Paradigm Shift!

A few years back I had read a book, a very famous book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. 

In one of the chapters, he mentions a very thought provoking incident that he witnessed in the UK. He talks about a man who enters a train with his kids. The kids are making lots of mischief. This gentleman, who was father of the kids, did not do anything to control them. Instead, he closed his eyes and sat carelessly. The passengers get irritated with the kids. They thought this guy is not bothered of what his kids are doing. Now the passengers and Stephen, all were pissed off.

So, one of the passengers went to the guy and told him to take care of the kids. The passenger told the man that your kids are making noise, jumping here and there, disturbing other passengers and all. Why don't you ask them to sit quietly?

This man opened his eyes, looked at the kids and told this passenger, I am really sorry for them. Their mother has just passed away and we are coming from her cremation only.

With this sentence, the whole situation changed. The kids who were irritating a few seconds ago were worth loving now. All the actions of kids are not disturbing to any passenger now....

This is what Stephen Covey calls the Paradigm Shift!

It is the change in the way you look at the things. In the above mentioned incident, the actions of kids did not change. But the way passengers looked at the kids was changed. I am sure you would have felt the same while reading.

There is one saying, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. There is nothing as absolute beauty. Everything is relative. There are people I know who do not consider Aishwarya Rai as beautiful. It is not she who is beautiful, it is the perception of the one who views her as beautiful. 

So, the bottom line is you see the world and world will be as you see.

I remember one more article written by one of my friends, Jay Patel. He mentioned two quotations written at the back of trucks. I often quote them during my sessions as well. One truck had "Buri nazarwale tera muh kala" and the other had "Dekho magar pyar se". Both intend to say the same thing, but the way in which it is said reflects the paradigm of the individual. I have experienced that a change in perception or Paradigm Shift can bring change in life. This change could be so drastic that instead of it being a mere change in life, it changes the life itself. I have done that to my life.

You too may try. What say?