Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 2 Boldness

Preamble:  I am very happy and thrilled to be participating in the  Blogchatter challenge this year. The writer is required to write one blog per day every day of the month (excluding Sundays) of April

As is clear from the title that  I am writing randomly on random words. Hopefully,  these words and my take on them would reflect the way I see the world and readers would be able to perceive the "inside of Rajeev" . Soliciting encouragement and support from you, dear readers in the form of comments/feedback,  whole through the journey ending 30th April 2021.   

Day 2 - Boldness     

As we take birth and live our lives on this earth, there are certain qualities that are innate and we tend to exhibit them often, even when not  being consciously aware of what we are doing. "Boldness" can be said to be one such quality. There are some people who have no difficulty in expressing their viewpoint while others are diffident and reluctant to express their true feelings. We have seen movies wherein the hero becomes tongue tied in the presence of the heroine and is unable to express his love for her. Sometimes, people spend an entire lifetime unable to express their true feelings on any matter. 

The ones who are not bold find themselves unable to speak out in a departmental meeting. As one from a corporate background, I would suggest that  it is the responsibility of the leader who is chairing the meeting to ensure that all voices are heard. He /she needs to do whatever it takes to achieve this objective whether by prodding, encouraging or preventing unfair criticism by others in the meeting.  People also tend to  take advantage of  a person who is  seen as 'weak' and  unable to exhibit the minimum boldness in a situation. Therefore it may be necessary to consciously practice 'Boldness' in our to day life as deemed necessary for  the situation. 

Lack of boldness can be exhibited in any area of our life including taking financial decisions. We have heard of people who had the foresight to buy property when property prices were low  to make big gains when the value rose in a few years. Of course one has to be bold to take that decision when many are scared to do so.  I came across such  a person who was literally scared to take decisions. Consequent to tendering my resignation sometime in 2008 from a company in Mysore I took a decision  to sell my Maruti 800 car as the new job required me to move to  far away Bellary. 

I was happy that an Assistant Manger Finance of the company came forward to buy the  car . I believed then that dealing with an officer would be smooth and without hassles. We discussed the price and the condition of the car which was driven all along  by  a single owner, me and maintained in good condition.  Now and then  during the month of my notice period the gentleman would seek reassurance that he was making the correct decision. At one such discussion, I opined that he must be having problems with other financial decisions as well in spite of  the fact that he was working in the Finance department. He admitted that this was indeed so and that he had been unable to buy a house although he had been planning for it for years. To cut the story short, at the last minute, the gentleman backed out and I had to run around searching for an alternative buyer.   

It is one thing to be bold and a totally different thing to be aggressive. You don't need to be like a bull in a China shop to prove that you are bold . Some people claim that they always call a spade a spade or that they tell things as it is. Being bold does not mean being rude or  insensitive. In a corporate scenario parlance , there is a clear distinction between being assertive and aggressive. While being submissive can go against your interests, being aggressive can also lead up to the same result. It is only when you are assertive without being affected by excessive emotions that you can get the best results. 

While working for BEML Ltd, I saw this play out quite plainly  when dealing with two office bearers of the union who had different styles of operation. One of them would resort to shouting and intimidation leading to tension between us. However, this was not translating into his getting his way most of the time. On the contrary, I realized the other office bearer who was calm and appealed to logic and fair play was able to convince me to agree to his requests on many occasions. Further, if we look around and observe life around us, it would be amply clear that being bold just for the sake of being bold can be  a form of  foolishness.  

Some times people tend to get carried away by the labeling and feel pressurized to live up to the labels put on them. As for example in India,  fathers in earlier days (perhaps even now in villages)  were expected to be tough, aloof and not exhibit outward expressions of love to their children. When Indira Gandhi of India and Margaret Thatcher of UK were to meet in 1976, the press of both countries hyped up the label of their leader being an "Iron lady" meaning there were projected as being  tough as nails. When the ladies met, initially they tended to play out the mental images that were created for them and initial interaction was cold and matter of fact. It is another matter that they later warmed up to each other and both had a grudging respect for the other, with Thatcher paying rich tributes on the assassination of the Indian prime minister. 

This brings us back once again  to the core of our discussion. While 'Boldness"  is an essential requirement of life, it need not be artificial .  If you do not feel the confidence inside, an  artificially manufactured  trait may evaporate at a crucial time when you need it most.  Not everyone may be fortunate enough to posses this quality  as an  innate  ability from birth.  If you happen to be such a fortunate one,  care should be taken to employ it  effectively for the appropriate causes and needs. If  however the quality is lacking, it needs to be nurtured and developed over a period of time  so that it becomes an authentic part of oneself.  The effort is worth it; after all, boldness is the very essence of living a satisfying and meaningful life.   

NB: This is powered by Blog Chatter's # A2Z Challenge   Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2021