Professionals define the profession

In today's world, with the surmounting amount of information flow from all directions people have a huge question on mind as to which profession to take up. Different opportunities present different scales of returns and the number of such opportunities is limited in case of those who aren't prepared and trained to enter the work world while for those who are pre-equipped, they are just too big in number and variety. Too many options only confuse our choices. Which profession to choose is of great question and the debate about the goodness and badness of a profession is never ending. That's where I need to jump in and tell that your profession can't define you; you will've to give a new meaning to the profession you get into.

I had heard my lecturer say in my college days that, "everyone is good, everyone is bad but only the percentage varies." Likewise profession is also something that's innovated by man. No profession is good or bad. It's the people in the profession who shall define the quality and fame of the  profession. Let's take two simple examples of Sir Richard Branson and Sachin Tendulkar. to understand the concept better. Sir Richard Branson is a true serial entrepreneur who has made people feel that entrepreneurship is the cloud nine of life. He has given his adventurous touch to the business world. In the same way, Sachin Tendulkar has displayed the true spirit of sportsmanship by taking cricket records to new heights which people might not even defeat for ages to come. He has inspired and influenced hordes of others to take up cricket as the profession just like how Sir Richard Branson has triggered plenty of youth to jump into the ocean of entrepreneurship and business.

We can find so many frauds and cheats in both the fields of cricket and business. Still people opt for such fields because of the personalities who have made those professions noble. Hence we must not have any bias towards any profession. We must think about what value we can add to the profession we are in and how we can influence lots more to take up the same profession and benefit themselves. Only then you become a true professional in your profession and a leader who sets new benchmarks and standards.

Standards! Do they affect you?

In one of my conversations with a friend last night, she asked me whether her poems and proverbs were good enough to be published. Immediately I replied back saying that it doesn't matter whether they are good or bad as long as you want to publish them. Friends! let me reassure you that even garbage sells. Why do we have so many doubts against our own creations? It's all because of the set standards for anything we do that block us from surpassing them.

People have assumed certain standards for anything and everything that they are involved in. There is a certain set standard to wear clothes to a party or office or social gathering. There are standards for eating as well, in fact even to hold a fork. There are different standards of speaking english language for that matter. There is a specific way to convene a board meeting. People have a built-in perception that something really big, best and famous should be in the exact form that they imagine and if anyone else is doing the same level of impact but in a different form, it's difficult for people to accept. Friends! please get rid of all such unwritten rules that clog your mind from conveying our thoughts and ideas.

Right at the beginning of evolution of homo-sapiens species everyone of us were mere monkeys. Man evolved over the years and started following certain norms that eventually became standards for others to follow as they were more convenient and acceptable by a large number. If you can perform anything that you like to perform in the best way that it doesn't hurt the feelings of others and is neat in presentation that large number of people can view and validate it right then that's the best standard. No doubt that 'To err is human', you are bound to make mistakes. Just get rid of the fear of making mistakes and failing in front of the people's eyes. Be ready to learn from them and move on with your journey. All standards will get fulfilled in due course or perhaps you might be the next standard-setter. I am willing to read your feedback on is.mohanbn@gmail.com

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Someone always raises the bar

Man used to use stone-made articles for his day-to-day necessities in the stone age. Someone found out a metal and then evolved the metallic age of using metals for all work. Similarly wheel was one such invention which completely raised the level of transportation used. Even though this evolution happened, why did it take ages to happen is a big question of concern. The existing people were complacent enough with the ongoing and spent years and generations through the same routine but someone came in with a new thought to raise the bar of living and hence there was a transition in the age itself.

In our daily life we can see so many such scenarios where certain standards are already set and people work and perform under the same standards. But there is always one new person who enters the existing scenario to push up the standards. He/she raises the bar of expectations. Automatically everyone else is forced to perform to these standards because it was just one more human being completely similar to them who made the elevation of change. No one lies to be at the sub-standards like in earlier times. Everyone wants to move up but the question is who takes the iniative and moves up to set an example for others. Students were meant to only study during school and college days but few men like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Larry Page started off companies during their study time itself. Some dropped out of graduation, some continued but raised the bar of possibility of what a student can do at a young age. This is a very simple example but I am damn sure you would have noticed many such examples similar to this in your surroundings.

People often get complacent in the norm of things already set, there is always a necessity of some extraordinary person to enter the scene to break the mindset and raise the bar of thinking. The point is whether you want to be in the complacent lot or be the person who raises the bar everytime to set new standards for others to follow. Observe your own life and introspect if you are raising your level in your own eye everyday. If you don't see yourself growing on a daily basis, probably you are moving into the ordinary lot that just follows the extraordinary.

I try my best to elevate the thinking level of self and others, you can share your feedback on is.mohanbn@gmail.com
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