Wellome #01: Embrace Radical Responsibility, No One Is Coming!

As infants, our survival depends entirely on the care and attention provided by our caregivers around us. From the moment we are born, our needs are met (almost instantaneously) upon crying, displaying any sign of discomfort, or throwing tantrums. This immediate fulfillment of our needs as an infant conditions us to believe that our needs shall be taken care of by our external environment.?

By the time we become capable of our own basic needs, our mind has already internalized the notion that expressing our desires leads to fulfillment. Over the years, the actions of the support system of our caregivers, necessary for our survival, reinforce our belief that we are entitled to our desires being fulfilled (only because we have those desires).

As we grow older, this expectation persists, albeit in a more nuanced form. While the circumstances of our lives change and we become capable of meeting some of our own needs, the underlying belief that our desires should be fulfilled without much effort remains. This pattern continues into adolescence and adulthood, where we may seek validation, recognition, or success without fully understanding the effort and dedication required to attain it.?

Furthermore, societal influences perpetuate the idea that you deserve success, happiness, and fulfillment. The promise of success is sold to you as something that should come easily and quickly by exploiting your latent entitlement. We are bombarded with messages that promise instant gratification, overnight success, and effortless achievement. This leads many individuals to believe that they are entitled to success without having to invest time, effort, or hard work.?

The reality, however, is far from this. Success, fulfillment, and happiness often will not be delivered to you just because you desire it. It requires consistent effort,? perseverance, resilience, and hard work. As adults, we must unlearn the expectation that our desires will be fulfilled without effort and instead cultivate a mindset of self-reliance. While our early experiences as infants may shape our expectations to some extent, it is within our power as adults to challenge and redefine these beliefs.?

It is true that one's environment can act as an enabler or a deterrent and has an impact on a person’s capabilities and available opportunities. However, the environment is not a complete determinant of success. There is something that is far more important than the environment - It is one’s mindset. It is not your environment's job to make you successful. Your environment can only give you opportunities for self-improvement which can then result in success. It is up to you to grab those opportunities and craft your trajectory. James Allen captured this entire idea in a single statement

Circumstances do not make the man; they reveal him to himself. Man is the doer of his own deeds; as such he is the maker of his own character; and as the doer of his deeds and the maker of his character, he is the moulder and shaper of his destiny.

People with a mindset of waiting for something external or someone to come into their lives and magically transform the situation they are in end up in mediocrity no matter which environment they are immersed in. People have spent their entire lives in mediocrity waiting for external forces to help them achieve what they want. These are the people who sulk in self-pity for being dealt an unfair hand and bitterness for other people not being subservient to their needs.?

The truth is that “No One Is Coming For You”. No one other than you is responsible (or even should be responsible) for your life and how it turns out to be. It is up to each one of us to seize the reins of our destiny, embrace our potential, and chart our course toward a life of fulfillment and purpose.?

Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist summarises it as follows

What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain

Following are some examples of statements people who do not take responsibility for their lives frequently use to deflect taking responsibility and control of the outcomes they desire

People who embrace the process and pursue the primary goal of self-improvement as an end in itself end up progressing and achieving worldly success regardless of their environment or externalities. It is ironic that people with such a mindset sooner or later get access to progress-conducive environments. Opportunities start appearing to those whose mindset is ready! The master appears when the student is ready! Or as JimCollins who (has dedicated his career to understanding the inner workings of companies, specifically, why some are successful and others are not) said

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.

You are the captain of your ship and as the captain, you possess the ultimate authority and decision-making power over the direction of your life.

WELLOME is a collection of principles that enable individual and group excellence. These timeless principles are a distillate of human knowledge and wisdom accumulated over the last 12,000 from the beginning of the Neolithic revolution.?

The knowledge and know-how curated within Wellome draws heavily from many different scientific disciplines including Management Studies, Social Sciences, Philosophy, Political Theory, Economics, and more. The objective is to provide a structured methodology to build a culture of excellence within an organization (or a group of people) through the cultivation of the right mindset and virtues within its members (individuals).

The name Wellome was initially conceived as a portmanteau for the GENOME OF WELLVERSED. The Wellome draws heavily from the ideology of Zehenism, the core tenet of which is to “live to become the best version of oneself”. Wellome encapsulates the ideological principles to associate with and cultivate a class of individuals who perpetually seek to reach the epitome of excellence through self-improvement.