Lifestyle

Be Humble, Young Man, Be Humble! Staying Objectively Grounded Is Necessary In Business

by Tejas Parekh

‘Objective’ is defined as a state uninfluenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. Being objective is to stay connected to the external world, its language, the sights, the smell, and all other sense data in the world. While an individual is objective, he or she should refrain from letting prejudices, bias thoughts, and negativity interfere with what is being observed or experimented upon. Whilst observing, remain in tune with your senses, but understand what is occurring.  If you are going to experiment with the external world, you must realize that the subjective mind is coming into play.

‘Subjective’ is defined as a state dependent on the mind or on an individual’s perception for its existence. The subjective mind comes into play when an individual is interacting with an environment. For example, if an individual came running through a library screaming, then his or her subjective mind is affecting the objective idea of what a library stands for (a quiet place where people study).

The subjective mind and the creative mind are closely related because it all relates to personal perception. However, the creative mind relates to the right hemisphere of the brain, while the logical side of the brain is on the left.  When looking at the objective versus the subjective, one might simply say that the objective is what is factual, while the subjective is based on opinion.

Staying objective

The logical side of the brain relates to what is acceptable, and what the purpose of the environment is for.  For example, a library is a place where people are meant to study, a classroom is where students are to learn, and an office is where people work.  These are the objective facts, and the purpose of a place.

There are also events and parties where people generally socialize. Lastly there are people whose purpose is self defined, or in the eyes of other people, they are defined by their job title/occupation, or what they are doing. For instance, a librarian helps individuals to find books or deliver knowledge on reading materials.

At times, these roles are altered by the subjective mind, and at others, by the emotion of a person. Staying grounded in objectivity is to stay focused and concentrated on the work one has to do, without feeling affected by daydreaming thoughts and opinions of wanting to be anywhere but work.

When I was in grade school as a child, I remember my parents telling me to stay focused and to do whatever the teacher told me to do.  By doing this, I stayed focused on the tasks, the homework, and everything else that came along with schooling. It could be possible that if I never heard this, then I would listen to the other children. The purpose of students in a school is to learn, but a student can learn anything in a school.

A student can learn how to draw well, how to scream and talk loud, how to steal, how to stay focused, how to do his or her homework, how to develop listening skills, and so on. Nevertheless, institutions are generally places where individuals subjective mind can interfere with the purpose. Therefore, you should stay focused and understand the purpose of the place, person, event, or thing, you are engaging in.

Deviating from objectivity

At times deviating from the objective of what is occurring can be beneficial. It is a risk, but sometimes a risk comes with reward. It all comes down to what you value as a person. If you value relationships over your work, you will naturally gravitate towards being the best boyfriend/girlfriend/friend. Although nobody knows how the future is going to be, it is essential to choose the activities you engage in thoroughly so you do not lose sight of the objective ground.

Top Photo Courtesy: FireFlyMoon44