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- What one can accomplish in one life?
- How much one can accomplish in a single life?
- Are there any limits to what one can accomplish in one life time?
- Is there a need of measuring what one did in a life time?
- Scale of accomplishment, does it serve a higher purpose?
Most of us confront this question at one or other point in our lives. These questions get most of us in reflection mode. All of us find one or other answers. Some answers convincing some not so convincing. Some of us get satisfied with the answers and some of us don’t. These answers are found, discovered and invented via different sources depending on our personalities, preferences and opportunities of conversations and interfacing. Some of us find ‘em through mentors. Others discover answers through their experiences. And some more invent them by chance, when they bump into situations or else when they have their Eureka moment.
Here is another attempt to explore these questions. I will stay away from claiming to an answer to these questions. All I can claim is to have explored (sighted) the hazy boundary of horizon of potential answers to these questions.
A thought about drawing a physical or logical boundary on ‘what one can accomplish’ is discomforting at best. We can think of a three corner model as a virtual bound of ‘what is possible in one’s life’. This three corners of model are made of ‘Aspiration’, ‘Effort’ and ‘Time’. The nature and characteristics of these three points on the corners can define the ‘potential’ and ‘scope’ of ‘what one can accomplish in life’. Each one of these points are major forces and factors in anyone’s life.
Now let’s have a look at each of these points, which are major forces and factor in anyone’s life.
‘Aspiration‘
It is unbounded, has no physical limits and is completely dependent on personality, preference and attitude of an individual. ‘Aspiration’ also does not have any external dependencies or influences such as geographic location, demographic context, social pressures and familial compulsions. It is also one point, where one (individual) has least control (it is a personality and attitude thing). So, one corner of triangle model is largely fixed (though not similar) for most of the people. Actually there would be quite a bit of variability in where this point is placed for different people in the three corner model.
‘Effort‘
This point of the triangle model is quite opposite to first one. ‘Effort’ varies depending on commitment, passion and resolve. There is no calculated limit on ‘how much effort can be placed on something’. Though a few influencing factors for this point are there. These are bandwidth, energy levels and circumstances. This point is pretty flexible in a three corner model and will be very different for different people. Since it is driven by people, this point can vary a lot in the model for different type of people. This is one point, which will vary a lot even for similar kind of people.
‘Time‘
This is one corner, which is pretty much fixed in everyone’s life. One can squeeze every ounce of ‘available time’ but overall quantity of time is fixed. This is where, a person can not do any thing. In three corner model, there is no flexibility for this point.
So, if we have this triangle model for defining vague (and probably virtual) boundary) of ‘what one can accomplish in one’s life’, then what is the measure of ‘What’.
‘Realizations ‘ in one’s life get represented by what lies in the triangle.
The larger the triangle area, larger will be realization. Since one point, ‘Aspiration’ is kind of defined by ‘personality’ and another one ‘Time’ is fixed in ‘nature’, ‘Efforts’ can and will drive ‘what one can and will achieve in one’s lifetime’.
‘Efforts’ – If that defines ‘what one can accomplish in one’s life’ – Then everyone should have control on ‘what one accomplishes’. No, everyone does not. The triangle model is potential of ‘what one can do and achieve in one’s life’ not the prediction.
‘Efforts‘, which is called ‘Karma’ in Indian mythology and philosophy, is the driver of ‘What is possible’
That is why, you will find that ‘Leaders are more concerned about their efforts than outcomes’!
In a any life a being needs to undergo specific experiences in terms of learning that can only happen via bodily experiences. Vis-a-vis other oragnisms, humans are much more evolved in terms of their sensory powers. The most complex amalgamation of all human senses is, what we call as, relationships. According to Indian philosophy, aka ‘Vedanta’, a human life is supposed to learn from all the relationships and grow understanding of oneself. Maslow called this Empathy and this is the closest English word that we can use today.
Therefore, to justify existence in terms of accomplishments is a futile exercise. Instead one needs to see if one understands oneself better because of those accomplishments. For that will give him the motivation to go on with life.
In one’s life may be your optimum efforts are not realized but the seeds of efforts that you have sown now will bear fruit in future and there is no denying this fact even in Gita – Krishna told us about the state of our current life due to the karma’s performed in past life whose bitter or sweet fruit we are seeing now but it shouldn’t desist one from carrying on once efforts in current life as Krishna Truly said not to worry about result but about the efforts and if the very nature of effort is pleasing to Him or not if it’s pleasing one don’t worry about the accomplishments or try to measure them he will take care of that.
cheers
Gaurav Shukla
Quark