Change is painful. Giving up past baggage is never easy. But as in business so in sadhana, it’s the only way to a rebirth. You can’t soar like an eagle unless you have wind beneath your wings. And you can’t have wind beneath your wings if you are weighed down by past memories, mistakes and more...
The eagle has the longest life span among birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, it must take some hard decisions. In its 40s, the eagle’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. It’s ageing and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to the chest making it difficult for the eagle to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options - die or go through a painful process of change that lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top to make a nest. There it knocks its beak against a rock till it fall out. After that, the eagle will wait for its beak to grow back and then use it to pluck out its talons. When its talons grow back, it starts plucking out its ageing feathers. These too grow back and after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for another 30 years. Or more.
This charming story has a neat little connect with both the world of business and the world of sadhana. Change, as a business mantra, is both over used and over abused as a concept. Although most new age managers will eagerly tom-tom its virtues, understanding change, grasping it, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a threat and most importantly using it to evolve into something more improved isn’t easy. And it isn’t common. Those who can, survive the roller-coaster ride. And come out of it for another flight of rebirth. Those who can’t, fall by the wayside.
Change is not just about adapting to the NOW, it’s also about leaving past baggage - memories, loyalties, mind-sets and to-dos - behind. If one looks at some of the more well-known turnaround stories in India Inc’s backyard, it will show how crucial homily is. For survival and rebirth in business.
By Bijoya Sengupta - Sri Aurobindo Society
The eagle has the longest life span among birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, it must take some hard decisions. In its 40s, the eagle’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. It’s ageing and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to the chest making it difficult for the eagle to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options - die or go through a painful process of change that lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top to make a nest. There it knocks its beak against a rock till it fall out. After that, the eagle will wait for its beak to grow back and then use it to pluck out its talons. When its talons grow back, it starts plucking out its ageing feathers. These too grow back and after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for another 30 years. Or more.
This charming story has a neat little connect with both the world of business and the world of sadhana. Change, as a business mantra, is both over used and over abused as a concept. Although most new age managers will eagerly tom-tom its virtues, understanding change, grasping it, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a threat and most importantly using it to evolve into something more improved isn’t easy. And it isn’t common. Those who can, survive the roller-coaster ride. And come out of it for another flight of rebirth. Those who can’t, fall by the wayside.
Change is not just about adapting to the NOW, it’s also about leaving past baggage - memories, loyalties, mind-sets and to-dos - behind. If one looks at some of the more well-known turnaround stories in India Inc’s backyard, it will show how crucial homily is. For survival and rebirth in business.
By Bijoya Sengupta - Sri Aurobindo Society
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