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Narratives and outcomes!

By Bamboo In The Wind

Half the battle in accomplishing anything lies in overcoming the mental hurdles faced. They come from narratives we tell ourselves.

The narratives, hugely influenced by our biases, originate all the times. But still, they have two main places of occurrence and therefore generate two distinct responses that impact what we do as a result. 

When the narrative surfaces after we embark on a journey - our pursuit of meaningful work - it usually indicates that we lacked preparedness and are now experiencing second thoughts about our goal. 

The narrative manifests with few reflective thoughts that raise doubts about what we really wanted to pursue. It sets in, albeit late, because of what we discover after having embarked on the pursuit. We have a surprise, contrary to our expectations of the journey. 

Most of us fall prey to poor thinking and ensuing inadequate preparation. Poor preparation turns into hurdles and yields pressure situations.

Our response then tends to be reconciliatory. Accept the situation unwillingly and deploy workarounds, patched fixes to incrementally improve the situation. It's not ideal. However, it is the only way out.

On the other hand, when narrative surfaces before we embark on our journey, it indicates a vigilant act. 

Such a narrative requires thinking before acting. It makes us watchful about the implications of the journey we are about to take. Provides for adequate impact analysis. Impact on self as well as on those who are affected by what we do.

So it allows for sufficient preventive planning and preparation. Provides recourse in case of an unexpected turn of events. As such, it minimizes the pressures of missteps and any adverse implications.

Our outcomes are the narratives dancing in our minds.

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