Transformation, change, or excellence either personal or organizational is extremely difficult. We are often led to believe that this journey starts from the mind. We believe that what we think determines what happens to us. However, this notion is misleading and does not produce the desired results. The journey to excellence always starts from the heart!
The “heart” is the home of love or passion, while the “head” is the home of logic or reason, and in the “hands” lies the execution and the pursuit. When following your dream, or setting long-range direction, always follow your heart. Yes, for medium to short-term decisions, your mind and relentless pursuit get the job done.
Let’s carefully understand this metaphor and phenomenon.
When we are embarking on the journey of excellence, big transformation, or a seemingly unachievable dream, the mind will always provide the logic or reason to why the future is impossible. The strength of the mind lies in the inference from the past, and it makes decisions based on those experiences. It cannot see the future and hence cannot support forward-looking decisions. This is its job, and we must understand these limitations.
“Khird Ke Paas Khabar Ke Siwa Kuch Aur Nahin”
Mind (Intellect) can only provide news from the past. (Iqbal)
Let’s look at a few of the life-changing inventions that were impossible or illogical at one time and someone crazy enough followed them and make them happen:
iPod: Music in the pocket
Skype and others: free texting and calls of course
EV: Cars running on electric
Cloud: our data up there
The list goes on, but I think you get the idea. It always seems impossible until it’s done. Therefore, we need the heart, the love, the passion, the purpose, to follow the impossible, the never been done, and the unthinkable. We need the courage, boldness, and faith that lives in the heart. So, when embarking on the journey to excellence, listen to the heart, and connect with people through a common purpose. Make a bold decision and move forward. Only then, think, plan and execute relentlessly. Persevere.
“Be-Khatar Kood Para Aatish-e-Namrood Mein Ishq
Aqal Hai Mehv-e-Tamasha-e-Lab-e-Baam Abhi”
Love (Abraham) fearlessly jumped into the fire of (King) Namrud
Mind (Intellect) is just captivated (watching) by the phenomenon (the fire) from the top
Here Iqbal beautifully portrays the story of Namrood, the King of Babylon, and Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). When Namrood started a big fire to punish Abraham, Abraham jumped into the fire without even thinking. The established reasoning that the “fire burns” was totally neglected. The courage came from the heart, the faith, and the love of being on the right path. And this is the big difference between heart and mind.
To change the mind, we must first listen to the heart. The journey to excellence starts from the heart. Conquer that first and the rest will be history.