The problem with decisions is that… although ‘you’ make them, but the world owns the deployment!
There is a toll-booth that I cross daily…Yesterday, as the lines in both the lanes were equally long, so I randomly chose one and was waiting. Suddenly, I realized that the car ahead of me started coming back speedily (in reverse), and my yelling and horn-honking ended only with a plastic-sound of both bumpers colliding…
I stepped out and expressed my anger in the most controlled way possible… (I am sure it would have been different if the driver hadn’t been a lady in her mid 20s)! But when she kept repeating “I thought there was no one behind”, I, in sheer exasperation, ended up telling her (at the risk of sounding chauvinist) “I know women have strong 6th sense, but why didn’t you use the first-five first?” (…even amidst mess, it felt so good to deliver such a well – ‘timed & placed’ punch-line! A trainer’s delight!)
After the dust settled, while I proceeded with the journey, a thought kept coming back to me…what if I had chosen the other lane…?
………..
Well! I have always believed that life is nothing but ‘A set of sheer coincidences, shared between randomly-running entities’! All that is happening is random… and we just feel a pseudo sense-of-control by locking ourselves into a chosen orbit (our attempt to bring predictability)! Step out of that orbit and you will realize how arbitrary everything becomes (is)!
All the time, we are living coincidences…We ignore 90% of them because they have neutral impact on us, we name the 5% of favorable impact as ‘good luck’ and the other 5% of unfavorable impact as ‘bad luck’! But, in reality, there is nothing such as luck…it’s all coincidental!
…………
So, while I was thinking “what if I had chosen the other lane…?” I suddenly recalled that…the last vehicle in the other lane was a truck! And I shuddered on mere thought “what if its driver would have had similar plans…and an equal trust on his 6th sense…?”!
Well! In that case, either you would have been spared of future blogs…Or…I would have been crying foul over a thing called bad-luck…!
…Opinions …Opinions!! They are so fragile…! It’s idiotic that we hold them so dear!
PS: Everything has an expiry-date…and a decision expires the moment you take it! So, the only way to move on is… to focus on the next one! (as now…world owns the last one)!
About Sandeep Atre
Dr. Sandeep Atre:
• Counseling Psychologist and an internationally recognized ‘Emotional & Social Intelligence’ Expert, with experience of more than two decades in helping people ‘sort out’ and ‘excel in’ intrapersonal and interpersonal matters. He holds a PhD in Management and a Master’s degree in Psychology (www.dratrecounsels.com).
• Founder of Socialigence – a venture specializing in development of ‘Social & Emotional Intelligence’ and its offshoot interpersonal skills through workshops and an award-winning online course rooted in neuroscience and psychology (www.socialigence.net).
• Author of two books related to his domain, namely - “Understanding Emotions Logically” and “Observing Nonverbal Behavior”; and third book on various aspects of life, named “Two Paras of Everyday Wisdom”. Moreover, the collection of his Nazms and Ghazals is published as a book titled “Baat Jazbaat Ki”.
• Corporate Trainer, with experience of close to two decades. Has conducted 150+ workshops/sessions for 50+ organizations & institutions like CSC, Cummins, Piramal, Ranbaxy, Lupin, Bridgestone, Michelin, Eicher, Maruti, Force, Idea, Airtel, NBHC, SBI, HDFC, L&T, Zydus, Thapar University, Banasthali, Narsee Monjee, Symbiosis, IIFM Bhopal, Azim Premji University, Nirma, Welingkar & IBS Hyderabad.
• Co-Founder and Director of CH EdgeMakers – a leading ‘Coaching and Training’ organization of central India for more than 24 years. He has trained close to 100 thousand students for ‘Soft Skills’ & ‘Entrance & Recruitment Preparation’ (www.ch-india.com).
• ‘Management Speaker and Orator’. Has featured at platforms like TEDx, IIM, IIT, NIT, CII, YI, CII-IWN, TCS, IMA, ICAI, ECA, ISHRAE, NEN, Sahodaya, Aditya Birla Education Academy, Round Table, LinkedIn Local, Rotary International, MP State’s Teachers’ Training, Academic Staff College DAVV, Police University Rajasthan, Police Training Academy Indore & more than 100 institutions.
• Member of noted associations and boards. Has been an ‘Executive Committee’ member of Indore Management Association. Associate Editor of IMA publications. Governing Council Member of Banasthali University’s SBBJ Centre for Research in MSME & Promotion of Entrepreneurship in Women. Executive Member of IMS, DAVV Alumni Association. Member of Rotary International’s ‘Group Study Exchange’ team to Minnesota, USA. ESI Coach with FWSA Australia.
Note: For glimpses of work, watch YouTube Channel ‘Dr. Sandeep Atre at Socialigence’.
