Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Life is a Push-Pull Train

This article is motivated by a conversation I had with a colleague.

It all started when a colleague complained that life no longer seemed interesting, and she didn't know where she was heading. She felt it was like a 'push-pull' train, going back and forth without any aim, not knowing when destiny will be reached.

This sentence triggered quite a lot of thoughts in my mind, especially the word 'push-pull'.

In my childhood when i heard this term, i thought how the hell does a train push and pull at same time and reach anywhere?
Later on it dawned to me that one engine pushes from back, another pulls from front and voila you have a moving vehicle.

In similar fashion if we design our engines at two sides, puller at front, pusher at back, there will definitely be a forward motion and at double the speed too.

With engines I intend to point to the factors that motivate us to excel. It can be skills, passion for something, someone's words, doing things we like to do etc.
Some engines pull, that is, they are pleasant and generate force in the natural direction. But some are pushers, where you will need to face hardships, take tough decisions and literally push on against the tide. A sturdy and wise combination of these two will make the train, that is life, a fast mover.

Now, the tough parts of this scheme are: -
1) Identifying the engines that can drive you
2) Classifying them as puller or pusher
3) Toughest part - Deploying engines and make them work for you

Overall for making all these things work, you need to have a vital engine - Perseverance . I feel it is an all-rounder i.e puller cum pusher.
Also, don't forget to freeze your Goal and arrange the puller at front and pusher at back , or else you would end up just opposite to where you wanted to be.

I think providing an example can help. If not, put it in the comments, I shall modify it if the reasons suffice.

Anger and need for perfection can be a pusher whereas love and passion for work can be a puller.

This article is not meant to be a manual of any sort, because I feel no one can step into your shoes in matters that regard you and yourself.
If it can guide and give you a new view on another person's ( in this case, mine) way of doing something you always wanted to, it has served its purpose.

1 comment:

  1. as always.. different point of view.. great thinking :)

    i've not been here, ur blog, for sometime.. feels good to be back.. reading about mysore brought back a lot of memories :)

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