Self Motivation is the Key to Development for the Northeast People in India

Self Motivation is the Key to Development for the Northeast People in India Dr.Athiqul H.Laskar What is the criterion for success? Is it just access to infinite opportunities? Definitely not! Getting a chance to showcase one’s skill or talent does not guarantee success. One has to have the right attitude and confidence in oneself to achieve success in life. This is exactly what the northeast people need to learn. Once they do so, they can be at par with the rest of the country. It is true that the northeast region is not as developed as the rest of India. There is a lot that needs to be done and it would require a considerable amount of time and investment before the northeast states can be counted as one of the developed regions of India. However, that does not, in any way, imply that the people belonging to those regions are not capable of competing with others. What is needed is a change in attitude and this can be brought about by self-motivation. Decoding Self-motivation: What is motivation? It is a positive feeling that inspires us to perform a particular action by giving our best in it. Motivation can be given by others. The most common example is that of teachers and parents motivating us to study hard in order to get good results so that we can be successful in life. Self-motivation is when you, and not anyone else, inspire yourself to put your best foot forward into something and always have a positive approach towards life and its hurdles. Self-motivation is extremely important for success. When a problem arises or one is faced with a difficult challenge in life, the first reaction for most people is always to give up or feel helpless and pessimistic. There is nothing wrong in feeling so. However, if this negative feeling lingers and is not overcome, it can turn out to be an impediment on the way to success. For this reason, it is imperative to change this negative feeling into a positive one with the help of self-motivation. How Can Northeast People Self-Motivate Themselves: The first thing that northeast people need to do in order to be at the same pedestal as others is to give up any feeling of inferiority. Just because a region is not that developed, it does not mean its inhabitants are inferior to that of others. It is not possible for any country to have uniformly developed states. Some pockets will be highly developed while others will be short of it. This is the first lesson that northeast people ought to learn in order to get over any inferiority complex. This is because such feelings often act as a hindrance in development and advancement. You feel under-confident and afraid to face the world. You are unable to communicate properly because the feeling of being inferior to others is always at the back of your mind. Therefore, the first step towards self-motivation is eliminating all thoughts of inferiority and inadequacy. Secondly, they have to have a positive outlook and approach. They have to instill a never-say-die attitude in themselves so that they do not shy away from challenges and make the most of every opportunity they get. Originating from an under-developed region, they might have limited opportunities and exposure. However, that should not be a reason for giving up and feeling neglected and victimized. Instead, they have to utilize these limited prospects and climb the ladder of success in life. Nothing can be achieved by complaining and playing the blame game. It can only increase frustration and disappointment. The northeast people have to understand this simple truth and embrace everything with a smile in order to emerge triumphant in the end. Thirdly, the northeast people ought to learn the art of moving on. It is true that there have been quite a few cases of northeast students having to endure discriminatory attitudes and behaviors from others in the recent past. Many politicians and ministers have also accepted this fact, the latest being union minister Agatha Sangma who proclaimed in the wake of the sad demise of Dana Sangma belonging to Amity University that cases of discrimination against northeast people are quite common in Delhi and such other metropolis. However, this should not be interpreted as the norm simply because it is not. Such cases can be best described as aberrations. The northeast people need to understand this and not get bogged down by all this. It is often seen that the greatest impediment to self-motivation is some of our own pre-conceived notions and beliefs. We are so deeply influenced by them that they govern our decisions. However, what is needed is an objective evaluation or analysis of the situation keeping aside certain prejudices and biases. Once we do that, we can come out of these false and harmful notions and be suitably self-motivated to take on the world. In the case of the northeast people, the few cases of discrimination and violence often act as the barrier to self-motivation. Such incidents prompt them to believe that they too will be treated like that if they go out of their state. Thus the best option is to stay within the comfort zone and give up those dreams and aspirations. However, they need to realize such stray cases should not be considered as the yardstick for judging the kind of behavior shown to them when they step out of their states. Also, running from a problem doesn’t really solve it. You need to confront it head on to contest and eliminate it altogether. This is exactly how the attitude of the northeasterners should be which can only come from self-motivation. The northeast folk can get self-motivated by looking at the eminent personalities from their states who have managed to make a mark in the field of politics, sports, art, science etc. One prominent example is that of Purno Agitak Sangma who is in the running for this year’s presidential election to be held on 19th July. They can get inspired from their achievements and try to move the legacy forward by breaking new grounds and accomplishing several feats. Thus it can be said the self-motivation is integral to the success and mainstream acceptance of northeast people.