A weaver who was preparing a royal tapestry accidentally snipped the golden thread making an ugly hole in the fabric. The weaver skillfully wove a stunning blooming rose over the scar that became the most admired masterpiece in the entire tapestry.
We often assume that great careers or works of art emerge from uninterrupted and continuous wins. That is never the case.
When something unexpectedly bad happens, most of us default to the preservative mindset - panic sets in and we try to save what we have done. Then comes the inevitable - ‘Why did this have to happen?’
There is another type of mindset - ‘Pratyutpannamati’ - the transformative mindset. This mindset treats the sudden flaw as the new base to create something new.
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In Sanskrit, there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):
प्रत्युत्पन्नमतिर्यस्तु स जीवति सुखं सदा ।
pratyutpannamatiryastu sa jīvati sukhaṃ sadā |
This means that "One who possesses pratyutpannamati—spontaneous, inventive presence of mind capable of resolving a sudden crisis—always overcomes difficulty and lives happily."
The Japanese have this art too - the art of Kintsugi - where broken ceramics are mended using powdered gold. The basic idea is that the flaws are not to be hidden, they are dignified, giving the broken pottery more value than before.
So next time something does not go according to plan, apply the pratyutpannamati mindset:
Acknowledge the mistake and move on.
Never cover up the error with a simple filler.
Let the new flaws be the base for the next creation.
Next time your thread snaps - which it will - don’t give up the weaving - change the pattern.
You never know what you will create.
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