| CONFRONTING REALITY |
| Saturday, 03 November 2007 | |
|
The willingness to confront reality as it is, face to face, and not as we wish it could be coupled with the preparedness to genuinely change as a result of that confrontation is the greatest form of heroism. Confronting reality is a necessary prerequisite for progress. It is not my intention to discuss in detail the fact that it is human nature to evade confrontation, however, I wish to point out that there is a phenomenon called confrontation resistance and that this resistance ought to be and can be overcome. The champion boxer experiences some trepidation before entering the ring for a title fight but this does not invalidate the necessity to fight in order to become the champion. Who among humans does not hesitate a little before confronting a cold shower on a freezing winter day? Does this negate the benefits of a cold shower? Certainly not! It is not the truth that people dread, but the implications of that truth. If we confront reality and come up against difficult facts, or discover that what we wished was not true is in fact true, what then? If we confront reality and discover things that may seriously disrupt our routine or relationships, or rock our world what then? Let me hasten to say that the purpose of deliberately unearthing the truth is not to surrender to that reality, but to act more intelligently. It is to advocate for intelligent action informed by facts over blind action spurred on by wishful thinking. It is a triumph of management by facts over management by untested assumptions. The choice to confront reality can assume heroic proportions because it is a journey into the unknown. There is always a risk that the exercise of confronting reality will reveal frightening facts and truths, but this risk must be taken. Reality must be confronted or else we fall into the trap of self delusion. The sad truth is that many people and organizations have already fallen into this trap. Perhaps the greatest temptation one will ever encounter is to avoid feedback, especially negative feedback. However, this too does not minimize the importance of feedback. The tragedy of life is that many people live like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand and too timid to face the truth. By so doing they betray themselves into some senseless stupor and temporary sense of security and comfort. Of course this will always catch up with them because no matter what delaying tactics one may employ the moment of truth will soon come. Your current reality is your ground zero. The thing to always remember is that your current reality is not permanent and unalterable. It can be changed for the better or the worse. Every situation within itself and every man within himself always contain the possibility of change for the better. But how can one effectively change what one is not fully appraised of? Your desired future is the goal that you are striving for. Confronting reality will assist you to make a judgment as to whether your current strategies are serving you well or not. As far as winning and losing is concerned, this is a matter of life and death. The human being is the only species that can pass a judgment on his state of affairs, and also the only species that can take corrective action. Most importantly only humans can know beyond any doubt what the best course of action is, and yet proceed unashamedly on the wrong course. We are free to disregard our knowledge and betray our values. We are at our worst when we run away from ourselves and from reality. The mark of a true winner is that he seeks out facts and feedback from whatever source available and acts accordingly. However, the loser is not so because he will make every effort to insulate himself from negative feedback and evade unsavory facts to his own detriment. As humans we are not, and never have been or ever will be helpless prisoners to current reality. We are creators of our destiny. The greatest assignment that life gives each one of us is to discover what we can build our lives and organizations into, starting from where we are right now. The greatest act of courage is to begin now and not tomorrow, to take decisive and concrete actions that will alter the current situation and usher in the future that we hope for. What matters in life is not where one is but the direction in which one is headed; it is not the reputation of what one used to be but what one is in the process of becoming. Confront your own reality head own. It is your responsibility. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Article Source: http://www.newagemovementmagazine.com |
Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
