Imagine you don't have your 9 to 6 job. I can see the grin on your face. Pardon my insensitivity, it is actually, not 9 to 6. It is 9 to 9 or even more depending on your luck and of course, the industry you are in. So you don't have to sleep hurriedly only to be worried about waking up early the next day, preparing breakfast and packing lunch (if at all, you are able to do the sacrosanct task of carrying home-cooked meals at work), and driving to your office in a traffic condition that deserves no introduction. Sounds great, isn't it? Wait, I've to add some butter to the bread. You don't have to go to work anymore. But you'll be paid. And paid the same you are earning now. Wow. Where was I till now? Me for Prime Minister. Me for POTUS as well. By now you will be tempted to hastily bash me on my ridiculous, utopian and fantasy fairy tale-esque assumption, but hear me out now that you have read this far. You have, right?
Now with all the time in the world on your plate and the money you are earning, what will you do?
Here's a possible list I could imagine.
Here's a possible list I could imagine.
... Sleep all through the day
... Binge watch movies, TV
... Sleep more
... Read all the unread books lying on the dusty shelf.
... Clean the dusty shelf
... Then, clean the house
... Arrange the decor
...Browse gateways, weekend and otherwise
...Read more
... Stay delighted all the day
... Sleep at random times
.... Hit the gym
.... Hit the gym
... Smoke
... Drink
...Watch Netflix
... Spend times with kids (if you have)
...Go and meet mommy
...Browse more social media
And so on and so forth.
It certainly looks like a wish come true.
But what seems to be such a promising proposition will rarely last forever. The reason is embedded deep in our psychology. Just like our 9 to 6 jobs, other aspects of our lives can turn out to be equally boring and often exhausting. After the 10 day mountain camp in the Himalayas and another 10 days of meditation, you might start missing your home. And even more so, your work, in case you are a workaholic like me. The problem isn't the vacation or the number of days of you are on a leave. The fundamental issue is what we carry in our minds. The expectations that may be this leave will sort me from all work and life woes. Well, it won't. It may leave you on a high, refresh you, relax you and energize you but only if you are ready to leave your entangled thoughts behind. And are really willing to enjoy the time out there.
Also, I strongly believe that there is a reason why we do what we do. Yes, yes, EMI and paying bills is on the top list but once you have had money, what matters is the meaning you derive from your work. There is a whole lot of pride people attach to the work they do. If you can't fathom the private sector salaried people doing that, imagine the army guys, the creative guys, who really are into their work. A wise man once said - there are only two secrets to enjoy a work. Either do what you love or love what you do.
May be you start teaching underprivileged kids and you wish to do that forever. But that would be a work you have always wanted to do in your life but only discovered recently. Unlike the big shot software engineer or sales professional you are currently. Once you have found something that excites you, it is easier to bear the pain of office politics and digest the things in your profession or life that are beyond your control. A teaching job might not pay you six figures like a software gig would, but now you'll have a sorted mind. You'll have figured out, what's important for you and not for the world.
For me, this fantasy of an infinite paid leave has always been my sweet dream. I always imagine I'd be the best person I can be, once I've all the time and money in the world. I'd write everyday for a few hours, become a disciplined monk, go running, cook my food, read books, sleep in the afternoon, and dwell on the deeper philosophical questions about life and death. And yes, the most fascinating of it all - get a ripped body, decorated by a six-pack abs.
But history proves me wrong. Right from America's Got Talent to India's Got Talent to Bollywood to IIT entrance to Cricket, there are incredible examples of people who have done what they wanted to do, and that too, in the same 24 hours, despite several human limitations and resource scarcity.
So even an infinite paid leave won't do wonders, because the truth is- no matter how much time and money we get, if we are really not managing it well, and are not internally driven to achieve our dreams, even a whole life of vacations would be consumed like a few blinks of our eyes.
You want to be a musician. Sneak a couple of extra hours from the 24 hours and practice daily.
Same applies to any profession.
You want a healthier and fitter body? Stop cursing the long, long office hours. Dance with your shoes on and wrap up the bloody work and move your ass to the gym. Remember, Chris Gardener (Will Smith) in the Pursuit of Happyness? He was bound to finish his work by a certain time because he had to pick up his son from the play school and rush to a first-come-first-serve home shelter? If he misses the bus by a few minutes, it meant he and his son would have to sleep in the subway or may be under the sky.
