by Thambu Swami

Most of us do not land in our dream jobs. We don’t get to do things that we love to do. We first keep dreaming, then we move on day dreaming. As the reality-expectation gap increases we get frustrated. And so we sulk! We blame our luck. We point fingers at people. We complain endlessly.

Worse, we develop self-defeating behaviour and live a “wasted” life. some people are “in-waiting” for their dream job. They are just “filling in” for some time. And they keep dreaming about their dream job. There’s no involvement. They are just there. Mostly dreaming. Oh! what a dreadful situation.

Glen Van Ekeren in his book 12 Simple secrets of Happiness at work offers a simple solution. He writes:

” Instead of complaining that you can’t find a job you like, concentrate on what you like about you job. Transform your thinking and design strategies to creatively enhance the contribution you make. View yourself as little company inside a larger one. Hold yourself accountable for the success of your department. You are the organization. What you do matters.

When you are sucked into the quicksands of self-defeating behaviour, take charge of youself. You need to deal with your mental attitudes. If not, you’ll end up wasting your precious life and work.

by Thambu Swami

The question of purpose is central to gaining personal [professional] competence and productivity. It is purpose that drives us. What if we don’t? Well, as they say if you don’t know where you are going any road is okay.

Most of us spend most of our lives wondering about life’s purpose. We mimic what are friends do, we get to do things our parents tell us to do and worse, we get to do what we find in the immediate and the familiar, little knowing why we do what we do with our lives.

In Lakshya, it took Karan (played by Hritik Roshan) 24 years and 18000 feet to find purpose. Karan did not know what to do with life. At best, he could only wonder why he was directionless. The others around him knew his problem. There was something missing in his life – a real objective – something to live and probably die for. Romi (played by Preity zinta) knew that if only Karan could find his purpose he would get to the top. Unfortunately, Karan did not know this and so he did not try to find life’s purpose.

Do we know our purpose in life? The quicker we know our purpose, the easy is the experience. How do we find our purpose? Do we look within or without? Do we look inside or above? Is life’s purpose assigned or chosen? I guess we all find our purpose – at our moment of truth. Life’s purpose is not in what we do (or say). It is inextricably linked with our values. It gives meaning and significance to our values.

It helps us understand why we live (and maybe die). Have you found your life’s purpose? When your purpose becomes a guiding ideal you begin to really live – inspite of what you have or don’t have, inspite of where you are and inspite of who is with you (and not with you)

Lakshya helps us address the question of purpose. If you have watched it and missed the point, grab a DVD and watch it. It took 24 years and 18000 feet for Karan to find purpose. It may well take 2hrs of watching to help us think about this important issue. Well, if you don’t know where you are going then any road is OK!

by Thambu Swami

Most people distrust the power of the many. We grow up within a culture where working in teams is not the norm. We are taught to do our work independently. We grow up watching movies that focus on the heroism of one man. He is the only one and the lonely one.

The lone ranger is definitely an attraction. The movies that do well in India are all about a lone superhero batling the forces of evil all alone – Super man, Batman, Spiderman, Rambo etc. This sociological and cultural rootedness makes us believe in the myth of the lone genius. We are miserable when it comes to working in a team and working with a team. Even within a team we think like individuals. We may speak the language of team work but we might do otherwise where it matters and when it matters.

We need to destroy the myth of the lone genius and start believing in the power of the many. Teams can easily beat individuals. As the saying goes, ” None of us is as smart as all of us”. The myth of the lone genius needs to de-mythologized. We need to believe and practice the power of teamwork.

Watch Collateral

Collateral ( 2004) is a interesting story involving three people: Max, the cab driver, Vincent, a contract killer and Anne, a lawyer. As fate would have it, the three people meet each other one day. In the casual conversations that unfold between them we get to see/understand their perspectives towards work. It also helps us to reflect on understanding of work as well.

