THE COURAGE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART AND INTUITION

Pic.: Chandrashekhar Varier

Our heads don’t dream; our hearts do.

There is so much noise inside our heads, that, if we let our hearts listen to this noise, our dreams are sure to die of suffocation!

Our intuitions – the hunches – come from a quiet zone within us - the creative Right Brain. It is guided by our hearts… The best of our creative works and ideas, our most brilliant plans and most passionate words, our inspiring relationships and greatest dreams… yes, all of them are born in this cradle, this womb…

The other side, the Left Brain, is full of logic… It is busy analyzing, judging and criticizing, giving us reasons why it is not so easy for us to realize our dreams… showing us examples, facts and figures… and, all the time playing a devil’s advocate.

And, so, if we listen more to our logical side of our brain – I call it our head – it can hardly take us to any distance… It doesn't inspire others, doesn't help us win others’ trust. For, it is emotionless not expressive, it cold. It is fine for an effective manager, an administrator… But, it is not for the inventors, visionaries, creative geniuses and dynamic entrepreneurs.

Too much of ‘the head-thing’ kills the divine process of creativity… True, the head – the left side brain – has a role to play… but, not when the dreams and ideas are conceived… Too much of logic and reasoning, too much of planning and precaution are the surest ways of aborting our dreams and ideas.

I have seen that happening in my own life. My nearest and dearest ones, my well-wishers – yes, they care for me, they are concerned about me. But, when it comes to my dreams, it is they who play devil’s advocates… They keep telling me why my dreams might not come true, why my plans might fail… They tell me to be cautious, go this way or that way, except the way I have felt to be the right way!

Steve Jobs, in his epic address to the graduating students of Stanford, reminds:

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

I go back to one my favorite stories to shut my ears to this deafening noise…

Once, the frogs in a small town held a competition. The challenge was to climb the tallest tower in the town. On the day of the competition, hundreds of frogs lined up to take part… The news had spread through the town and thousands of people had thronged near the venue out of curiosity.

When the whistle blew, the frogs rushed to climb the tower and cheering and booing from the spectators went up in the air. The booing was more deafening… “You silly-little frogs, you can’t, you can’t… Give up… Go home!”

On hearing this negative noise, the frogs got demoralized and gave up, one by one… But, one frog didn't. He was determined and kept trying till he made it to the top!

Surprisingly, everyone was, now, cheering the winner… He had become a hero, an inspiration!

After the medal ceremony, one of the loser-frogs asked the winner- frog, “Friend, how did you do it? What is the secret of your success?”

A shock of his life was awaiting the loser-frog… He realized, that the winner-frog was deaf… Totally deaf!

I seriously feel, that to realize our dreams - to make it to the top of our tallest towers - all that we need to do is this: shut our ears to the negative noise in and around us… be deaf. Stone deaf!

GERALD D’CUNHA