Going to the Next Level

 

Over the weekend, lying aimlessly over a couch, I was watching my younger 9 year old daughter playing a strange sort of game with a glass of water and a small plastic toy.

She placed the small plastic toy (actually a very small car) inside a transparent empty glass of water and then she started pouring water into the glass slowly. As the water level was slowly rising in the glass, the small plastic car started floating in the glass. Since it was a transparent glass, she was having fun seeing the car go up in the glass. She stopped sometime while the water level had reached the middle of the glass. I asked her why did she stop? As with kids, they are always so honest and pure in their responses. She told me that she is tired of holding the jug from which she is slowly pouring water in the glass. I heard it and kept silent waiting for her to take the next step, if at all. I kept lying in the couch and tried to keep an eye on her next action. There she was, after 2-3 minutes, with the jug back in her hand. She had gathered enough courage once again to take her experiment forward. She picked up the jug and started pouring more water. I was also observing her face reaction as the water level and the car kept rising in the glass. As the car was moving up, her face was lighting up with excitement. And then, there came a point when the car reached the top and the glass was full with water. Any more water would just spill it. I thought that she would stop now. How wrong was I. My thinking was more based on what is the right thing to do as per me. But we all know kids. She did not stop. She kept pouring water and the water started to spill over. The car came out of the glass. Not bothering about who would clean the water spill, she took the car in her hand and went and gave it to her elder sister in the other room. Though i was a little upset with the water spill, i just controlled my anger and asked her why did she gave the car to her sister? She responded very politely that she had enough of playing  with the car and she would rather let someone else play with it. As she uttered these words, my anger started to calm down and i realised what a powerful lesson this experiment had with our lives.

We all come in this world full of excitement, courage and motivation. We all start filling the glass of our lives with the things that we feel would bring us happiness. We all feel that we need money to do that, and there is nothing wrong in that thinking. But somewhere in the middle of our lives, we get tired, demotivated and somehow unable to take our lives to the next level. Most of us are at this stage now. The glass of our lives is half full, the car is at the middle of the glass and we are tired, demotivated or have lost direction. We have worked so hard to reach at this level. What is going to take us to the next level ? Where are we headed ? We gathered enough money but now, somehow, i cant grow it further. Either i have got contended or i have just given up. Most of us will stop here and will never have enough courage to pick up the jug once again and start pouring the water in the glass. The jug of water still exists. There are ample opportunities outside to earn money and to strive for the next level. But, instead of trying harder, we would prefer to take the easy path and give all kind of excuses. I have personally heard excuses like - it is too late for me, i am trying my best, this is what God has in store for me, and some even go to the extent of saying that money does not buy you happiness, so why to chase it at all. Whatever be our excuse, you will find a selected few always picking up the jug once again and carrying on from here to become millionaires and billionaires. Were they born rich? No. Were they lucky? No. They just had enough courage every time they felt tired and directionless.

And what happened to these millionaires when they became billionaires? Were they more happy? I do not know. But one thing is sure that as the glass became full and as they had more money, they had the potential to change things around their society, country, world and humanity. They had a tool in their hands which has the potential to change the world, for better. Some of them, like Bill Gates and Azim Premji, actually took their spilled over pastic cars and handed over to others. These people are working with the sole purpose of improving the world around them, for the better. Do you have to be a CEO to do that? No. Are they the only ones? No, there are many more whom you may not have heard of. But you definitely can do much more for the society once your own glass is full. You will definitely have a better chance to start helping others if your glass is overflowing. The glass, once full, will automatically spill over and the water will be available for others to enjoy.

These are the same facts that you can apply in your life if you have to reach to the next level

1. Make sure you have enough courage during the middle of the journey to carry on to the next level. You may have to try new things, you may have to come out of your comfort zone, you may even have to go back and look at the bigger picture. But if you really want your life to make a difference to this world, you better get ready.

2. You will have to get your glass full. There are ample opportunities available. You must get financially free to make sure that your own glass gets full, before you start helping the society and the humanity around you. Once you are financially free and your glass gets full, the water will automatically start spilling over and will touch so many in need.

Nothing will happen of its own. Life will continue to carry on. You will have to get up and change the direction. I can assure you that you have the capability to do it. The only thing pending is a "Decision".

Cheers

Manoj Arora