A dilemma for most of us I am sure. The answer should naturally be what one wants to do with one’s life. I have not met many who have had a clear idea of what they want to achieve in their life at all times. In my opinion, those of us who have sort ‘security’ in life have lost the whole purpose of living. Seeking security and permanence goes against the very fabric of existence which itself is impermanence. Most of us are taught to gravitate towards safety, seek safe careers and some sort of permanence where we can live out our lives in peace and rear a family. But in the heart of hearts, did you want to paint yourself to glory? …travel like a nomad?....nuclear physicist? What did you actually want to do in life?
When you are young, you probably wanted to be a pilot or a teacher….during the teens it might have been a rock star or even a communist….then as you grow up, you chickened out and sort to swim with the current. Most probably, our parents or friends influenced our choices. How many of us looked within?
It is a tricky though, for, one can easily spot a talent for music or painting but ‘investment banking’ early on? No way. It is interesting to note, that to make a difference, there should be both talent and passion for it. For some, it could be a thing for the numbers. For some others it could be inter personal skills. The trick is to identify what comes naturally to you. What you love doing for hours and days together…Like, if it is reading, you could be a critic or a writer?...
But most of us never stopped to think what was best. If the IITs and IIMs fetch the best opportunities, let me not ‘miss’ them. That was the outlook. Not bad but did it let you do what you really wanted?
I got this bright IIT friend of mine who loves to do charity but needs to work being a family man. There is another dude (CETian) who is into cryonics, big time; who also works to stay afloat. Everyone, pretty much like myself ‘works’ for something else, except I still do not know what I truly cherish!
For some, it could even be that, they are good at more than one thing to figure out which could be the best. But for majority, the fundamental problem as I put forward earlier on, comes from seeking security through marriage, safe career/money. The reason again, one needs to concede, is that man is multi-dimensional in being both a social being apart from an individual. So marriage and family commitments also determine or rather constrain the choices one make.
Well, it will not be entirely true if I say I do not know what I truly like. I think I have a vague notion of what I probably could have excelled at. My strength, I believe, lies in my EQ. Like an intuition, I can often figure out and mould myself to be approachable to anyone. It has helped me immensely in my people management assignments. To put it simply, I just love talking to people. Motivating and helping them. Above all, I believe, it lies in the my ability to step into another person’s shoes and understand his perspective.
Now, I know if I look hard enough, there are opportunities out there for such a career but experimenting is not ‘safe’ enough. Or maybe I am not confident enough as well. So I live a compromise. One of many that you make in your life.
As I said in the beginning ‘Impermanence’ is the basis of life. So if you go after your passion …something you truly cherish… you should naturally lose yourself in it to be ‘selfless’, which I believe gets you to the Joy. Security on the other hand is more of seeking and holding on to your past and highly restrictive. There is only a false sense of comfort in it. Somehow it is all connected. I hope you see what I see.
I guess, when you are doing what you truly like, you no longer compare or measure it (like whether the effort was worthwhile). It is like Love-making perhaps. Blessed are those who get to do what they are truly passionate about and good at.
Life becomes a hobby then.
When you are young, you probably wanted to be a pilot or a teacher….during the teens it might have been a rock star or even a communist….then as you grow up, you chickened out and sort to swim with the current. Most probably, our parents or friends influenced our choices. How many of us looked within?
It is a tricky though, for, one can easily spot a talent for music or painting but ‘investment banking’ early on? No way. It is interesting to note, that to make a difference, there should be both talent and passion for it. For some, it could be a thing for the numbers. For some others it could be inter personal skills. The trick is to identify what comes naturally to you. What you love doing for hours and days together…Like, if it is reading, you could be a critic or a writer?...
But most of us never stopped to think what was best. If the IITs and IIMs fetch the best opportunities, let me not ‘miss’ them. That was the outlook. Not bad but did it let you do what you really wanted?
I got this bright IIT friend of mine who loves to do charity but needs to work being a family man. There is another dude (CETian) who is into cryonics, big time; who also works to stay afloat. Everyone, pretty much like myself ‘works’ for something else, except I still do not know what I truly cherish!
For some, it could even be that, they are good at more than one thing to figure out which could be the best. But for majority, the fundamental problem as I put forward earlier on, comes from seeking security through marriage, safe career/money. The reason again, one needs to concede, is that man is multi-dimensional in being both a social being apart from an individual. So marriage and family commitments also determine or rather constrain the choices one make.
Well, it will not be entirely true if I say I do not know what I truly like. I think I have a vague notion of what I probably could have excelled at. My strength, I believe, lies in my EQ. Like an intuition, I can often figure out and mould myself to be approachable to anyone. It has helped me immensely in my people management assignments. To put it simply, I just love talking to people. Motivating and helping them. Above all, I believe, it lies in the my ability to step into another person’s shoes and understand his perspective.
Now, I know if I look hard enough, there are opportunities out there for such a career but experimenting is not ‘safe’ enough. Or maybe I am not confident enough as well. So I live a compromise. One of many that you make in your life.
As I said in the beginning ‘Impermanence’ is the basis of life. So if you go after your passion …something you truly cherish… you should naturally lose yourself in it to be ‘selfless’, which I believe gets you to the Joy. Security on the other hand is more of seeking and holding on to your past and highly restrictive. There is only a false sense of comfort in it. Somehow it is all connected. I hope you see what I see.
I guess, when you are doing what you truly like, you no longer compare or measure it (like whether the effort was worthwhile). It is like Love-making perhaps. Blessed are those who get to do what they are truly passionate about and good at.
Life becomes a hobby then.
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