Today, we need to ask and answer 2 questions:
- Is it a nature’s law that leaders and legends would fall in any case?
- If one has to fall in any case, is it worth going up the ladder of leadership and legendary?
It is a stark reality that what goes up, comes down; excellence brings adversity; when going is good, greed would take the grip and so on! There are countless examples in your home, neighborhood, company and countries world over. Some famous examples for the fall are musical genius Michael Jackson, soccer supremo Diego Maradona, cyclist legend Lance Armstrong, Citibank’s CEO until recently & leader Vikram Pandit and so on.
What drives you up and what drags you down
There are remarkable characteristics of individuals, which make them different, distinct and dazzle; help them to ascend to great height and status. However, during such upward journey, a stage comes when these very characteristics reach extreme end of their scale, put them in retrograde mode and reverse the direction of their rise!
See below some of such characteristics, which are cause of rise as well as fall!
- Up – Talent & Traits –> Confidence –> Achievements –> High confidence –>
Down – Over confidence –> Arrogance - Up – Focus –> Attention to details –> Good results –> Fervor –>
Down – Finicky –> Fanaticism - Up – Empathy –> People friendly –> Popularity –>
Down – Excessively extrovert –> People weakness & vulnerability - Up – Passion –> Ambition –> Accomplishments –> Raising bar –> Perfection –>
Down – Impatience –> Toxic - Up – Inspiration –> Success –> Aspiration –> Appetite for more success –>
Down – Greed becoming greater than God! - Up – Ideals –> Credibility –> Creating impact –> Transforming into Idol –>
Down – Image blues –> Maneuver or Manipulation –> Malice
Above clearly shows how the very qualities, which are highly admirable, can turn into adversity. You can now relate how several Celebrities and Charismatic personalities climbed up in their performance and popularity, and then came down.
Above also unveils an important fact – every characteristic or quality has a range from “plus” to “minus” and is like Inverse V. Its apex is the climax of positive part of a characteristic. On one arm of this V, degree of positivity of given quality increases on way up to the apex point and on 2nd arm, negativity increases on its way down! It is also very interesting that each journey, way up or down, is One Way Road!! That means you cannot come down from the road you climbed up!!!
Is the Fall inevitable?
No, it is not; but at apex, it is highly imminent, unless you play it very cautiously. Normally, people get hooked on to success, popularity, performance, publicity or power at climax and they refuse to see the reality of vulnerability! This is the precise reason of their getting pulled down.
Best choices available:
- Quit at Climax gracefully.
- Allow and accept a climb down to a certain point, which would preserve your credibility and courage. Swing between this level and apex.
This happens to many successful people and organizations unconsciously. They race to the top, only to lose later to lower positions and then again race to top thru new strategies or renewed strengths! - Stay at climax consciously and carefully, discover another peak and start to race up higher. This is a tough option; but not impossible.
Is it worth going-up, only to come down?
In this question are important lessons to learn!
- If you remain static or stagnant, you are sure to degenerate or degrade. So, without you having to do anything, you are surely going to go down.
If you are complacent or comfortable wherever you are, then at one stage you would start to get hurt, when your peers, neighbors or bête noires start to go past you in status or position. - As time passes, you would always need more resources. Remaining dormant would only damage your sleep and security.
- Life is lively and worth living, only when you crave and craft for “Change n Challenge”!
Therefore, do not be under any illusion that nature would allow you to remain stagnant in true sense – either you can go up or go down!!
Going-up is a Glory and consciously quitting or coming down is a Grace!!!
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