, your action plan will start materializing and you will be on your way.

(Note of caution-By the way, I am not asking you to leave your present jobs and start working on your dream projects. Everything can happen hand in hand. Prioritize! or else I feel I will be the backlash for a lot of resignations in the industry! A little sympathy please. Be smart and careful.)

 What do you have to lose ?                                                                                        

The best way to become a Doer are these simple brave steps. Believe. Start working on your dreams and make time for it. The world is craving for more passionate and determined people willing to make a difference no matter what. That race is fast becoming extinct. Come and join their league and make your mark no matter how subtle. No matter how small. Any kind of attempt at progress, is progress.

You must be one of the few who set an example for the other dreamers. You must give them hope to fight their fears. Remember, that all progress you see around you, started with an idea. By working towards your dreams, you will help others not only believe, but push them to start doing greater things, than just passing through a day.

Understand this. You have been born for a purpose. You have been created for being more. You are made for doing more. You have to make people believe and help them work on their dreams by setting an example. Expand your boundaries and you will be amazed at what you will find. Leave your mark in this world, or else surely you will be living someone else’s dream. Not your own.

All I want to say now is that your time has arrived and it is at this very moment. For all your excuses, I have only one question.

How will you ever know if you never even tried?