During one of the first days of my Master degree studies in Norway, I remember one of my classmates being surprised that I didn’t know the ‘5 P’s’ of marketing, and drawing the conclusion that I’d be unlikely to succeed in the program. Given that the degree program was International Marketing and Management, for a moment I wondered whether I should be worried. My background was in Economics and Mathematics, and even though I’d successfully started and grown a promotions and events company in Canada for 6 years, I obviously didn’t know the theory behind the worlds of marketing and management, such as the 5P’s standing for product, people, price, place and promotion. I continued on, did my best, and ended up winning the top student award at the end of the program. And while the actual ‘winning’ was to me a surface level reward, I did appreciate the lessons that I learned.
Like myself, the people who live in the lands along where the Brahmaputra flows have great potential, and it is unleashed one stage at a time. I didn’t have the specific knowledge at that time that others thought determined whether or not I would be successful. But I had the eagerness, the drive and the opportunity to learn and move forward. The people of the North East of India have the potential they need; it is merely a matter of finding ways to tap into it.
Currently I am pursuing a PhD at ESCP Europe Business School in Paris, and I feel that my research ties nicely with looking at how to continue to strengthen the growth and development of the North Eastern India. The idea behind my research is that one’s mindset largely determines the outcome of situations. When a person is in narrow and restricted pessimistic mindset, the results of his or her actions will most likely match these qualities. On the contrary, when people are able to shift into a better state of mind, where they feel positive, fully present and experience a sense of well-being and fulfillment, well, you can imagine my prediction for the wondrous possibilities that can result!
How to achieve such a positive mindset? Is there some special magic behind it? In fact, much of the wisdom underlying such states of mind stems from India, from yogic philosophy to the various branches of spirituality and religions which have evolved over the centuries. Entering such an alternate mindset as I speak of can be as simple as sitting in stillness for ten or twenty minutes every morning, allowing thoughts and emotions to arise, be noticed, and then pass. Alternatively, others may choose to take a peaceful walk in nature in order to reclaim this place of serenity and peace in their mind. Others still may practice yoga, beginning with pranayama, slowing and deepening the breath, and proceeding through a series of asanas (postures) to re-align their body and their mind to its optimal state. Numerous studies (Kabat-Zinn and Santorelli, 1992; Shapiro and colleagues, 2008; Langer 2009) have shown the benefits of such meditative practices, ranging from mindfulness meditation to focused attention all the way to moving meditation like tai chi and yoga. These benefits of using such techniques in order to induce an alternate mindset range from a widened span of perception, heightened awareness, increased creativity and intuitive insights, as well as an overall improved sense of well-being (Weick and colleagues 2006; Csíkszentmihályi 1990), all of which can potential lead to enhanced personal and professional success. The advantages of these benefits apply also to organizations, in facilitating the building of relationships, improved teamwork, greater insights into company strategy and moreover, improved efficiency and effectiveness within organizations (Gardner 2004; Hodgkinson 2009).
This alternate state of mind has been called ‘zen’ in Japanese traditions, and is also known as being mindful or aware, and similarly is known as a state of being present or a state of flow, or even simply, as a positive state of mind. Like the mighty Brahmaputra which is known by different names in different regions, and by different peoples, as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, to the Dihang River as it enters India from the Himalalyas, the Jamuna as it flows through Bangladesh until it merges with the Ganges, this state of mind has different names, but in essence is the same.
To further this analogy, this mindset which can unleash our untapped potential shares qualities with the waters of the Brahmaputra. To evoke a Taoist proverb: The highest motive in life is to be like water. It fights nothing and no one. It flows from its source and in the flowing smoothes and wears away all resistance. Thus, rather than resisting how things are, the magic happens once we merge with the current, becoming as a drop of water that blends with the great river. What is needed is acceptance of whatever point we are at, fully being with every present moment, not dwelling upon the moments before, nor anticipating the future. In this way, we allow ourselves to live our fullest selves, to naturally show our potential.
While it might sound like a simple concept to allow ourselves to be like water, this wonderfully quiet yet powerful current, it has often been our tendency to resist this, to resent our circumstances and to be disappointed about what we have already lost out on. We in essence ‘drop anchor’ at various points, holding ourselves back from delighting in where the current may bring us. Let me encourage you, and in doing so, encourage also myself, to let go of the disappointments and frustrations about what could have or would have been, and hop back into flowing along smoothly in the stream of life and see what wonders can unfold!
References:
Csíkszentmihályi, Mihaly. 1990. Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. Harper Perrenial: New York.
Gardner, Howard. 2004. Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People’s Minds. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Kabat-Zinn, J., & Santorelli, S. 2002. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Professional Training - Scientific Papers from The Stress Reduction Clinic. Boston: Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, UMMS.
Hodgkinson, Gerard P.; Sadler-Smith, Eugene; Sinclair, Marta; Ashkanasy, Neal M. More than meets the eye? Intuition and analysis revisited. Personality and Individual Differences, Vol 47(4), Sep, 2009. pp. 342-346.
Langer, E. 2009. Mindfulness versus positive evaluation. Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed). New York: Oxford University Press.
Shapiro, S., D. Oman, C. Thoresen, T. Plante and T. Flinders. 2008. Cultivating Mindfulness: Effects on Well-being. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64(7): 840-862.
Weick, K. E., & Putnam, T. 2006. Organizing for Mindfulness: Eastern Wisdom and Western Knowledge. Journal of Management Inquiry, 15 (3): 275-288.
