MAKALE

IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES IN BUSINESS LIFE

Emrah Altuntecim 

“We live in such a world that people are wearing themselves out for things that they are not  even sure if they want or not.” - D.Marquis

One of the basic principles of my book "Self Search and Rescue" approach a very important subject is; “the seeker shall find”. But we have to remember this: "one, who knows what he is seeking for shall find it." That is why it is very important to identify goals or purpose. In order to find we have to know what we are seeking for, our goals or purposes.

When we want to do something it is a "wish". To want to go to a concert is a wish, although it ranks low in the hierarchy of wishes.(That is not a very strong one.) our goals are as important as going to a concert then they will not be actualized easily and although we name them as "goals", they are wishes. When you wish something the will and the energy of a wish is quite weak. The wish should turn into a “desire” in order to be actualized. But even this is not enough. If a desire becomes stronger then it may turn into “dedication”. At that level the person does not have difficulty in focusing on what he wants. He is like a missile locked into target or like a composer focused on his music, like lovers. This person does not pay attention to take heed of  or negativities, actually hedoesn't even notice them.  It is like getting two or three hours of sleep a day and working without getting tired. “Dedication” is a necessary attitude in order to fulfill our purposes.

This short story about dedication will summarize the theme: A foreign diplomat comes to Turkey and is having a meeting with Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. The diplomat asks insolently: “How did you win the independence war?”

Atatürk, as a response to this question, without hesitation asks his assistant to bring him his gun. The diplomat is puzzled and does not like this. Atatürk takes the gun in his hand and then takes all the bullets out of the gun. Then calls the guarding soldier waiting in front of the door to come in and hands the gun to the guard.

“Shoot your self!” Atatürk orders. The guard takes the gun from Atatürk without hesitating even a second, puts the gun on his temple and pulls the trigger. The diplomat watches in bewilderment.

Atatürk turns to the diplomat who gapes with astonishment and says: “We won just like this!”

This is dedication. If the soldier was not dedicated to his country and his leader could he be that courageous?

So you must ask your self; "What is my purpose?"      

What is my purpose?

 “Unhappiness is running after things that we are not sure of if we want or not”

-D.Herold

Most of the people are not purposeful or they have false purposes that do not belong to them. Our world is full of lives that are desultory, lives that are moving like a leaf from here to there wherever the wind takes it. However, the real satisfaction for a person comes from a life that has a purpose.

Most people think that some of the natural cycles in their lives are the “purpose”. Starting school, having a family...These may all be necessary, but do you think your life’s purpose should be this? Although a person without a purpose may have small successes here and there, there is a very small chance that she/he will be genuinely satisfied. If what you are doing is not meaningful for you, to put in effort to progress and struggle to be successful will be difficult for you. In that case you may get a job that you don’t want, try to keep it as long as you can handle it, without getting any satisfaction. You can quit that job and then get another job that you do not want and keep on wasting your time as if it is your destiny. Days, weeks and months pass. At the end you see that your life has been surrounded by factors that do not belong to you. It is as if you are under the debris. According to my approach, it is still possible to make a successful operation even under these circumstances. It is even possible to not get caught in this situation with preventive measures.

We will mention the importance of taking preventive measures and making emergency plans for physical and spiritual crisis’s; but the first step for prevention is this: What is my purpose in life?

To find an answer to this question may take days, but that's fine! Ask this question with courage and persistence instead of running after false purposes, deceiving yourself and being unhappy! Ask yourself without considering the end and with patience “What is my purpose?” How will I contribute to life? The response to this question should be satisfactory even when you look back as you get old. The self search and rescue explorer is a courageous person who does not refrain from asking questions to himself. For him every problem can be solved, every situation can be bettered by effort. Desperation and hopelessness is not a choice. People who do self search and rescue work learn to be more careful about the traps and holes under debris. One of those traps is undetermined, false or unclear purposes.

Almost the whole world is after happiness and success but very few people are after the “definition” of happiness and success. It is interesting to note that people who take time and energy define these words, in the end, achieve success and happiness. Maybe one of the main reasons for “depression” today is not understanding that “definition”. If the person does not clarify her/his purpose or goals and clarify her/his definition of success and happiness, she/he will witness in time that the “false” purposes do not make him happy. A person may fool herself/himself only to a certain extent. The destiny of people without purpose is to be manipulated. A person without a purpose will be moving from here to there like a leaf on a river. Can a person be happy if she/he is subject to the stream and if she/he is without any initiative?

To summarize, we usually belong to either one of these groups:

1. Those without a purpose, goal or target
2. Those with a purpose but who do not act upon it
3. Those with a purpose and are actively working to achieve it or achieved it. These people have clear goals that they can dedicate even their lives to. Which group do you belong to? Please think a little...