Max, The Cab driver

I take pride in what I do
I am just filling in
I want to be the best in what I do
I want my Cab to be the cleanest cab in town
I am looking forward to something
I have my own private getaway

Annie, The Lawyer

I love being in court
I am scared the night before the big day
I fear the worst
Everything is OK in the morning

Vincent, the Contract Killer

“I’ve been contracted to do this job”
“You don’t have the cleanest cab in La La land. You got to live with it”
“We’ve got to look at plan B”
“ you’ve got to make the best of it. Improvise! Adapt to the environment”
“You got to roll with it”
“You are messing up with my work”

Interestingly, Max was a dreamer and has been dreaming of his own limo company for the last twelve years. Meanwhile he has been driving a cab in Los Angeles – a mundane life with nothing out of the ordinary. Max aspires to be the best at whatever he is doing (even if it isn’t his dream job).

Reflection:

1) Which of these characters do I easily identify with? Why?
2) What is my attitude towards work?
3) What do I fear the most about my work?
4) What is the level of involvement in my work?

by Thambu Swami

Most of us have a skewed view of success. And, because we have a skewed view of success, we have a skewed view of failure too. Most of us can’t think of ourselves as a “success” – because what we know of success is far removed from our real experience. And therefore, we search for success and unfortunately the search never ends.

John Maxwell in his book, Today Matters writes about some myth information about “success”. Today matters is a fascinating read that changes you forever. The book is all about a simple decisions – such as attitude, values, relationships, family, finances, committment, growth, priority, health, faith, giving etc) (daily dozens) that we all must make each day.

In living these daily dozens and following it with a firm discipline you get to be a “success’ each day and in being “successful” each day you get a litte closer to being a success.

But, at first we must deal with the “myths” about success. These myths are like the tape worm. They slowly crawl and find their way up and mess up our brains. The first myth-information about success is that it is “impossible”. We slowly start to believe it. We think we are not made for success. We think it is for the boy-next-door or a distant cousin but definitely not for us.

I recently read of a story about a circus elephant that would helps us to understand this better. The story is about a father taking his children to the circus. Aftert he circus, the children wanted to have a look at the animals. So the father got the persmission from the circus manager and took the children around.

The children were thrilled to see the animals. All of them were caged except for the elephant. So the children asked the father, ” Dad, why is the elephant not caged. It’s such a strong animal. It can pull the peg and run off”. The father was quite suprised at the question. He put the same question to the mahout there.

The mahout replied, ” Sir, we tie the baby elephant to the peg. When it is so small it tries to pull the peg. But it can’t. Soon it believes that it can’t pull it at all. So even when it is grows big, it lives with the same belief”.

Likewise, we start believing that success is impossible. Worse, we start to critize success itself, give up and get burried in cynicism. Success is possible. We are all made to be successful. We can be a success. Being successful is difficult but it is not impossible. It is difficult because it requires us to take early decisions (about our attitude, values, relationships, family, finances, committment, growth, priority, health, faith, giving etc) and back to decisions with the required discipline.

That’s a tough call. But, if we can (and we must) make these decisions and back them up with the required discipline.

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another – Helen Keller, US blind & deaf educator [1880 - 1968]

Read this Short Story

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18″Then he said, `This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”  20″But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” – Bible (LUKE 12: 13 – 21)

Questions for Reflection (by Thambu swami)

#1. What is this passage about?

 #2 What do we know about the rich man? Using your imagination re- tell the parable in your context/s or you may draw comparisons with the corporate world.

 #3 Do you see anything wrong about this man? Why? What do people ‘accumulate’ today? Why do people accumulate for ‘ themselves ’? Was his problem ‘ selfish accumulation of wealth ’ or   ‘forgetting God’? Is there any link between (a) ‘ growing in affluence ’ and ‘ becoming selfish’ (b) ‘growing selfish’ and ‘forgetting God’? Discuss.

#4 What was the rich man’s philosophy of life? Identify other alternative philosophies of life in your context/s. What do you think of these?

#5 Would you consider this man religious? Why not?      “ Religion is a state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to question of meaning of our life. Therefore, this concern is unconditionally serious and shows a willingness to sacrifice any finite concern, which is in conflict with it. ”  – Paul Tillich.
 
#6 Why does this rich man seem a fool in God’s eyes? A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions! Comment.  

