The Pursuit of Progress

In a bustling city of Bombay in India, there was a young man named Ravi who worked in a small IT company. Ravi had big dreams. He wanted to be a team leader, earn a higher salary, and provide a better life for his family. Every day, he talked about his goals with his friends and colleagues, but somehow, he never seemed to make any progress towards them.

One evening, while sipping chai with his mentor, Mr. Sharma, Ravi expressed his frustration. “I know what I want to achieve, but I feel stuck. I don’t know why I’m not getting any closer to my goals.”

Mr. Sharma, a wise and experienced businessman, smiled and shared a quote from an American businessman, Fred Smith. “You are the way you are because that’s the way you want to be. If you really wanted to be different, you would be changing right now.”

Ravi looked puzzled. “What does that mean?

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“It means, Ravi,” Mr. Sharma explained, “that the only thing stopping you from reaching your goals is you. It’s not about lacking resources. It’s about your perspective, your beliefs, and your attitude.”

Mr. Sharma continued, “There’s a leadership expert named John Maxwell who talks about common ‘growth gaps’ – wrong ideas about growth that make people feel stuck. Let me share some of them with you.”

The First Gap: "I will grow automatically."

“When we’re young, our bodies grow naturally, so we think all growth happens on its own,” said Mr. Sharma. “But real growth, like improving skills or advancing in a career, requires effort. Think about when you learned to cook. You didn’t just wake up one day knowing how to make a perfect biryani. You had to practice and learn.”

The Second Gap: "I don’t know how to grow."

Ravi nodded. He remembered how clueless he was when he first started cooking. “But I figured it out,” he said.

“Exactly,” said Mr. Sharma. “Not knowing how to do something isn’t a barrier. Once you decide to grow, you’ll find ways to learn. Have you truly decided to grow in your career?”

The Third Gap: "It’s not the right time to begin."

If not now, then when?” Mr. Sharma asked. “When will it ever be convenient to grow? Jim Rohn, a famous thinker, said, ‘The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.’ The best way to get closer to your goal is to start today.”

The Fourth Gap: "I don’t feel like doing it."

Ravi sighed. “Sometimes, I just don’t feel like putting in the extra effort.”

“That’s honest,” Mr. Sharma said. “But Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner observed, ‘You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.’ Start doing something, and you’ll likely feel like continuing. Once you get moving, it becomes easier.”

The Fifth Gap: "I thought it would be easier than this."

“There’s little in life worth pursuing that comes easily,” Mr. Sharma said. “But you can make your growth journey easier by being consistent. If you start working towards your goals today, you’ll make steady progress.”

Ravi sat back, thinking about all the advice Mr. Sharma had shared. He realized that he had been waiting for growth to happen automatically, without putting in the effort. He had been waiting for the perfect time to start, and he had let his lack of motivation stop him.

The next day, Ravi decided to take action. He enrolled in an online leadership course, started volunteering for challenging projects at work, and sought feedback from his seniors. Slowly but surely, he began to see progress. His colleagues noticed his dedication, and his manager started giving him more responsibilities.

Months later, Ravi was promoted to team leader. His hard work paid off, and he was finally on his way to achieving his dreams.

Ravi’s story teaches us that growth is a personal responsibility. The sooner we start, the farther we can go. And just like Ravi, we can all overcome our growth gaps and achieve our goals by taking action today.