What’s your Life’s Tool?

I was contemplating on one of my paintings today. The theme of the painting was about how sometimes we feel like a puppet in life’s hands – a feeling also portrayed in one of my previous posts, I have no clue of where I am going.

No, I am not going back to the old topic now. In fact the painting could tell me today that I am not feeling that way at this phase of life. Probably life’s a little changed now. And I could realize that when I was no longer able to connect with the painting which I used to, earlier.

A parallel introspection of what drives a life, in general came on the way. It seemed worth to spend some thoughts on this and here comes this post to tell you to know your tools.

Before you read on, take a minute to close your eyes and ask yourself what drives you at this point in time.

With a one-minute-shallow thinking, you are likely to hit on words like desire, passion, money, happiness, goals – something which you might try to fit in with what you have heard before or which is familiar to you. But that’s the first step in any introspection. It’s ok.

With time, as this thought stays at the back of your mind, you might start to discover more and more about your life’s tools. Tools refer to ‘what creates a constant motivation in you apart from the survival need’. There could be few bigger tools and several smaller tools.

An ambition to get a seat in IIM or Harvard, a desire to visit Disney land in the future, a passion to attend to other’s medical needs – depending on your age and stage, you would be constantly planning and working towards things like these, what I call the bigger tools. These tools are usually what you know already.

Will you be surprised if I tell you that for some people, there is a constant

• Necessity to outgrow a targeted person in all walks of life.
• Demand to fulfill other’s (wife’s, children’s, parent’s) expectations.
• Need to prove to others (this others could be significant or insignificant) about their capability.
• A fire to show others (mostly significant) that they didn’t deserve those unkind words or behaviour in the past.

I call these the smaller tools. The tools that drive your everyday intentions, thoughts and planning. You live with it everyday and exactly the ones whose roles go unnoticed. It needs a close acquaintance with your inner talking to identify these. And identifying this part is more essential than the bigger tools.

Well, you identify your bigger and smaller tools. What now?

To be continued in the coming post….

You can reach me at nandhini.pfs@gmail.com

Photo courtesy

Driving Force – http://positivesharing.com

Life’s Tools – http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1647R-25491