As a people manager and a training professional, I meet people and interact with them all the time. Very often, they share with me their desire to see themselves grow and achieve success in their life, and yet, I find the very same people shying away from taking bold decisions that can create quantum leaps for them and their life. I am talking about smart, educated, experienced people who have the definite capability to move ahead in life and achieve their goals. And yet they continue to be disappointed and disillusioned about their future or their capacity to succeed. You might say, but isn't our economic and global situation too risky to be bold? I think not taking any risks or bold decisions is a sure risk that we will miss out on all that we deserve and can achieve. At the same time, I am mindful that our current economic times are tough and hard for all of us, and there is no denying the fact that the world we live in today is much different and difficult than the one we had to deal with even ten years ago. I would be lying if I said, I have never felt fearful or apprehensive of what lay ahead. However, it is my innate nature and my burning need that I have cultivated over the years to confidently walk ahead and take bold decisions in the face of daunting challenges. Which brings me to the question - what constitutes a bold decision? Let me give you some genuine examples from my life. Hope you recall some of yours.
As a young student, I took up MBA as an aspiration when I didn't even know how my family would pay my fee, neither did I have a bank balance of my own. It was a scary and bold decision as I had faith that an MBA degree would increase my earning capacity and my ability to support my family. It was the right decision, though probably not the most realistic one looking at our financial condition. As it happened, money appeared from the most unlikely sources and we were able to support my education. I have heard so many people say that somehow help appeared and things fell into place, once they took a big step forward.
I then left a thriving job with one of India's top B schools and started my own training consulting business with no computer (I am talking about early 2000), no contacts in the industry, just Rs. 12000 in savings from my one year job stint and with very limited training experience on my hands, plus I was and looked like a kid in a classroom. Yet, none of this stopped me from knowing and acting on the knowledge that training was my passion and it had to be my career therefore. I would go to a cyber cafe to do my emails and prepare my presentations and call companies from pay phones. In less than 2 years I was a much in demand trainer and big companies were paying me a handsome per day fee to train their middle and senior managers. This too was a bold decision that changed my life forever and became the basis of all future success. Needless to say, I worked hard on increasing my knowledge and read like a crazy person to up-skill myself.
I then aspired to go overseas and train foreigners and experience a different culture. Within a month, I had spotted such an opportunity and applied for a short-term visit being organized by Rotary International. As it happened, the Rotary trip demanded a sum of 10,000 from my side, and all other expenses were paid for. I could therefore, afford this trip. I got chosen for the opportunity and had the most amazing experience in US and Canada which was completely beyond my financial means, but that never stopped me from believing and taking a decision that helped me move towards realizing my goal to go overseas and train.
Yet again, my 'big goals' bug bit me and I had to go ahead and do something bigger and better for my life and career. This time I left behind a successful consulting business and joined one of Indian's top IT companies and found a wonderful job that fit me perfectly and got me more resources than I could ever have imagined. Not to mention I took a bold decision when I accepted this job offer to move from North to the South of the country, all by myself and with no help or support in sight. My list of bold decisions continues and I have again taken a couple of very bold decisions in my life to achieve even bigger goals....I really don't think there is any reason to stop aspiring or working towards aspirations, irrespective of how bad the times might be.
Bold decisions are bold because they require courage and faith. That certainly does not mean we take foolish risks without weighing some necessary pros and cons, or jump into situations that might jeopardize our relationships or career. It just means we keep our options open and move with conviction in a direction we are convinced will help us to ease current problems and open up wide doorways to enter another level of success and prosperity. Bold decisions are the ones that we would normally never take if we thought and thought and over analyzed them. Analysis is good, but over thinking decisions and all the consequences that might flow from them, results in analysis paralysis. That is a state when we are unable to move forward and find a reason to reject all options at hand and all advice as useless. This is not just unproductive, but unnecessary.
Key to feeling bold and courageous is to keep taking action, and become an action oriented person. Don't stop at every hurdle and sit down in deep contemplation. Life does require us to walk past some obstacles and not make them emotional hurdles. So next time you find yourself in a bad situation that completely frustrates you, remember, it is probably a result of you not taking bold decisions at the right time.
Good news - it is never too late. Take a bold decision and feel the power that is within you and is the key to all your progress and success.
To your success always!
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