Drive

I came across the news article about the dwarf daughters of a tailor who cracked the NEET exam. The article filled me with hope, inspiration, and energy. India is full of people who struggle against all odds and make a mark in society. If there is one thing that compensates the most for lack of intelligence, bad luck, and poor access to resources in the pursuit of a dream, it is Drive.  Drive gives the purpose, motivation, madness, commitment, and determination to keep walking towards the goal despite all the obstacles. But what if one has lost all the drive? What is it like to live without a drive after tasting it for a while? and what are the ways to reignite this drive? 

Well to answer each question separately, loss of drive in a material sense leads to inaction. If it is compensated by spiritual drive then it results in mental wealth else it results in poverty. Loss of drive in a spiritual sense would lead to slow degeneration of mental wealth. I would say the loss of drive in a complete sense is death. Most people in society are living in a state of death.

Each one of us is passionate about something or other. Some goals, dreams, ambitions, fuel the drive in each one of us. This is often a phase of madness when we are beyond who we are. There are people who eternally live in this phase. The key phrase for such people is "Never settle", "Dream on" and "Keep walking". People like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Ambani fall in this category. For the lesser mortals, this drive is ephemeral and intermittent. And what comes after the drive is a vacuum and a void. A question about life and its purpose, a spiritual inquiry of self, and some emptiness. If the drive yielded successful results then you can cherish it and try to live a content life. If not then it gives rise to some sort of restlessness where you are in a constant search for something new, engaging, and meaningful. That's where lies the answer to the third question.

How to reignite the drive? It requires conviction and belief in the relevance of a certain specific goal. It requires a passionate pursuit of a goal. The most important thing for the drive is the single-minded focus. No other thing or goal should cross your mind. It requires a certain level of madness. The mediocrity and procrastination can not find a place in this pursuit. So if you are one of those who feel a void in your life, you should find new goals, new zeal, and new purpose. The second thing about developing a drive is to keep the plate full and busy. You should eat, drink, and live with this new goal. And the third thing is convincing yourself repeatedly. Your past will come to haunt you time and again. Your own self will question your madness and futility of this design. However, that's where conviction comes to your rescue.  

As an employer, always lookout for people who have the drive but not a dream. Give them meaning and dreams and see the wonders happening. Degrees don't matter.  Drive brings discipline, determination, and desperation. And that's the best guarantee for dream achievement.