How well are you using your time? Do you plan your day? Regretfully, I haven't been doing it for a long time and I do realize, it has impacted my productivity and peace of mind.
Do let me know your thoughts and trips and tricks (if you have any) on how to better manage the everyday.
regards,
Kundan
...Browse more social media
And so on and so forth.
It certainly looks like a wish come true.
But what seems to be such a promising proposition will rarely last forever. The reason is embedded deep in our psychology. Just like our 9 to 6 jobs, other aspects of our lives can turn out to be equally boring and often exhausting. After the 10 day mountain camp in the Himalayas and another 10 days of meditation, you might start missing your home. And even more so, your work, in case you are a workaholic like me. The problem isn't the vacation or the number of days of you are on a leave. The fundamental issue is what we carry in our minds. The expectations that may be this leave will sort me from all work and life woes. Well, it won't. It may leave you on a high, refresh you, relax you and energize you but only if you are ready to leave your entangled thoughts behind. And are really willing to enjoy the time out there.
Also, I strongly believe that there is a reason why we do what we do. Yes, yes, EMI and paying bills is on the top list but once you have had money, what matters is the meaning you derive from your work. There is a whole lot of pride people attach to the work they do. If you can't fathom the private sector salaried people doing that, imagine the army guys, the creative guys, who really are into their work. A wise man once said - there are only two secrets to enjoy a work. Either do what you love or love what you do.
May be you start teaching underprivileged kids and you wish to do that forever. But that would be a work you have always wanted to do in your life but only discovered recently. Unlike the big shot software engineer or sales professional you are currently. Once you have found something that excites you, it is easier to bear the pain of office politics and digest the things in your profession or life that are beyond your control. A teaching job might not pay you six figures like a software gig would, but now you'll have a sorted mind. You'll have figured out, what's important for you and not for the world.
For me, this fantasy of an infinite paid leave has always been my sweet dream. I always imagine I'd be the best person I can be, once I've all the time and money in the world. I'd write everyday for a few hours, become a disciplined monk, go running, cook my food, read books, sleep in the afternoon, and dwell on the deeper philosophical questions about life and death. And yes, the most fascinating of it all - get a ripped body, decorated by a six-pack abs.
But history proves me wrong. Right from America's Got Talent to India's Got Talent to Bollywood to IIT entrance to Cricket, there are incredible examples of people who have done what they wanted to do, and that too, in the same 24 hours, despite several human limitations and resource scarcity.
So even an infinite paid leave won't do wonders, because the truth is- no matter how much time and money we get, if we are really not managing it well, and are not internally driven to achieve our dreams, even a whole life of vacations would be consumed like a few blinks of our eyes.
You want to be a musician. Sneak a couple of extra hours from the 24 hours and practice daily.
Same applies to any profession.
You want a healthier and fitter body? Stop cursing the long, long office hours. Dance with your shoes on and wrap up the bloody work and move your ass to the gym. Remember, Chris Gardener (Will Smith) in the Pursuit of Happyness? He was bound to finish his work by a certain time because he had to pick up his son from the play school and rush to a first-come-first-serve home shelter? If he misses the bus by a few minutes, it meant he and his son would have to sleep in the subway or may be under the sky.
How well are you using your time? Do you plan your day? Regretfully, I haven't been doing it for a long time and I do realize, it has impacted my productivity and peace of mind.
Do let me know your thoughts and trips and tricks (if you have any) on how to better manage the everyday.
regards,
Kundan
Nice post. Its true that we humans would never find solace in anything we do. Our reckless mind will always look for an alternate source of happiness, like we often swift through various tabs on our browsers! I recall one discussion, where I did share my tip that we have to fix a deadline for ourselves for any activity during a day/week/life. If we don't accomplish them within the deadline set by ourselves, we should get over it and not complain. We could only feel happy that, at least we tried doing that activity.
ReplyDeleteNice to see a comment from you, Anandan. Yes, I remember the discussion. Actually it's a great idea to put a time-bound deadline to accomplish more in a day. It helps in better planning and focused execution. I must do a test run of this powerful idea. Keep reading. :)
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