Feeling Like a Dodo?
Revive your career or life path before you move into extinction
A couple of years ago, I visited the tiny island of Mauritius. Everywhere I went, I saw images of the Dodo — on souvenirs, restaurants, and travel brochures.
I was intrigued by the extinct species. So I did what we all do when we want to know more, I Googled it.
I read that the Dodo were the first settlers of Mauritius. With man not around yet, they wandered around the island without fear. Even when the Dodo encountered man, they didn’t fear him.
Eventually, sailors invaded the island and looked inland for food. Their gaze soon fell upon the Dodo — a bulky bird with short wings “unable to fly or flee in the face of danger.’”
The Dodo was easy prey. With an average weight of 20 kilograms, it provided enough meat to go around.
Was it the Dodo’s fault for being fearless and fat? Is it indeed, ‘survival of the fittest?’
Or, were the islanders too greedy and short-sighted, ignoring the environmental damage, as they devoured the species?
The Dodo should have learned some survival skills…perhaps, combat. Or, maybe they should have reproduced more rapidly to avoid extinction.
But they didn’t. And it’s sad.
Many of us feel like the Dodo at certain points in our careers. We realize that what’s got us this far will not get us any further.
Particularly, in these times, when technology is throwing newer surprises every day, it has become not only difficult but impossible to keep up.
If we don’t update our outlook and skillset, we will be unable to survive or thrive in an ever-changing environment, continuously testing our evolutionary capabilities.
So, here are some ideas to ensure we don’t end up on the list of endangered species, either personally or professionally…
Stay alert
An alert mind is an awakened mind.
When your mind is alert, it is more receptive and perceptive to its surroundings.
Alertness results from a combination of factors, the most important being education. Not just formal education, but a constant thirst to acquire more knowledge and skills.
Alertness allows the mind to make connections that provide solutions for survival. The Dodo didn’t know man, and in the absence of a predator for so long, their minds had probably gone dull.
Even after the Dodo encountered man, it wasn’t able to defeat the new predator, as it wasn’t agile or ready for combat.
When the mind is sharpened and equipped, it detects unknown threats and becomes ready to circumvent what threatens its existence.
Become Agile
The agility of mind and body is imperative in today’s competitive, fast-changing world. One needs to respond to many situations without warning — terrorism, pandemics, floods, or recession.
Being quick to respond — physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially — is key to agility.
And, your stamina levels to stay agile depend on the hours of practice and effort you put into anything you pursue. It also depends on how quickly you can process experiences and transform them into wisdom to make quicker choices and decisions.
Agility in decision-making is perhaps one of the biggest strengths needed to survive and succeed in this age.
Otherwise, just like the Dodo, when tragedy strikes, we may be unable to think and move quickly.
Expand your imagination
A heightened imagination gives us the ability to dream, hope, and change our reality. If you can imagine a possibility, you can work to make it a reality.
Napoleon Hill once said, ‘Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’
The mind has limitless powers. We’ve heard of yogis fighting tigers with concentration and will, we’ve seen astronauts walk on the moon, and we now hear of the imminent possibility of man inhabiting Mars.
Imagination is a muscle. Exercise it. Dream about the life you want and enhance your chances of survival.
Explore new horizons
Trapped on an island, unable to fly, the Dodo didn’t dare venture out to safer places.
Today, with both the means and the affordability of travel, we have no excuse. We can move between cities and countries to create the life and career of our dreams.
In Mauritius, I went undersea walking for the first time. I’m not a swimmer, and this may have been unthinkable in the past.
With technological advances and man’s industrious spirit, we can now create experiences for ourselves that we once only imagined. This also helps us explore our hidden strengths.
Travel, in general, opens up the mind and makes us more tolerant and accommodating of other people and cultures.
Travel teaches us to coexist, an essential tool for survival.
Build on your strengths
Every species comes into this world with certain strengths, even the Dodo. Recent research found the Dodo had the same intelligence as the modern-day pigeon and even a greater sense of smell.
Why then did it become extinct? Probably, the Dodo didn’t use its strengths to its advantage. Otherwise, a heightened sense of smell could very well have sniffed out the enemy.
Our primary job is to identify and hone our strengths for a better life. A life not of survival and fear, but a life filled with possibility and hope.
A life that will constantly change and evolve, if we push ourselves in the direction of progress and self-growth.
Personal and professional development are the key to survival and success in any age and has become much easier with technology.
But, for this one needs a constant zest for life and learning, and a desire to create a rich life, not just materially, but with a richness of mind —
A mind that is enlightened enough to know that life has plenty to offer, and awakened enough to know that all the offerings are ours for the taking!
The article was first published on Common Sense Living, a digital publication with new-age lifestyle and wealth-building ideas.
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