#7 Is God against multiplying money, successful careers and booming profits? Suggest what the rich man can do with the surplus? The rich man was ambitious. What did he go after?  What did it cost him? Was he able to fit his ambitions into his life?  What was his reward?
#8 What are the temptations to, ‘accumulate’, ‘acquire’ and ‘attain’ in the corporate world/ business environment? How do you understand ‘growing rich towards God’? As a student (2B professional / businessman/ entrepreneur), how do we grow rich towards God? Would we then lose out on life?

#9 What is God telling you today? What are your plans to grow rich towards God?

God,

As I enter this workplace, I bring your presence with me.

I speak Your peace, Your grace and Your perfect order into the atmosphere of my workplace. I acknowledge Your Lordship over all that will be spoken, thought, decided and accomplished this day.

God, thank you for the gifts and skill You have deposited in me.I do not take them lightly, but commit to using them responsibly and well.

Give me a fresh supply of truth and beauty on which to draw as I do my job today. Bless my creativity, my ideas, my energy so that even my smallest task may bring You honor.

Lord, when I’m confused, guide me – when I’m weary, energize me. Lord, when I’m burned out, infuse me with the light of Your Holy Spirit. May the work I do and the way I do it bring hope, life and courage to all that I come into contact with today.

And oh Lord, even in this day’s most stressful moments, may I rest I You.

(Source: Internet)

By Thambusamy

If you are above 18, then you were’nt born into a consumerist soceity. Well… if you are above 28 years of age then you weren’t raised in a consumerist society. And yet, we live in a consumerist society. The year 1991 was a defining moment in the history of Independent India. It opened the flood gates of consumer products that has slowly changed the hue and texture of life itself.

Luxuries have been redefined as necessities. Our lives are evaluated by the gadgets we have. As one bumper sticker puts it: ” The person with the largest toys wins”. Success now is being the envy of the neigbour. We buy and buy things that don’t really satisfy. Happiness does not outlast the buying moment.

We go on to buy the next best thing. We go for the better, the bigger and branded things. Another bumper sticker makes a very perceptive remark: ” We buys things that we do not need, with the money that we do not have, to impress people who don’t care”. How sad!

Our parents lived happy lives, more often than not without the gadgets that we have, the disposable incomes that we have, and the entertainment that we get sucked into. Contrary to contemporary estimate about the past, Their lives were not any less meaningful.

They enjoyed life because they were content. They had an “abundance mentality”. They always looked at people who did not have as much as they did. They seldom compared themselves with those who had much more than them. They worked hard. They were extremely happy and they raised us up – sadly with dreams!

The dreams were supposed to be “inspiration” for a better life. But, the consumerist world has changed these very dreams into ” aspiration”. We got obsessed with ” I want it- I want it now and I want it anyhow “. Most of us chase these dreams. We get worked up – We get stressed out – we suffer a burn out. We struggle to get away from the “tired – tensed and torn ” work life.

Contentment is a lost virtue. We must re-discover it. The quicker we do, the easy is the experience. What is it that we accumulate? Why do we want to accumulate these things? What is that we are chasing after? Life is too wonderful to be spent chasing after a mirage. Life is to be lived.

• Focus on what you have. Don’t focus on what you don’t have.
• Learn to cherish what you have. Look at how you were able to get what you have today.
• Relish all the experience, the learning and the hardwork that has given you what you have today.
• Re-live the joy of achieving what you have.
• Thank all your loved ones (including God) who have helped you get so far in this journey.
• (Re) Start living. Then you will appreciate life a little better. You begin to see things differently.

Understand that things/money can’t bring happiness. Happiness is much more than a feeling. It is “being”. Happiness is not instrumental. It is intrinsic. “Things” that you don’t have cannot guarantee the happiness your looking for. Rather, you can find happiness in the very things you have today. Because, happiness is an intrinsic value.

Contentment is the real need of the hour. The first step is to cultivate an “abundance mentality”. The next step is to “re-live” the experience, learning and the joy of accomplishment. Slowly, we would learn to appreciate life – relationships etc. The more we appreiciate life the more we realize how much we have already.