As children we have no limitations , we can dream , we can travel places in our imagination , we can speak our mind and then system takes over . We don’t carry any judgements , we dance if we have to , we sing if we have to and then comes ‘No’ , you cannot do this , you cannot have this , you have to follow the rules. You soon get into a race , a race for marks , for grades , for being liked .

Likes kills Passion

‘Like’ is not just a social media button , it is understanding the nature of human psychology of being liked . This begins in childhood , we are told what is liked by the society , we do things to please our parents , our teachers . The good remark on homework , the tick mark is what is appreciated . We learn quickly that we have to be part of the crowd , be like the crowd . Being different is not appreciated , is not encouraged , gets you to be ‘not liked’. I accidentally discovered my passion to enrol an audience to an idea in school elocution competition . I remember one day I was very tense before going up an speaking on stage , the pressure of how the audience would react was very high and then something happened , I just dropped the pressure of audience reaction and said to myself “it’s my time , I am going to have fun” and I had fun . I had discovered a secret “do the thing because you enjoy it, not for the audience reaction”.

Today we put up a post and then go back to check likes , I write this blog and then wait for people to appreciate . Parents have been replaced with bosses , we try to do things to please those above us . We wait to get applauded , for others to tell us we did a fine job . We put up pictures on our social media walls to project an image that we wish the world to see , only because we wish to hear the sound of ‘like’ rather the click of ‘like’.

In the chase of likes we forget what we truly love , we fear ‘not being liked’ , we create a pressure to perform . It is the weight of ‘like’ that kills our real authentic self , our passion.

We don’t want to be lonely , we want to belong , be part of the crowd, and so we confirm , we kill our authentic self , burry our gifts , wait for another day , a day when things would get better and then we would live. That day never comes.

Insecurity stops Life

It’s a big bad world out there we are told and as soon as we get from academic life into the work world we see that we are on our own . People get into jobs because that is the way to earn a living . We earn to live , to pay the bills , to take the vacation , to buy the car , the house , the gadget and show the world we have arrived . We kill our passion our dream our authentic self because standing out , rocking the boat doing our stuff would mean being different . Being different and living our gift seems tough , how would one survive rocking the boat , there are bills to be paid.

Yet look around and see any successful person in any field , they have confronted their fears , the real fear is not that you may get fired or that you may fail at business , the fear is that you could miss life ,surviving . Ask any old person do they have any regrets and they will tell you , it is the regret of not have lived their calling .

Our heart sings when we do what we are born to do when we give our gifts to the world . Insecurity stops us living our calling , it stops life. When you wake up every day and you don’t sing you song , it is a day not lived and before you know it life maybe over.

Drop Scarcity thinking

The thinking that there is not enough for everyone in this world , that only one child can top the class , that there is a bell curve , competing all the time to become like them . You can learn from others but you must live your own life .

If an Ashank Desai can come from a poverty in a village to build a global IT company anyone can do it , Ashank does not have more time of more hands , the only thing is he thinks differently , where you see scarcity he seeks opportunity. When the four co founders of Mastek began their journey with no money to form a software company in 1982 no one was doing that , it was unthinkable , so many would have told them it was foolish idea , they are well educated from the finest institutes of IIT and IIM in India of they must get a job. They decided to listen to their heart instead of their heads.

There is no scarcity in the world it you stop competing for attention and waiting for likes . If you have an idea there is a tribe out there , create a movement . Go rock the boat.

#passionproject

Sanjay Mudnaney

If you wish to join the global passion project drop me a mail smudnaney@gmail.com with what you do and and what is your passion .