Are You Too Suffering From Ostrich Syndrome?

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I have suffered from this syndrome many a times. I am sure you too would have. Now what to do?

Simple.

Diagnose the problem. Confront the situation. And solve the issue.

But before anything else, let’s see what is this Ostrich Syndrome and what to do with it?

Sticking its head in sand, the ostrich imagines itself safe from its predators. By doing this, it remains in the comfortable position and imagines itself to be safe from the impending danger.

Although this term is a myth now, but we, as individuals suffer form this syndrome in many ways. Instead of facing the challenges, roadblocks and issues in our day to day life, we apply this passive approach called the Ostrich Syndrome. We hide. We escape and we procrastinate until the danger or the problem comes too close.

So, be it our personal life or professional life, relationships or health issues, financial decisions or spiritual crisis , we have one area or the other in our life where we do not take the right actions required at the right moment. We wait. And we imagine that the problem will be sorted out automatically. We delay finding the root cause of the issues. Result. We all suffer form this syndrome called the Ostrich Syndrome.

I have many personal anecdotes which will explain my this tendency, but for today, I have one such incident, it is of the time when I was in grade XI. The Year was 1999.

It was my biology exam. I had always loved this subject but due to my unexpected poor performance in class X, I developed Exam Phobia. Since I was extremely afraid of exams after the results of class X, I got so scared of this paper that I decided to be down with fever. I did the worst. I behaved as If I had some neurological disorder or some psychotic trauma.I did not eat, nor did I turn the pages of my copy or the biology text book.

The entire purpose of this episode was not to appear in the exam. All I wanted to do was to escape from it and did not sit in the exam. It was according to me a situation where I suffered from this Ostrich Syndrome.

Yesterday was also one such case, details of which will be shared in coming posts, but the point is, I could now identify this syndrome. In this syndrome, instead of taking hold of the situation, we react or over react, we avoid or escape but do not respond to the situation.

So, now I hope that you too would be able to identify the areas in your life which calls for your action and proactive confrontation with the dealing of Ostrich Syndrome.

Therefore based on my recent confrontation with the problem and suggestions from my friends, here are the 6 steps that we all can take to avoid this syndrome and take hold of the problems and situations in life.

1. Zoom in and look for this syndrome. Just like we zoom the camera and focus the object to take the image, in the same manner we must zoom on the broader areas of our life which need our immediate handling of the problem or the situation. We need to be our own inspector and detector.

We must focus on finding out the root cause of the issue or the problem. If we could reach out to that, the problem could be sorted out soon, without much delay.

If we find ourselves too emotional or inefficient to deal with the challenges or the issues, we must seek the help of our mentors, parents or friends. Their experience can be of great value to us in diagnosis of the problem. Ask. Ask and Ask for their help.

2. Ask the Right Questions. Asking questions is a great way to propel yourself straight into the core of your problem. You win half the battle if you know what are the right questions.So don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Ask questions such as: What is holding you back from taking the control of the situation? Whose help you can seek to solve the issue or the problem? What strategy you could use?

Ask questions related with why, what, when, where, who and how. Dig deep into them. You will surely get the pearls of your answers.

3. Focus on the Outcome. Imagine of the time when the situation will be solved and how happy you would feel. Focus on the outcome and the time when the situation will be under your control and how relax and fulfilling you would feel.

If that outcome is truly rewarding and fulfilling you could push yourself for the action rather than hiding your face and escaping from the situation. This focus will force you to take hold of the situation and take immediate action.

4. Make a commitment. If the issue is too important in your life and you have been avoiding it since very long then you must make a public commitment.

By making a public commitment and talking to people about it, you will be forced to work on doing the project or solving the issue or the challenge. If not, then your own integrity and public image can be at stake. At any cost, you cannot afford to spoil that.

5. Take Action.  Taking action is a must. Don’t think for too long. Consistent actions will give you confidence and faith to move on the right track. Don’t wait for the right time or the right moment.

Because as Napoleon Hill says that “The time will never be just right.” So, make your each moment right. And take action.

6. Check your  own progress and revise it if needed. After taking consistent action for some time, it is important for you to keep a check and momentum of your progress. For this, analyse your actions taken, ask for the feedback and if needed, revise the whole plan.

If you feel alone, join the group of like-minded people. You will be motivated and committed to take consistent actions with the group then. Accountability will be important here.

Take little steps each day and do not get exhausted. If something is not working, change the technique or the strategy and be flexible in your moves. Once the results start showing up, keep going.

You will be happy to walk on the path that will make a big difference to your own life and the life of others. You will feel amazing when you see yourself confronting the real life challenge and see them contributing to your life.