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Excel is not just a spreadsheet

BALASUBRAMANYA B N (CCI STUDENT....) (44679 Points)

13 September 2011

EXCEL IS NOT JUST A SPREADSHEET

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BALASUBRAMANYA B N (CCI STUDENT....) (44679 Points)
Replied 14 September 2011

What does it take to excel at something? Turns out it`s a mixture of vision, commitment, hard graft and a sprinkling of talent.

My guess is that goal in life isn`t just to be average or ok or not bad in everything you do. Go on, admit it. You want to be stonkingly good at something.

Personal mastery begins with a vision of what you want to achieve with your life. That`s also where the problems start. Most of us rub along with little sense of real vision. We might have a few goals and objectives, but these are not visions. It`s perfectly reasonable to want to retire, for example, but it`s hardly inspiring. Often our goals are more about what we don`t want than what we do. We might say that we want a better job, but actually our primary desire is to be rid of our current job.

Having a personal vision is about a desire to apply sense of purpose to something that is really meaningful to us. For some people, a personal vision has quasi-religious or mystical overtones because it answers the questions: Why am I here? For others, it`s an entirely earthbound drive to excel that is underpinned by the sense that life is not a dress rehearsal. Wherever the drive comes from, it`s about wanting something passionately.

Let`s be clear, though wanting something and making it happen are different things. I might enjoy rowing and have a fancy to become a future Olympic champion. But am I prepared to commit to the regime necessary to get anywhere near the necessary level of excellence?

“Don`t be the world`s best kept secret. Once you know in which area`s you wish to attain personal mastery, tell other people what you aspire to. The more we become known for being something, the more likely it is that others at different places on the same journey will consciously seek us out.”

Personal mastery involves taking personal responsibility for making something happen. It is a journey that starts when we come to realize that we are master of our own destiny.

“Personal mastery goes beyond competence and skills, though it is grounded in competence and skills. It goes beyond spiritual unfolding or opening, although it requires spiritual growth. It means approaching one`s as a creative work, living life from a creative as opposed to a reactive viewpoint. People with high levels of personal mastery are continually expanding their ability to create the results in life they truly seek.”

When we talk about personal mastery, some people have a problem with the language used, which often seems to be drawn from those slightly smug self-help texts. All this talk of ‘life purpose’, ‘spiritual growth’ and ‘being on a journey’ is not necessarily everyone`s cup of tea. It`s worth emphasizing that somebody who has attained a level of personal mastery over their chosen field is just as likely to be a salt-of-the-earth pragmatist as a sandal-wearing mystic.

Once we have a vision of what we want to become, what separates the achievers from the dreamers is a willingness to commit to the pursuit of the vision. You can achieve whatever s most important to you in the world as long as you are prepared to forgo whatever is second most important. The choice may not be absolutely that stark – it is possible to have your cake and eat at least some of it- but personal mastery does require a certain single mindedness.

Once you commit energy and resources to becoming whatever it is you want to be, you will find that you become automatically more alert to opportunities to develop your talent.

“Personal mastery teaches us to choose. Choosing is a courageous act: picking the results and actions which you will make into your destiny.”

You may have had that experience where you buy a new car and all of a sudden the roads are awash with people driving our car (not your car actual car that would be a little inconvenient). When we focus in on something, we tend to go out and discover people, events, courses, opportunities and so on that are highly relevant to our journey. Those other cars were always there but you just hadn’t noticed them before.

Regards

BAlu

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Hardik Dave (IPCC and CS Professional(FINAL) Student) (15533 Points)
Replied 14 September 2011

Thanku for sharing Balu sir.smile.

Sourav Banerjee MA,MSW (Shabda Bramha) (8842 Points)
Replied 14 September 2011

" Those other cars were always there but you just hadn’t noticed them before." -- Balu ji, this is absolutely right. Alas! most of us realise this only after attaining a higher maturity-level.

Someone had rightly sighed saying , " I could have changed the world only if I had the energy of a 18-year-old and the experience of a sixty-year-old!"