Vigour, Perseverance and Focus: Dr Kiran Bedi’s Ideologies for a Successful Life
“The moment I empower a woman, I empower a family” -Dr. Kiran Bedi
Many people are aware of the exigency for ongoing self-improvement. Self-improvement does not have to be big leaps to climb up the ladder; it can be small baby steps to continually learn and grow. In short, it can be an endeavor to self-discover your inherent weaknesses, shortcomings and mistakes to improve upon them.
To shed light on the vitality of developing inner strength, focus and clarity of thought, Dr, Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and erstwhile national tennis champion, elaborated upon her life experiences to guide us to excel in our lives. We at Acuver Consulting were honored to host her and ponder over our current practices, through her valuable insights.
Reminiscing the Younger Days
When we learn to drive a car, the precision in accelerating it in the first gear, is perhaps the most taxing part. You need to be concentrated on the road and be more focused as you gradually grapple with challenges of driving smoothly. Similarly, an investment in early childhood learning is imperative to build a strong foundation for a bright future. Having a direction and working on it with focus is important to set one’s goals right.
Today, when parents leave no stone unturned to shape their child’s future, children lack clarity of thought. Kiran Bedi accredits her triumphs to her zeal of making a mark in society and abiding by the mantra of not wasting a single day. According to her, education is a quest for knowledge and one should channelize one’s energy to transform the nation while striving for righteousness. She strongly emphasizes on the role of realizing one’s inner potential to achieve indefeasible feats in life.
Stress: The Traffic Jam In Mind
What is a human being’s greatest inability? It is his failure to recognize his own hidden talent and potential. The constant trickling feeling of not being good enough hinders their progress. Most of them are vulnerable to the problems they might encounter while striving for their dreams.
Kiran Bedi emphasizes on the fact that problems are inevitable part of our lives.
Every once in a while, we encounter a problem that seems invincible. Learning to embrace problems courageously and dealing with them effectively is the key.
In these situations, the mind’s response time plays an imperative role. Finding solutions to problems becomes easy when one is connected to one’s spiritual self. The divinity of yoga and prayer can help one to solve problems peacefully and calmly. Dr Bedi emphasizes on the importance of inculcating spirituality to support one’s mental health. Decluttering the mind is the key to unlocking doors to life’s difficulties and problems.
In the pandemic, health and not wealth, helped people overcome the hurdles. They realized the importance of practicing virtues like gratitude, patience and humility by nurturing relationships, helping needy people.
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Businesses have to be flexible in adapting to the changing needs in this dynamic competitive environment. Hence, they are exposed to a plethora of problems to live up to the expectations of their customers. This can be way more than challenging at times.
Dr Bedi life’s core philosophy is “Focus on the solution, do not stick to the problem, and find your purpose in life.” She believes in sailing through the problems and looking for innovative solutions to solve challenges rather than worrying about the tasks in hand. Turning challenges into opportunities to learn with a positive mindset can be magical.
Many corporations were inspired by her zest to transform Delhi’s traffic and parking situation. She earned the sobriquet, Crane Bedi. But she earned it with her grit and diligence of not shrinking away from the system’s sluggish mechanisms, instead by taking charge of things in her own hands. Similarly, she played a remarkable role as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and augmented the slumping water levels by devising a strategy of cleaning the irrigation wells.
Taking inspiration and living by her mantra of “transformation begins with a trigger”, one must work towards one’s goals with clarity. To sum it up metaphorically, one needs to clear the mind’s roads, press the escalator, and drive straight to the finish line. In short, one should be strong enough to stay calm and peaceful while sailing through the rough times.
Paragons
As a child, we always look upon someone we can admire, adore and bank upon. That one elderly person who will be our mentor, guide and friend in times of hardships. This person often guides us to discern life in a certain fashion.
But, at the same time, it is crucial to realise that everyone we encounter in our journey of life has something to teach to us. Each of them is a role model in their own ways. The secret to a euphoric life is “Being a student at heart, always”. Draw inspiration from every situation in life, and find the impetus to escalate your journey. Appreciating everything that life has to offer to us can turn out to be a blessing.
Emotional Sustainability
“There’s no holiday in sustainability. What you did right yesterday, has to be done today. The character sustains you.” -Kiran Bedi
Habits shape our everyday actions which in turn shape our future. Following good habits religiously regularizes our daily routine and contributes to our overall well-being.
“Sustenance does not happen every day, it’s a foundation.” To support this, Dr Bedi quotes an interesting analogy where she personifies trees by explaining how having indestructible roots helped them sway through the disastrous cyclone in Pondicherry.
Time Management
Projects piling up, approaching deadlines, and a to-do list that seems to get never ending each day are recurrent experiences in personal and professional lives. We often admire the ability of pioneers to multitask. However, what we fail to decipher is that the “24 hours are the same for everyone, us and the trendsetters”. But, very few of us are able to leverage them properly.
What makes leaders stand out in the crowd? Three simple things – “managing time better,” “being more productive,” and “focusing on what matters.”
Striking a Balance
As you get older, your professional and personal responsibilities tend to grow. Maintaining a work-life balance is vital to keeping yourself content.
Her key takeaways lay the foundation of how we can unlock the door of opportunities for ourselves while living a happy and fulfilling life. In a nutshell, take life’s steering wheel into your own hands while driving to the destination. On the path to success, you may find some roads which will be cluttered while some will be filled with mud, but you will sail through as long as you keep striving hard.
