You often wonder why some people get successes after successes and others failures, despite putting same degree of efforts? Why some are very different and efficient than others, irrespective of having same intents and talents? Extensive study and observations show that there is a very fine dividing line; split second’s difference in the directions and decisions being made by those who succeed and those who fail! What is that, which makes such a dramatic difference?
It is “Looking/seeing first Forward and then Backward” as opposed to
“Looking/seeing first Backward and then Forward”
Former brings failure; whereas latter sequence brings success, even though both sets of people may have same core competences! May be it is difficult for you to believe; but it is true. Here below is “why”:
When you are mostly looking forward
Look at what happens, when you focus more on looking forward:
- You tend to ignore your current position or state.
- You are likely to overlook your limitations or constraints.
- You would pay less attention to what others have done or are doing.
- You would dilute importance of lessons learnt from your past experience and observations.
- You would get new or fresh ideas, which is a positive aspect. However, some would be workable or practical and some may be only good in theory and devoid of realities.
- You tend to be very optimistic; but a day dreamer.
- You might think out of box, trade on new paths, create something new and different or promote radically different ideas.
On the plus side of scale, people looking mostly forward, would be bold, imaginative, radical thinker, believer of metaphysical phenomenon and theoreticians. Depending upon the core qualities of such people, they may further branch out to be artists, painters, philosophers, path breaking or fiction writers, gurus and preachers in new fields.
On the negative side of the scale, people can be excessively self-believers, arrogant, argumentative, egoists, impractical, rude or too much out-going!
When you are mostly looking backward
- You would tend to focus more on past and your current position.
- You would be conservative and traditional.
- You would thrive on experience; but not on ideas.
- You tend to analyze a lot.
- You would believe excessively in realism.
- You are likely to lag in initiatives and have more of a pessimistic approach.
- You would pick more of what is not there, as opposed to what is there.
On the positive side for this kind of approach, people would be more disciplined, learn lot of lessons, respect rules and be God fearing. Based upon their core competencies, such people could turn out to be very good analysts, historians, doctors, mathematicians or priests. Negative side would make people inflexible, introvert, nagging, negative, laid-back and fundamentalists.
When you are looking forward and then backward in sequence
On the face of it, people would believe this is the right way to think or do. Actually it is not! Paradox is that most people tend to follow this sequence under the premise of being progressive! Regretfully, it is retrograding and regressive!!
Here below is what happens:
- When you are looking forward, you are having a new idea, new observation, fresh action or taking a new position. But, for a while you ignore or forget, what is behind, what has already happened or are there limitations?
- By the time, you are ready to look back; new idea/observation/action/position has already got fixed in your mind or memory.
- When you are now looking back, you would realize the realities of present and past. If these fit in your new perspective from point 1 above, it is good. If not, your troubles start:
- You may refuse to accept the realities and thereby react and rebel.
- You may gloss over or hide these realities or put problems under carpet and pursue what you already decided to do, while looking forward before.
- You may buckle down under pressure of these realities, get dejected and despondent.
- You may rig-up a solution, which would rile you later.
- It may evoke your emotions and evade learning lessons.
- In practical life, what has been observed time and again is that there is higher chance of your ideas or actions falling away from realities!
- In this category, you tend to have lot of ideas, so also illusions!
- You build new hopes on a routine basis; but when these fracture more often, you foster your faith in meta-physical forces and rituals.
- You swing between “Faith” for success and “Fate” for failure!!!
Majority of people live their lives in such sequence of thoughts/category. Some swim; but more sink. Hence, it makes them more spiritual, religious, ritualistic and conservative. Their productivity is on lower side. They survive more on hopes than holistic and realistic approach.
Now a turning point in first looking backward and then forward
Most successful people in the world follow this sequence, apparently unconsciously! My extensive search and research show that “human behavioral or medical” science or psychology or other branches of science have not been able to discover why performance of two persons equally qualified, experienced and exposed to equal opportunities would differ and deviate as much as by 180 degree! Finding no clue, people relate it to luck or genes or God’s hands!
So, you now have highly prolific secret behind successes –
“Split second’s difference in the sequence, in which you “think or do”, leads you to a sublime consequence – a key to success!”
Important points to note:
- In this sequence, it is crucial that while looking backward, you are just looking at information of “Now” and what has been done by others and just “Become Aware” without recourse to any emotional aspects.
- You need to switch from backward to forward, no sooner you accomplish point 1 above. If you hang around, you would run the risk of getting lost.
- This backward looking gives you all inputs, to make your ideas or action in forward looking phase practical and progressive.
- You not only learn lessons from backward looking; but live with those in forward phase! You can never do that, if this order is reversed!
- It could be beyond comprehension of many, how such a small step on a sustained basis has created famous Leaders and Legends!
- It is this sequence, which sows seeds for developing superlative properties and personalities in persons.
- You have a chance to be radically different and refined, if you have will to practice and wisdom to understand intricacies behind such a simple sequence of thoughts and actions.
In the last post, I have enunciated the rationale of why “western hemisphere compared to eastern hemisphere of globe at macro scale” and “opposite sides – west and east of a railway track in Mumbai at micro scale” are so different in their degree of development until date. I can now elaborate that this has directly to do with the above 2 sequences of thoughts and actions, with “Forward to Backward” in East and “Backward to Forward” in West, which have been prompted not by individual people’s choices; but by time zone differential and zero time line for a new day’s cycle! The effect, which we witness, has come about thru collective actions mainly in line with above sequence by large no. of people in large areas over a long period of time!
So, above fact corroborates what actually works for success is –
“Create consciousness by looking back and then look forward, move and continue with this cycle”!!
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