Savi had always been a powerhouse of ideas. And ideas which she would implement with great gusto. She had an idea to open her own business and she had been successful with it. Within five years of opening up her ceramic’s dealership, she had procured prestigious client companies. But now she seemed she had hit a roadblock. She was wondering what the next move should be to make the company innovate better. Daily, she would brainstorm with her team, network with clients trying to understand their needs. Daily she would get a couple of new ideas to implement but she would feel like the ideas weren’t good enough.
Ruturaj had started a new job at a company. It wasn’t a new career for him but it was a new company culture he was dealing with. He was good at his job, but he felt he wasn’t doing enough. He showed up to work, gave his best, observed, asked, learnt what was to be learnt, integrated that learning, and repeated this productive cycle. The problem was that he wasn’t able to see this cycle as productive. He felt his efforts were not enough.
What was going on here, in both these cases?
Some might say there was no immediate feedback available to Savi and Ruturaj. That is partly true. Some instant feedback- a quick review from her clients or other sources about whether Savi’s ideas were worth implementing or not, or a quick word from Ruturaj’s boss whether he was doing well or not may have helped.
But the problem is that sometimes it takes a while to get that feedback. Even if Savi’s clients found her ideas to be worthwhile, whether they were actually worthwhile will be known only over the months and years of implementing them. Even if Ruturaj’s boss appreciated his hard work and gave him a good appraisal, whether Ruturaj proves to be a good hire for the company will be known only over the months and years, with how Ruturaj handles new projects, manages crises and grows professionally.
Success and growth, especially professional, at times can only be gauged truly over a long period of time. Appraisals, reviews, awards, or even an instant appreciation are there, but ultimately it is time that decides what has worked or not worked.
Success and growth, also requires you to have an optimum level of confidence, where you trust yourself enough to do your best, and yet remain open to course-corrections others might suggest. On the flipside, excessive self-criticism, to the extent that it stops you from trusting your own skills and competence is also not a good path to take. Like how in Savi’s case, she finds something always lacking in her ideas, or for Ruturaj who just doesn’t see how well he is settling in.
So, what can Savi and Ruturaj do?
Stop working, stop caring about reviews and feedback? Of course not.
Should they stress and work even more, feel all overwhelmed that there’s no way for them to know how they are doing? No.
Well, the answer is neither this nor that, but ironically both! Savi and Ruturaj should continue to give their best. They should continue to learn, brainstorm, to ask, to work hard. What they don’t need to do is worry too much about how they are doing, especially if there’s no way for them to know after a certain point. What they need to do is just show up consistently, do the work that needs to be done in the best way they can. How they fare ultimately will be decided by time. As the Bhagvad Gita says, keep doing your karma and dharma (your work and your duty), without worrying about the fruit. We will see the fruits of our efforts only when the time is right, and that is in no one’s hands. And that is the relief all of us should feel.