Conventional wisdom told us how it is important to be resolute and to commit to one course of action. We are told to be single minded and to follow through on whatever decision we take. However, it occurs to me, this doesn’t have to be so. Sometimes rigidly following a course of action can be detrimental. Course correction can be vital in a lot of cases. Remember, to change your mind is a right.
I wasn’t always a yoga instructor!
At one time, I was a graphics and animation creator, but I didn’t find passion in it. Then there was a time when I tried being a blogger – I gave it my best shot but found that the online world was not for me. For a while I soul searched and thankfully I gave myself the permission to change my mind, to chart a different course for my life. I completed my rigorous yoga training courses and started my own yoga classes. I had found my calling in life! Now that I write this yoga blog, perhaps I have come a full circle! The point is that if I had not given myself the permission to course correct on time, I may have stagnated. I would have been frustrated and unfulfilled.
Making a case for changing one’s mind
Suppose you go to watch a movie. Ten minutes into the movie you realize that it was a bad choice and you feel you’re going to really dislike the film. But you’ve spent hundreds of rupees on the ticket! So do you remain in the theater to somehow make the most of the money you spent; so you don’t waste it? Or do you leave to save your time? On the one hand you’re stuck in a darkened hall enduring something you don’t want to. On the other, you can just head out, maybe window shop, maybe take a stroll in a park or just sit and observe people – somewhere on the sea face, in the bus or elsewhere. What is more enriching? To change your mind about that movie or to stick to the plan to watch it?
What if Chetan Bhagat had continued in the corporate world just because he had studied at IIT and IIM? He wouldn’t have become a bestselling author and Indians wouldn’t have had the benefit of his entertaining books and the films based on his books! What if M S Dhoni had been content as a ticket collector in the railways? What if Rajinikanth had not decided to course correct after being a bus conductor? What if Nawazuddin Siddiqui had continued to work as a chemist or a watchman? What if Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had continued to sell vacuum cleaners his entire life?
I’m not saying that we should not commit fully to a plan of action or to work hard to achieve it. You must! You must give it your best shot. But when you see that something isn’t working out, you have to be able to tell yourself that it’s okay to cut your losses; to start afresh from scratch. The important thing is to be mindful of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and whether it’s the right thing to do. You have to be mindful of whether you’re doing what is right for you and your goals in life.
Sticking to a plan that isn’t working robs you of your power; change your mind to restore your power!