From Dreams to Reality: Avoiding Drags and Distractions

Drags and distractions often come disguised as dreams. How to identify them and jettison them.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”: Lao Tzu

Everyone Has 24 Hours

Everyone has 24 hours in a day. After accounting for sleep, ablutions, and basic daily activities, we are left with not more than 8, perhaps 10, hours for deep, focused work. Yet, within these precious hours, we often encounter drags and distractions, which can deceptively appear similar to our dreams. Successful entrepreneurs like Mr Narayana Murthy may prescribe a 70-hour work week, but we respectfully differ, as we discussed in an earlier article.

Focusing on Dreams

Our dreams are the guiding stars of our lives, representing our deepest aspirations and goals. For a young entrepreneur striving to launch a successful startup, this dream might be developing a groundbreaking product or service. However, dreams, while challenging, should be realistic and resonate with your inner self. You can’t have a wishful dream, like wanting to win a lottery. To actualise these dreams, it is essential to concentrate our efforts and maintain unwavering focus. Dreams require dedication, perseverance, and a clear vision. They are the ultimate destinations that give our lives purpose and direction. It’s like following your ‘ikigai’.

The Pitfall of Distractions

Distractions are the seemingly innocuous activities that can subtly veer us away from our dreams. For instance, consider a young entrepreneur who spends excessive time on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. While networking and staying informed are beneficial, getting caught up in endless scrolling can consume valuable time that could have been spent refining the business model or reaching out to potential investors. Even politics, while important, can become a distraction if followed obsessively, taking attention away from the startup's critical tasks. Hobbies, though necessary for relaxation, can also become distractions when overindulged, diverting time and focus from business goals. No distraction, of course, is as damaging as drugs and alcohol. These kill not only your dreams but can even kill you.

Meditation can help, but what works best is to immerse in deep work that is at the core of your dreams. It’s all about focus and concentration— the first is about breadth and the latter about depth. This approach never fails to work for me. Additionally, work on one thing at a time—no parallel processing for me, at least.

The Weight of Drags

Drags are the unnecessary emotional burdens we carry, such as overly caring about others' opinions or getting entangled in emotional games. For instance, a young entrepreneur might waste hours worrying about negative feedback from acquaintances or anonymous online critics, instead of using constructive criticism to improve their product. They might also get involved in solving personal problems for friends and family, draining their emotional energy. Additionally, excessive anxiety about global issues like climate change or economic downturns can become overwhelming, diverting focus from immediate business priorities. While empathy and concern for the broader world are important, they should not overshadow the pursuit of personal dreams.

he trouble is when the drag comes from your genuine well-wishers, near and dear ones, and members of the immediate family. Here, one cannot ride roughshod but must handle with both tact and empathy. However, it's crucial not to waste too much time and learn to switch back to the frequency of your core mission.

Arjun in the Battle of Mahabharat: The quintessential “karmayogi”— perfect mental and physical balance. #AI_artwork

Summing Up: Embrace Dreams with Proportion

With training and self-awareness, we can learn to distinguish between dreams, drags, and distractions. By jettisoning the latter two, we can embrace our dreams wholeheartedly, yet with a sense of proportion. This balanced approach ensures that we stay focused on what truly matters, leading to a fulfilling and purpose-driven life. For the young entrepreneur, this means dedicating time and energy to building the startup while mindfully managing distractions and emotional drags, thus paving the way to success. However, doing so with a sense of detachment, which is the core teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, is essential. Like a true Karmayogi, you will remain equanimous during both work and non-work hours, while also earning "karmic credits."

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