How Far Can You Go ?

A teacher asked the class of pre-primary kids. Tell me, how many ice creams will you eat to stay happy?

Everyone shouted from all the corners with numbers like 10, 50, 100, as many as available!

To their surprise, the kids were given ice cream cups and were asked to eat as many as they can.

Hardly anyone went beyond two cups even after cheers and claps to encourage them.

This was a live demo for kids to learn about the law of diminishing returns.

The experiment is equally applicable to all aspects of life.

How much wealth do I need to have?  How much knowledge I should acquire? How many likes I should get for a new post? How much attention do I need to stay happy?

The first instinctive response is, to give me as much as possible. I am ok to have infinite levels of wealth, health, networks, relationships, growth, titles, and fame. The more the merrier.

We all deserve the best in everything, and it is ok to ask or wish for the same. But wait, there is a catch.  

This situation is like running in a race without knowing the finish line. With no Targets, even the best athlete will get frustrated!

Whether performance is stunning or average, it needs finite targets, and a specific limit to achieve.

In the real life, We have multiple goals and targets simultaneously in the areas of health, wealth, career, relations, skills, and many more

The finish line sets the target where an individual is truly satisfied with his or her performance. This is a relative point for individuals to claim victory, declare milestones and even celebrate.

This is the point where the individual can pause for a while and redefine the focus areas. It is purely a choice based on internal feedback. Everyone may have different targets, inclinations, and means to achieve them

Even if one wish to continue our journey in one specific direction, external factors compel us to stop and change the path. The external factors could be physical constraints, societal structures, legalities, climate, responsibilities, financial stability, etc.

The law of diminishing returns is another factor at play anyway to shift the gear.

Here is an imaginary story to elude an interesting point

Two passionate explorers were discussing while standing on the North Pole. One said I am interested in going in-depth to learn what lies deep underneath the earth.

The other one said, Well, I am interested to go around all over the earth and see what exists out there.

 They departed to embark on their own paths. They kept on exploring, and one fine day, as their journey ended, they both met at the South Pole!

Traversing Wider or Deeper with rigorous efforts takes us eventually to the same point.

Scientifically it means, one day we’ll see exactly the same thing through a telescope as well as a microscope. Swami Vivekananda- a  Vedantic scholar and Nicole Tesla – a genuine scientist & mathematician, reached the same conclusion in the 17th Century.

The essence of their years of work was that everything in the universe can be reduced to a single energy source

This is evident from the letter Swamiji wrote to Nicole Tesla in 1895. Here is an excerpt.

 “Mr. Tesla thinks he can demonstrate mathematically that force and matter are reducible to potential energy. I am to go and see him next week to get this new mathematical demonstration. In that case, Vedantic cosmology will be placed on the surest of foundations. I am working a good deal now upon the cosmology and eschatology of the Vedanta. I clearly see their perfect union with modern science, and the elucidation of the one will be followed by that of the other.” (Complete Works, Vol. V, Fifth Edition, 1347, p. 77) link 

Real life is a mix of width, depth, and all possible directions.   

A man boarded the ferry on the long river with the intent of self-driving it. 

He asked to the boatman

How Far Can I Go? 

Till you choose to stop Sir…..the Boatman replied.

Where we stop, is decided by the specific goals, external circumstances, and internal feedback.

Once we are convinced of direction and goals, We need to navigate through the journey till we achieve the same. The goals are like a compass in a ship to know the direction and the target is the land where we arrive.

The ways & means can change but specific goals and targets cannot.  It’s a like Football or Cricket Match. The targets to be chased are known but there is no fixed prescribed way to reach there. It evolves.    

 Setting comfortable, safe, conservative targets is not going to leave anyone with rich experience. It’s a lazy, lethargic attitude.

On other hand, setting unattainable, over-ambitious, superfluous targets without a reality check is going to land in failures &  frustrations.

Let’s acknowledge that the sky is not the limit, but humans have physical limits. There could be infinite possibilities, but Humans have a finite life. Infinity is a mathematical concept. It doesn’t exist in reality.

At best, we can split big targets into smaller ones along the timeline to make the roadmap a joyful experience.

At any rate, we must have the right direction and realistic milestones on the way.

It’s worth rechecking that we are not part of the everlasting race with no finish line in sight. We can always pause, redefine our means, and set the right targets for our own success.

A newly trained climber asked his coach, Sir I think I am ready to climb Mount Everest.

This will be the most successful moment for me to reach there.

Do you have any tips?

Yes, there is one for you.

You must know when to stop.

Remember, Success is not about going there but coming back!

In a nutshell, life is an expedition where each one of us has a unique trajectory to discover and travel.  It’s futile to compete and follow other paths just because it helped them. In all likelihood, We all are going towards a common destination like a south pole, where everyone will meet one day.

How Far Can You Go? is not the real question. The important question is How Far Do You Need to Go?

A thoughtful pause and a small reality check will reveal the answer to you.

Most importantly, the unique answer for your unique journey will always be the Right Answer.