Tuesday 17 March 2009

It's called Mindset!

As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us refuse to attempt something new and challenging because of our so-called MINDSET?

Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt......
&
CHOOSE not to accept false boundaries and limitations created by the past.....

Something2Share:

I had come across some executives and staff in plantation management having mindset fixed with negative thinking formed by previous experience. Just like the chained elephants, their minds had been conditioned in such a way that they were stuck right where they were. “Last time we did like this also no problem what. Why change?” For years they had been running on the same spot and were just contented to remain as a Plantation Manager, an Assistant Manager or even a Field Conductor, as if there was no opportunity for personal growth and no chance for career advancement.

I used to encourage my subordinate to change their mindset from negative to positive and from passive to proactive; otherwise their performance would only be average even with the best estate practices, methods and tools. I told them,” Being average is either ‘the worst of the best’ or ‘best of the worst’. There is nothing to shout about being an average person.”
An average person having a fixed mindset is just like a “square”, resting on one surface and cannot move at all. On the other hand, a person having a growth mindset views past mistake or failure as a new challenge and takes it as a chance to improve himself. He will roll like a “ball” as and when he learns from his previous experience and moves on through hard work with a stronger willpower.
Do not fear failure and let the past mistakes bother you. As long as you keep on trying and insist on finding a way out to every problem, then you are able to perform much better than the last time.

Any planter having such a right mindset will surely perform well and with improved productivity he will eventually gain his promotion in his company.

Click on www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nh49a8q2E4 and enjoy "Baby Elephant Walk" in YouTube.