Maybe the way things have been going the last couple of days has made me quite reflective about what life means, what it should be like, what is the essense of living a good life and so on. I think you get the drift - I am starting to question why we do the things we do. When we list the most important things in our life where do you think a career will feature and if at all it features in the top three then I ask you this. How many years do we spend working - a maximum of 25 - 30 years. Going by the life expectancy rate of about 70 years at the minimum that still doesnt account for half of our time on earth. Of course lets remeber that even in these 25-30 years we are not taking into account weekends, holidays and evenings. So why do we sacrifice so much for this career dream that doesnt even last till we do. Lets now step back and see what a career means to most of us - security, a getaway, self esteem amongst others and for the lucky few - the fulfilment of their dreams.
The lucky few are ofcourse really blessed because they directly enjoy the euphoria of living their dreams. But for most others careers are the pathway to their dreams. Their jobs are the enablers that provide them the wherewithal to make their dreams come true. Their dreams could be anything - either tanglble or intangible. It could be owning a house, settling their family, watching their kids go to college or like me - travelling across the globe.
In which case should we not stop to think whether the enabler is actually becoming a major roadblock or a deterrent to the dream. Is it preventing us from doing the thing we really like to do - like read a book, listen to music or watch the sunset.
Mind you, I am not advocating laziness or idleness. I more than anyone else believe in the importance of industriousness. But I am only wondering whether we need to rationalize the importance we afford to a career and understand what our life goals are.
I have been thinking a lot and I understand that my life goal is not to be the next CEO of some big company or a much respected businesswoman - infact I would never be happy with the stress that would come hand in hand with this. I like creative fulfillment. I like watching something come to life, to read a piece that I have written, to see a design take shape. But my fuflfillment also from my daughter and my pup. They are as important to my daily goals as an assignment at work. However I also need to go out and do something daily - that definitely keeps the self esteem high and of course contributes to the kitty. I like to do different things daily, I like the opportunity to try out new things, to learn something all the time. So come to think of it I suppose I am not that ambitious and if it comes to power or flexibility I would choose the latter.
Coming back to my earlier point I think all of us should ensure that we are not sacrificing the things that matter most to us at the altar of our career - thinking that they will all come back to us later. Beacuse when the final hour comes rarely does one's promotions or professional success stand in the reckoning. It only matters whether you have touched people's lives meaningfully and whether you will be missed when you are gone. And believe me the ones to whom you will be indispensable are all waiting for you at home.
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