I had a very intense two week period planning for an event we held last week, and the week proceeding it was a spent with some of the senior leadership visits from the UK, Asia and the US. Many aspects of my routine suffered as a result from diet, to sleep, to training. My diet was more based on eating out albeit at top end restaurants, my sleep was cut to almost half of what I normally have and need, and my training frequency was limited to the weekends and at best once in the week. The two periods of “busy-ness” were however very different. For the large event we held, it required my complete absorption, at all times, and was quite intense and full of unexpected events happening. The set of senior leadership visits were less intense, more entertaining, and all very much planned. Though the negative impact on my training routine, sleep, and diet were similar in both weeks, my ability and performance during the Muay Thai sessions was markedly better after the second period than the first. Analysing why, led to some quite profound realisations around remembrance that have implications in whatever fields we work in, or even operate in.
During the first week, due to the absorption, I certainly couldn’t take care of the “gross” things like diet, sleep, or training, and also on a “subtle” level, mentally I was 100% focused on the event and securing its success, at all costs. During the leadership visit, whilst at a gross level I had to commit, on a subtle level I was thinking of my training, I was visualizing the moves. Anything I’d see at head height I would visualize certain moves at that height. When I would walk, I would remember the forward step motion, and when I would sit down I would remember the lower postures. Whilst physically engaged and active, I would have plenty of opportunity to remember. When I went to the Muay Thai session, I was so eager to perform the moves on the pads, with the gloves, with my trainers; because I had been remembering it. After the first week however, when I returned to the Centre, it was a terrible struggle. It almost felt like starting over; because I was not remembering.
When we have a reporting chain in the workplace, unless we remember what we need to deliver, and the way it needs to be delivered also, there is every chance we will just go with the flow, and forget those things. This will lead to a number of mark downs by our seniors. It is not a leadership quality to forget collective aspirations and let scope and time of our activities to creep up in a way that we’re not conscious of; we must continually remember, and address the things we agree with our seniors in order to be successful. Unless of course there are opportunities to innovate which achieve those same goals and more in a way that is acceptable and bonafide, and done with integrity. If we are entrepreneurs, it can be a struggle to operate in the kinds of economic circumstances we see today all over the world. If we do not continually remind ourselves the reasons we’re doing what we’re doing, the levels of motivation will inevitably drop and negativity may also creep in.
Remembrance is most powerful, it is born of thought, which is born of consciousness. The more we train our consciousness to be focused, the more we will find noble, realistic and ambitious thoughts arising. In the Vedic scriptures it says that the single most important thing is to remember the Supreme Person, and never forget Him. Of hundred of thousands of lines of deep scripture, this is the fountainhead of all teachings; Always remember God, and never forget Him. Ones success at school and in the early stages of their education also comes down to remembrance in exams of all those things that have been taught. Muhammad Ali said, the fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. Remembrance is a choice, and choice depends on our desire. So, how much do we want to be successful?
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