In the Zone, Out of the Park

Jayraj Pandya
Sep 5, 2018 · 5 min read

‘Consigliere’ is a term I was introduced to first by a friend through a message he wrote for me some five years back. As Google told me that day, it stands for an adviser or a confidante. I am yet to watch any part of the Godfather series of films but I believe this word became a part of popular lexicon through this series of legendary films/novels. His messages more often than not, make me respond with certain amount of alacrity combined with a sense of responsibility because the words are expected to be taken a bit more seriously at the receiving end.

As recently as last week, his yet another message made me think yet again, wait for two days, before I could finally find an appropriate zone for answering to his question. It has been five years and close to two months since both of us completed our professional qualification that we aspired to behold for four long years and hence, the question became even more pertinent-

‘Since it has been five years to the paths that we have chosen, have you felt a sense of loss of purpose?’

Of course, all of us feel a sense of loss of purpose at some point of time or the other during our lives. But then we must continue to hold ourselves committed towards the final goal, to get on board our train that will take us from the Platform No. 8 towards our destination, the chosen destination. It might be any, it might be many but the idea is to not allow the smog of ‘cynic or skeptic’ clouds, blur our vision.

In this process, you may realize that a few processes and a few habits help. What are those habits? Which are those processes? Learning many of these from the man, whom I have looked up to the most in my life, from the field, off the field, in presentation ceremonies, during post match Press Conferences, in the anecdotes shared about him by others during their interviews, in books, in his interviews, in the film, I write about them today, on Teacher’s Day with #Besabriyaan in the background.

It is one year to the week when I first saw MS Dhoni ever, in person. Those three days in Colombo made me a kid but also made me realize (as my sister too understood my logic of not clicking a photo with him after our whatsapp call) that it has been his conduct on and off the field that has helped this kid grow into a person who can think of running after his dreams, sometimes to locations where even MS ended up missing his flight to- ‘Bhula de Dar, Kuch Alag kar.’

- Living in the Moment

Nothing defines MS more than his ability to live in the moment. His mindfulness is already a stuff of legends but for a student or any aspiring professional, it makes the entire situation much more calming. The focus can be on the next meeting, on the next project on the next presentation. Of course, nothing substitutes keeping an eye on the target but excessive horoscope tracking also does not help. Taking it by the day, by the week, by the month, by the quarter (or as Donald Trump suggested), by the half year helps more often than not- step by step, block by block.

- Processes will be your best Legacy

Processes or Performances?- is a popular ‘chicken and egg question’ in modern self-help culture. But when it comes to work and Institutions, I have no doubt through my limited years of work experience that it is always the processes that will outlive any individual and hence, they are the true barometer of any individual’s legacy. The reason why I talk about this is because often we focus too much on grooming/developing individuals that the processes take a backseat.

The reason why we often do not lose a sense of purpose when we focus on processes is that we understand there is so much difference we can bring and there is so much more to be done. As a dear friend rightly put it in the whatsapp status- ‘So much to learn, so little time.’ Of course we still can feel out of place and decide to change our course of action but more often than not, it does allow us to find our romanticism with our passions, sometimes lost in the quagmire of urban life.

- Knowing your off-stump

Rahul Dravid is the first person who really comes to mind whenever someone says- ‘Who knows his off-stump the best?’ In conditions that aid quality pace bowling, knowing off-stump is probably the most important quality (may be after patience to hold on in current times considering the fast paced nature of cricket) to be a successful batsman.

What is this off-stump in our lives? When should we know which ball to leave and which one to play? The out-swingers are more like opportunities- one needs to be patient and pounce on the ones sufficiently within the zone to hit through the covers or behind point. The in-swingers are more like challenges- some easy, drifting on to the pads, easily flicked away towards square leg or mid-wicket region. But the tricky area is when the McGraths and Andersons bowls in the corridor of uncertainty- to be or not to be? The most significant question that we all face and that often makes us feel the question my friend asks- Have you felt a sense of loss of purpose? Hence, it is paramount that we know our off-stumps- our tolerance/acceptance levels towards a particular task/assignment/Institution so that our sense of purpose always wins. :)

Of course with #MSDhoni, you never got one standard answer. We saw him take lead in 2013 in Chennai when chips were down and it was now or never. A double century and India won the series 4–0 against Australia. A year down the line, in England 1–0 up after two tests, we lost three subsequent tests to lose the series 1–3. But MS still stood there, valiantly trying to hold the fort, as the captain of the team on several occasions. Accidentally I came across this photo today. In full tandem in a match, you can see him not even looking while throwing the ball towards the first slip fielder, Suresh Raina who then collects it in the most swashbuckling manner possible. Such is a zone we all expect to be in while in pursuit of our dreams, single-minded, in the moment, backed by strong processes and always aware about our off-stump. :)

#HappyTeachersDay

Jayraj Pandya

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