Hello, how are you feeling today?
What have you been doing?
Yes, doing is important. Only thinking is not going to take us anywhere.
That’s what we discussed last week.
And while we will keep reminding ourselves of this time and again, it’s time to learn something new today.
Remember the Pandavas?
Of course, you do. I never stop talking about them.
As part of the royal curriculum, they were sent to Dronacharya’s ashram.
They studied various subjects there, both hard and soft skills.
They took tests, made mistakes, and grew. Even defeated king Drupad!
But their learning journey did not end there.
Till the time Duryodhan was hit on his thigh by Bheem, he was growing.
Even as Arjun saw Draupadi fall during Mahaprasthan, he wasn’t 100% there.
When Yudhishthir was at the gate of heaven fighting for a dog’s entry, he was learning.
What’s the point?
To expose a cognitive bias.
Look back. You’ll see that you’ve grown a lot as a person in life.
Well, you’ve changed so much in the last year alone.
Yet your brain is wired to think that you’ve already reached the peak of your personal growth.
That’s the End of History Illusion.
We feel that our history ends today.
If you challenge this notion, your life planning changes.
You no longer care about ‘fixed’ life goals or targets.
You give yourself room to change and accept to let go of past efforts instead of clinging to it.
There are no sunk costs in life.
At a point in time, Draupadi just wanted Arjun’s undivided attention.
A little later, she wanted Duryodhan’s blood in her hair.
And a few years later, she wanted her grandchildren to be safe since she’d lost her own children.
Although it may feel like the end, it never is.
Things are going to change.
You are going to change.
So don’t underestimate your power to grow and achieve wonderful things.
Wish you all the best – whatever the future may hold; exile, war or ruling over Hastinapur.
