The man was running as fast as he could. At 25 years of age, he had an MBA degree from the most coveted Institute in the country. By the time he was 30, he had a good stronghold in a leading Multi-National Company. A feeble voice was trying to reach out to him, but he did not stop. Before he turned 40, he had already switched 4 jobs. The voice grew louder and louder, he just could not ignore it any more but he still went on. At 45, he had already scaled many peaks of success. Yet, he had an odd feeling that he had forgotten something. Reaching 60, the man comprehended the reason behind that peculiar feeling. One fine day after turning 60 years of age, the man realized that he had forgotten to ‘live’ life.
In this world of cut-throat competition, one is taught right from childhood to be a part of this race to stay ahead. Thanks to Mr. Charles Darwin who propagated the theory of ‘Natural Selection’ and Mr. Herbert Spencer who coined the term ‘Survival of the Fittest’, each and everyone is eager to lead the pack. Those who are not able to keep up with the mad-rush are looked down at and are branded ‘losers’. This instills a sense of fear in the young hearts and the beautiful childhood days somewhere get lost.
Subsequently, the landscape changes from school to college and from college to workplace but the underlying fact remains the same. Somewhere we are forgetting something important. Fortunately for some people, the realization comes early. But in some cases, as we saw before, it takes a long time for people to realize that they are missing out on actually ‘living’ their life. So we know our work is taking a toll on our personal life. What do we do? Do we stop taking efforts for attaining success in our professional life? The answer is - a BIG NO!
There would always be times when our work demands more than its fair share of our attention. But that does not mean that we stop taking out some free time for ourselves. We need not go on a sabbatical to do soul searching. It can be as simple as taking up some activity like pottery or learning to play a musical instrument. There would always be times when we are working against some stringent deadlines. But it certainly does not prevent us from spending some quality time with our family or friends. And here, by quality time, I am not saying that one should go on a long vacation. It can even be cooking a meal together or simply sitting and chatting over a steaming cup of coffee on a rainy day.
When was the last time you enjoyed the first showers of monsoon? When was the last time you went hiking in the mountains? When was the last time you ran after a butterfly? <Pause> If you are still struggling to find answers to these questions, its time to slow down.
Now, I am not the first person to speak on work-life balance. In many media such as Books and Movies, this idea has been conveyed, either subtly or with full ferocity. Let me elucidate the same with a couple of examples.
1. The first example is that of the film ‘Stranger than Fiction’. This 2006 movie is about a man who leads a highly mechanical life, which includes routines such as brushing his teeth everyday with exactly 28 strokes. But as he realizes that he is going to die in a month, he quits his boring job and reflects on his life so far – All he can see is ‘DARKNESS’! But with a month to go and nothing to lose, he learns to play the Guitar, romances with a pretty lady, brings a whole new meaning to his life...and even manages to survive!
2. Another example which comes to my mind is that of a recent ad of an Insurance package. It shows a young man aiming to buy a convertible Porsche. He climbs the corporate ladder and makes it big with amazing hard work. Finally, as he goes to buy the car, he realizes that he just cannot buy it – Because he has become too fat to get into it! This goes on to prove that we should not forget the motive behind our efforts or the end towards which we work.
2. Another example which comes to my mind is that of a recent ad of an Insurance package. It shows a young man aiming to buy a convertible Porsche. He climbs the corporate ladder and makes it big with amazing hard work. Finally, as he goes to buy the car, he realizes that he just cannot buy it – Because he has become too fat to get into it! This goes on to prove that we should not forget the motive behind our efforts or the end towards which we work.
Taking a stock of things and reflecting on where we stand are the seeds to create a fruitful life. And today, I am sure most of us are making an attempt to strike this balance between our professional and personal lives. But what really matters is the ability to put it into action; all day every day! But it doesn’t end here – Balancing is after all an art and not all may instantly excel at it. Help those people around you, who you think can do better with your inputs.
It may be clichéd to say this, but here it goes again –Whether at Work or at Home - Let us Live Life King Size!
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