Are you running on a Treadmill OR running to a Destination?
"Are you running on a treadmill OR running to a destination? “ - I asked my colleague when he approached me for some advice. He was frustrated because of work overload, was depressed because of couple of failures and was resentful because others colleagues (junior to him) are getting paid higher than him....
First he didn't get my question, so I repeated:
“Are you running on a Treadmill OR running to a destination ?”
And this time he got the message, but then he started with a long list of excuses for “Why it is NOT possible to..." This is Nothing strange because this is how our brain works, it always look for instant gratifications, opts for easy and less risky options.
Human brain look for instant gratifications and opts for easy and less risky options
After listening to his excuses emphatically and after letting him empty his glass (Because you cannot fill a glass which is already filled)
Empty the heart and brain before you fill it with new thoughts and ideas
Our conversation continues, I applied different modes of inquiry, “Open Inquiry”, “Diagnostic Inquiry” and sometimes “Confrontational Inquiry” - A Coaching technique I learned from the book title “Helping” by Edgar Schein, former MIT professor
Finally, after couple of sessions and self-introspection for few days he himself got convinced. He realized that his days are filled with so much clutter, the things which seems "GOOD" from short-sight. There are so many things he does every day which adds ZERO value in achieving his Goals. I warned him that “Anything which seems adding ZERO value is actually adding a NEGATIVE value”, means those things are actually taking him away from his Goals.
Even instant GOOD things can be a clutter when compared with future GREAT things
Anyways, finally I congratulated him for KNOWING that “there is a problem” because
Knowing is the first step to solve the problem eventually.
After struggling for couple of months, he has now shifted his focus from “Just working on every task in-hand” to “What is really important to achieve his Goals.”
KEEP ASKING YOURSELF:
“Are you running on a Treadmill OR running to a Destination ?"
"Just because you are doing things doesn't mean that things are really getting done"