Story - Sticking to habits can limit our potentials

There lived a King who loved birds. His fascination lay mainly in falcons. Once he was gifted two beautiful falcons by a friend and he was pleased beyond limits. He immediately hired a trainer and expressed his deep desire to see them soar into the heights.

 After a few months of training the trainer went to the King, “Your Majesty”, he said, “I have trained both the Falcons equally well with all my skills and knowledge. One of the Falcons can now fly to heights, where even the eyes may fail to track him”, he paused.

“This is excellent news for me Trainer, bring him fifty gold coins”, ordered the King.

“Wait, but what about the other Falcon?” he asked quizzically.

“I am extremely sorry Your Majesty but I am helpless in his case”, the trainer’s face fell. “He simply sits glued to a branch and shows no sign of flying at all. I have taught him all that I know. He knows how to fly, but he just doesn’t do it.” The trainer looked frightened thinking how the King would accept this news.

“It just might not be your fault”, spoke the King after a thought. “You did train them and one of them did achieve what I wanted”, he paused. “We’ll put up the problem in the council”, he declared.

Next day the problem was presented in the council and the word was sent throughout the kingdom announcing the problem with the King’s Falcon. At the end of the day an old man turned up in the court claiming that he can fix the problem. The King allowed the old man to leave with the trainer to the Falcon.

Next morning, the first thing the King saw upon waking was his two Falcons soaring into the sky. He was overjoyed and rushed to the old man and the trainer who stood in the garden watching them.

“What magic have you worked upon my Falcon?” he questioned with a wild excitement ringing in his voice.

“Your Majesty”, began the old man slowly, “I simply cut down the tree that the Falcon always sat on” was the reply.

The quality and tenure of the training you undergo is never the deciding factor. There are always habits or negatives in you that keep you chained into your previous, undeveloped and crude self. The only way to express your true potential and to soar into heights is by breaking away from certain traditions and believes as well as habits that thwart your progress. Once you break free and sever away from that which chains you, you are ready to fly high, unbridled and intimidating. 

Article - “To be or not to be, that is the question”- The Psychology of Procrastination.

Procrastination is a term we are all well aware of. The attribute itself is not unknown to us. It is a feeling that is mutual but its degree differs in every individual. Procrastination, i.e. putting off one’s work or task to be done later, has always sucked out our time, pushing us to a mad sprint at the nearing of a deadline. Is procrastination a big issue that has to be checked in an early stage? Well, the answer depends on you, whether you want to get things done or not. But, if you really want to finish off things rather than hurrying at the last hour, it is better to chain this attribute before it uproots you entirely. The tragedy of Prince Hamlet penned by the mastermind of Shakespeare still exists before as an excellent example of the ill effects of procrastination. 

Procrastination has proved its existence in us when we failed to submit our projects or assignments or when we have lost golden opportunities putting off work for a later time.  According to Ferrari, Johnson, and McCown, there are some major cognitive distortions that lead to academic procrastination. These reasons (listed below) have at some point of time discouraged every individual from performing a task on time:

1. Overestimating how much time is left to perform tasks
2. Overestimating the result of the action in the future
3. Underestimating how long certain activities will take to complete
4. Mistakenly assuming that we need to be in the right mood to work on a project

Procrastination is not a problem; it is a tendency that is very hard to overcome. It almost becomes a lifestyle, which Dr. Joseph Ferrari refers to as a maladaptive lifestyle. In an interview with the American Psychological Association, Dr Ferrari explains on non-procrastinators that "Non-procrastinators focus on the task that needs to be done. They have a stronger personal identity and are less concerned about what psychologists call "social esteem" - how others like us - as opposed to self-esteem which is how we feel about ourselves,"

Studies have shown that the people who procrastinate mainly belong to the intuitive personality type.  It is almost logical why they tend to procrastinate. Procrastination is simply the integral part of their behavior. They remain submerged in thoughts, deriving pleasure from thinking alone. They experience the continuous and non-stop queuing up of ideas and they fail to take action at the right time, often due to their inability to prioritize. This directly affects their social relationships as well as health.

 The pressure that is experience during the final days of deadline, when we will be racing past time to finish off the task can negatively affect your mental as well as physical health. It has been proved that people who tend to put off their work for later notice experience far more health problems, mental and physical, compared to people who engage in their tasks early on (non-procrastinators). In a group, by putting off a task, a large burden falls on the members of the team which negatively affects the person’s social relationships. Failing to complete tasks, or even failing to at least start one, can seriously affect our social image as well as relations.

According to Tuckman, Abry, and Smith, there are 15 key reasons why people procrastinate:

1. Not knowing what needs to be done
2. Not knowing how to do something
3. Not wanting to do something
4. Not caring if it gets done or not
5. Not caring when something gets done
6. Not feeling in the mood to do it
7. Being in the habit of waiting until the last minute
8. Believing that you work better under pressure
9. Thinking that you can finish it at the last minute
10. Lacking the initiative to get started
11. Forgetting
12. Blaming sickness or poor health
13. Waiting for the right moment
14. Needing time to think about the task
15. Delaying one task in favor of working on another

Procrastination lends us a false sense of security that is sure to crumble sooner or later, which is mostly later. The right time we expect to do a task simply never comes the more we wait for it. But, once we start acting, everything will fall into its place almost magically aiding our efforts.

 The only way to overcome the tendency of procrastination is to start working without wasting time. The best way that can help you in this is to calculate the time required for the task and to prepare a deadline of your own which is at least 5 days ahead of the real deadline and work dedicatedly on it. There is not shortcut or medicines that can save you from procrastination, other than yourself. Don’t forget, hard work (at the right time) is the key to success.

Story - Always Be Prepared For the Worst

One day a fox, while roaming for food, saw a boar sharpening his tusks rubbing it against a tree. The fox panned the area and found no imminent danger. There was no wild animal around and nor were any humans. “Why are you sharpening your tusks boar? I see no danger around us”, inquired the fox nearing the boar.

“Well I see no danger as well fox”, replied the boar, “but who knows what the next moment will bring upon us”. He continued sharpening his tusks and said, “It is not possible to dig a well when the fire breaks out. In a fore

st enemy lurks everywhere and you don’t suppose me to sharpen my tusk when I am about to be killed, do you? It is better to be prepared than to run havoc at the face of danger” he concluded and seeing that his tusks are ready for combat, prodded away into the forest.

It is always wise to keep oneself polished and ready to perform at every stage. Though the story speaks of mortal dangers, in a human society we should always be careful of unexpected situations. To face them we are to be all-time ready in looks, character and in wits.