LAW OF DIMINISHING INTENT
Our brains are an idea-generating machine. Ideas may pop into your mind when watching a movie or a TV show, having a shower, talking to someone, daydreaming, jogging/working out, making love, and countless other times.
Sometimes when I go to a hotel and see something mundane, I get an idea of setting up my office in a particular style. And occasionally, while attending a conference, I get some fantastic insight while watching a presentation. Simply put, ideas and opportunities unexpectedly appear in our minds from thin air.
When the ideas arrive, we most often fail to take action, i.e. to either note them down or implement them immediately. We postpone action under some pretext or the other. For instance, we often come up with justifications such as-I will do it in better times, when I have more time or more money or when necessary resources arrive or when I find the right opportunity. The longer we postpone an idea under such pretexts, the more massive the chances of it not getting accomplished.
This phenomenon can be explained through a law enunciated by great Jim Rohn called the Law of Diminishing Intent, which states that -“ The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it”.
For me, it happened two years back. I decided to create some valuable content on YouTube by conducting and publishing interviews of outstanding leaders from all walks of life. I made a list of heroes I would interview and purchased some essential equipment to create the content. I commenced by carefully preparing the questions and fixing an appointment for a shoot with Legendary Walter Isaac Dewaram IPS (Retd). The shoot went off phenomenally well. After some brisk editing, I had the content uploaded on Youtube, where it continues to be available. Soon after, I was transferred and posted as Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order. It was a tough assignment, and I always found myself neck-deep in work. The equipment I had purchased began to gather dust, and the hobby I had embarked on went into a long dormancy.
After a year and a half, I found myself reposted as Director Vigilance and Anticorruption and had all the time in the world to revive the Youtube channel I had created, but I couldn’t take it forward. Something had happened during the intervening time; doubt and laziness had crept in. Every time I tried to recommence, feelings of incompetence and thoughts of putting it off to a better day derailed me. After my first video, over two years had drifted by, and the idea of having squandered valuable time tormented me. The agony and guilt got to a point where I couldn’t tolerate myself and my procrastination anymore.
Exasperated and fed up with me, I decided to go ahead and make a video no matter what. But, there was a lockdown due to the raging pandemic, and no guests were available for an interview. I still pressed on and recorded a video and shared it with my family in the family group. I mentioned in the video that though it was not perfect, the message was so important that I couldn’t wait to share it with them. I was so happy and relieved that I had broken the logjam and unlocked the creativity that had been rotting, rusting and destroying my insides.
So, what we can take away from this is that -“If one waits for perfect conditions, nothing will get done.” So we have to go out and take action, no matter what, and stop the Law of Diminishing Intent right on its tracks.
To illustrate this point, let me narrate to you how Richard Branson created Virgin Airlines. When Branson arrived at the airport to fly to the British Virgin Islands, he received information from the airline staff that because of insufficient passengers; they were cancelling the flight. Branson immediately hired a flight and began selling the seats right then and there. Boom! Right then, Virgin Airlines was born. There was no stopping Richard after that. What better example can there be for us of the magic of taking immediate action.
We should, therefore, never pay heed to doubts and adverse inner voices that keep screaming at us that we are either not good to go or not smart enough to accomplish the task. There are no limits to what one can achieve when one stifles the negative inner voice.
Remember, we have a lot of potential in us, and whenever an idea strikes our mind, we should pursue it aggressively like a wildcat that pursues its prey and hunts it down. So please read books, blogs and watch YouTube videos to teach yourself how to silence your negative voice and launch yourself into action immediately without wasting a minute.
Our mind often comes up with great ideas that we can pursue all the time. So seize such opportunities and take action ASAP. The great ideas which flash into your mind have a purpose of not just benefitting us but of the entire humankind, so take action to vanquish all the resistance building inside you and bring the idea to fruition. Best of luck!
Dr.K. Jayanth Murali is an IPS Officer belonging to 1991 batch. He is borne on Tamil Nadu cadre. He lives with his family in Chennai, India. He is currently serving the Government of Tamil Nadu as Additional Director General of Police, Armed Police.
May 21, 2021 at 2:04 PM /
Good evening sir,
It’s a eye-opener for me sir will sincerely follow and break the logjam in my life