Don’t Lower Your Purpose Bar
View(s):At the moment when I was heading the marketing of a famous brand in Sri Lanka, I was supposed to obtain some very important certificates from a very powerful government regulatory authority. With everything prepared in order I went to submit my applications, while I was there the head of the application committee invited me for a discussion. The moment I met him, without any embarrassment he directly requested for a bribe of One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Rupees (Rs. 180,000) in order to register my products. We as an organisation vehemently refused to accommodate his bribery request. We decided that even if we do not get the certifications, we will certainly not entertain bribing, as that was against our values and our purpose of existence.
At every juncture in our lives, we will be granted two roads to choose from. One, a very wide road that will mostly be selected by almost anyone due to its convenience and the hardship of entering the other road, which is narrow. Yet, it is the correct path, where you would not have to sell out your values or purpose in life. Both roads will have something to offer to us, what you receive from the wider road is temporary and it will be wrapped in condemnation. The reward you receive from the narrow path would always be joyful and long lasting. It will also give a sense of ownership. A hard earned slice of bread is tastier than a stolen piece of cake. During my youth, I always took the broader path, I realised that it always ends up in suffering and misery.
When I was doing my MBA, there was a person who used to get his assignments written by someone for money. After graduating, he put up a post on Facebook stating his achievement. I called him and said that he has achieved nothing. I told him that his certificate is like a clay pot painted in gold. Today, those who genuinely achieved their MBA with their hard work are performing very well in life, as they are already equipped with the necessary armory for the battle. Yet, the aforementioned person has not shown much growth as he has not been able to acquire the necessary skills to perform in a fiery marketplace. For him it was as though he was paying and getting a certificate for swimming, whilst he has never even jumped into a pool. Life is like a marriage. You can easily get into a vouch by manipulating or pretending but you cannot sustain the relationship if you do not possess what it needs to perform in the relationship.
When every other cricketer finished their practice at St. Joseph’s College and left the ground, my friend Chaminda Vaas kept on bowling to a single wicket until it was late. He went on to reap the rewards for his unwavering commitment. A lot of youngsters today seek shortcuts and quick fixes. Well, keep in mind that there are no shortcuts to success. Tell me one person who has succeeded by taking a shortcut ? You could earn a lot of money with short cuts but it would not sustain nor will you be able to enjoy the outcome of it. There is no use of owning a golden toothbrush if you do not have teeth to brush. Also, what is the point of having the most high tech TV in the world if you are blind. Happiness is produced in your heart. The moment you achieve something by lying, stealing, cheating and manipulating then your heart will be wounded from condemnation, fear and worry. A wounded heart cannot produce joy.
Make sure you do not lower your purpose or vision in life. As you will not feel the condemnation after sometime. When you do not feel the condemnation, you would become like a barren tree. When a tree that is meant to be producing fruit has stopped producing fruit, the tree becomes purposeless. Do not become a man with no purpose. Purpose is like oxygen to man. When you possess a clear purpose in life, whatever the struggles you may have to face, your purpose is certain to drive you.
It is indeed sad to see people lowering or rather compensating their dreams, aspirations and values just because life has become tough. Pain killers will not heal your illness. It will only act as a temporary solution. The next morning when you wake up, your pain will still exist. Do not paste temporary plasters to your problems. Instead, get a permanent treatment done though it may be painful. When I was young, I constantly opted for quick fixes and later I found out that my mind has deteriorated to the maximum. Even though I was alive I was dead from within myself. If you expect an outcome of gold, train yourself to walk through the fire. Do not allow your purpose bar to lower itself, rather enhance your purpose and standards.
Just as your biceps grow when you increase the weights you lift, so it remains the same with your mind muscles. Presently, I am going through a great deal of challenges but I am content with myself as I have been faithful to my values and beliefs. I am determined not to give up or sell out my values and beliefs just because of the heat of the fire. I have a purpose in life, hence, I need to walk through the fire even though the flames are high. There is certainly no turning back.
Recently my son Joshua requested to go for basketball practices, we explained to him that we cannot drop him nor pick him up due to the fuel crisis. We asked him if he was willing to walk back home from the basketball court whenever he cannot get a bus. He willingly said yes. As expected, he did not get a bus to return home and he had to walk home. I was very happy that Joshua accepted the challenge. I want my children to reach their dreams by overcoming challenges.
He was willing to forego the obstacles to achieve the end result. The problem with many is that they have not trained themselves to look at the end of the tunnel, they rather focus only on what is in between. The process of pregnancy and the pain of delivery is indeed worth compared to the joy and pleasure it brings through motherhood. You must set your mind to the end and not to what is in between.
When I was young, I used to blame other people for my failures. Later, I realised that almost all successful people have had a bitter past, yet they have chosen not to blame others. They have rather chosen to challenge their history and reinvent their future. If you want to succeed there is no other route than challenging your fears and worries. If not, fear and worry will easily hijack your future. This is why we must train the next generation to manage their worries and fears so that it does not depress them, stress them and steal their joy when faced with battles.
Do not allow the circumstances to steal your peace from you. If you want to safeguard your peace, you must guard your heart. Your happiness is not someone else’s responsibility but yours. Do not let other situations invade your heart and steal your peace from you. Do not fight with narrow minded people. It is not essential to fight every battle. Wise men will ignore certain battles. Ignoring battles is not a cowardly act, but an act of maturity and wisdom.
You must maintain a conscious mindset so that you will never lower your purpose bar. Whenever you are being challenged or attacked by fear, worry and negativity, make sure your purpose is set before your eyes at all times. Just as the seasons change, tough times will not last forever, but when they are present, hang on tight and challenge them. Also keep in mind that good times will not last forever either, they will also disappear for a moment and that is a good thing because that will remind you who you are and what your strengths are. Once you realise something, make necessary corrections and developments so that you constantly enhance your purpose bar. There is a champion within every one of you. Wake up and train that champion.
For comments: e-mail:
philipnehri@chandanalepa.lk /
voice: 0779 526 496
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!