Staying relevant in the times of irrelevance

Hi Friends, 

It has been a while since I wrote last on my blog page. I can’t say I was busy or I couldn't find time but whenever some thoughts came into my mind, I used Facebook wall for posting them in the form of a small paragraph. From past 4-5 months I have been undergoing through an interesting phase, I am calling it interesting because it is not pleasant by any means but if I mention that phase painful or using any negative adjective it would be like accepting defeat. Without getting into the actual details of those situations I would like to put some thoughts of introspection I am getting while going through this phase.

I feel most of us get such phase(s) in our lives, the phase in which situations occur where your credibility is questioned, you will be pushed to corner, you are considered as an obstacle to be removed, you are belittled, you are considered arrogant, and these situations often leave your conscience shaken. I would like to name such phase as testing phase of your relevance. This phase may bring you a situation where in you are made to pay for other’s mistakes not because you are weak or a pushover but because of lack of admitting of mistake or lack of taking ownership from someone else involved.  Sometimes your sincerity, boldness and leadership qualities become bane as you are seen as an obstacle though you are going on a right path. If you are in such a phase though you have all right intentions and also working in right direction, but still you can end up as a scapegoat! One may say this phenomenon is common in all workplaces! But it is unfortunate that we as a society have accepted such things are common and don’t give damn care on fighting such anomalies!

Not to deviate from topic, coming back, this phase also brings you further surprises where your own near and dear ones start making you irrelevant! Either through an ill-intention-ed sympathy on your situation or just through highlighting your fallibility! Free suggestions whether you have sought or not, whether you like or not, just keep coming. If you don’t listen you will be looked upon as an outcast and there will be lot of questions on your upbringing. I just wonder why people take so much unnecessary interest in pushing the things on others when the outcome is far more relevant to that person than themselves. Let the person take a call! If you are helping a person, it doesn't mean he/she should do whatever you instruct! In summary this kind of phase may put you in receiving end of one-up-man-ship from your near and dear ones. Such phase will bring lot of ideas with negative frequency! Even though you are highly qualified or enjoying a good status among your friends and among your colleagues in workplace, still you start feeling irrelevant in your family and community.

Friends, if you feel what I have written is totally crap or a total time waste then also I don’t blame you. Because this is such a phase where you would like to just vent the inner agitation but usually don’t find right channel to do that. I thought I would pen down my thoughts through blog!  But if you are really giving a serious thought to this topic, you may be now curious to know how to cope up in such a phase! But I am really not aware if there is any particular method or procedure or formula or trick to overcome such situation. One thing is true! This phase is here to make me irrelevant! To question my relevance! Now I have just two choices – to make the situation win over me or to accept the challenge and prove my relevance. With all the experience I have gained in professional life and with all the guidance I have received from my father and by reading good books I have the chosen the second option i.e. to fight it out! But easier said than done, it takes real courage, metal, patience in order to put up a fight! Also the belief I have on The Almighty and giving myself a daily course of spirituality works immensely in putting up a fight! Every day I continue working hard with right intentions, going in right direction, working with right attitude and more often working smartly just to show that I am not getting bogged down. I make it a point to keep my eyes and ears open and wait for right opportunity, and once it is there I ensure to grab it to my own advantage, or to make my case stronger. Fortunately every time I face such situations in workplace, God is kind, I find some way to turn the things around but by now I understand the fight is never ending. The things get worse if such phase occurs on personal front; because here I need to counter my near and dear ones and most of the times in when arguments happen, logic and rationality are conspicuous by their absence. Here the main trick is to raise the patience level to great extents, keep listening to some unwelcome suggestions and advises just for the sake of listening, keep bearing the presence of few unwanted folks in get-togethers, and here also wait for the right opportunity to prove your point. Sometimes I have got into situations where I have run out of my patience putting myself into more trouble. But this is a fight, sometimes you win and sometimes not! But the fight has to be fought, in order to stay relevant!

The most important thing I do is just to pray the Almighty for better times and for enough strength in fighting the tougher ones…

With warm greetings,

Thanks and Regards,
Chetan