The other day a colleague came into my office, seeking my advice. He was at crossroads about his career. He was torn between following an academic career vis-a-vis taking on a managerial position. I said simply: “Choose your Arabian horse!”
Arabian horses are the crème de la crème of the racing track. When there is much at stake; money, prestige, power; owners field their best horses to win the race.
And what if your life was akin to an all-important race? You would, obviously, want to gallop along effortlessly, the wind flying through your hair, joyously ahead of the pack. Your best bet would, then, be to use your superior assets, attributes and skills that would give you the best chance of winning.
When my friend looked puzzled, I explained the analogy. His next question was, “How do I know what my Arabian horse is? Supposing what I think is my Arabian horse is really my donkey!”
That is the crux: honing on to one’s Arabian horse. He began to reflect on his winning moments of the past. What did he do that always worked? When did he feel in the ‘flow’, challenged and yet not overwhelmed?
Mainstay of professional life
It takes time, it takes courage to be completely honest. But self-knowledge is power and ultimately, he wisely chose to go back to the academia that had been the mainstay of his professional life. “That’s what works for me,” he said simply.
The other day, I read an article that quoted a top-notch jockey saying that getting an Arabian horse to run his best race is by getting to know him and listening to him. We, too, have to dig deep, know ourselves and listen to our inner voice and intuition. Add to that our life’s experiences; supplemented with that information, a person will usually pick a winner.
An old friend buries herself in work and has carved out a bustling business empire. She has never got married. “Why not?” I asked. “Relationships don’t work for me, I would rather use my energy for my work; that always succeeds,” she says. That there is her Arabian horse.
The Japanese philosophy for self-knowledge states that a person may either learn through Kensho, or through pain, or Satori, which is learning through sudden insight.
When the vagaries of life take a downturn, many people become stronger, wiser, kinder or simply more appreciative of life. Consider the evolution of a schoolmate who tragically lost her husband at a young age: she used her pain to tap into her inner resources and not only brought up two children single-handedly, but had a glorious career as a diplomat. Her horse definitely won in the race of life.
There are innumerable people who survive accidents, illness, divorce and other calamities to understand themselves better, to then forge a meaningful path through life. When you are cornered against the ropes, you have no other choice but to learn. We are ‘taught’ by life: Kensho happens.
By providence we may experience Satori: the ah-ha moment, just as we awaken, or randomly through our busy day. This is possibly our brain spitting out the learning, having processed the problem by delving into the vast shelves of experience stored in the brain cells. My best ideas/innovations are generally ‘caught’ miraculously, at such moments.
If we know ourselves, we know our Arabian horse.
Some people are fortunate to have more than one stellar horse. In this case, the heart should decide. Which horse are you passionate about? Is your work really play? Choose the one that is your raison d’etre, the meaning and purpose of your life.
Are we born already astride our Arabian horse? Is this an inherited gift: like a swimmer with great lungs, an Einstein with great IQ? Or must we diligently hone our rudimentary gift, our passion, to realise our greatness? Nature or nurture? I think both.
Discovering our Arabian horse through experience and small successes and then working furiously at it is a guaranteed recipe for success.
Bonus: when we get into our stride with our Arabian horse, labour becomes love, passion dictates diligence and work is joy. We live our best life.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar is the Principal and Director of Delhi Private School Dubai and the author of several books for children.
