Working Hard or Hardly Working

If you do what you love, and love what you do, you do not have to work for a single day of your life. This is what I truly believe. And trust me, I have experienced this first hand. There are times when I have worked but most of the time I have not. Not because I was idling my time but because I was thoroughly enjoying what I was doing and hence to me it wasn’t work.

Modern science refers to this as one’s aptitude. Our ancient scriptures call it ‘swadharma’. It is only when we work in line with our swadharma that not only is our efficiency is at its peak but also our satisfaction. That is, what in modern times we refer to as work satisfaction. So often we here of people changing their jobs for lack of satisfaction. And so often we come across people who are lacklustre about their work. Every morning is another dreary start to the workplace and every evening a relief to get out of the workplace. Weekends are looked forward to right from Monday morning, while Mondays are lamented about right from Friday evening. And then there are the rare, fortunate ones who have zeroed in on their aptitude/swadharma and work in line with it. They are the ones whose face lights up at the thought of a Monday and who frown at the mention of a holiday.

That in some ways is my biography. It is a common joke among my colleagues that they should not inform me about upcoming holidays as it will upset me and my strong thoughts might somehow revoke the holidays! Not that I don’t enjoy or look forward to holidays. Everyone needs a break to do nothing. But I always look forward to getting back after the break. Come to think of it, I landed in my profession quite by chance. And thank God for that!

In the beginning I was naïve enough to think that like me everyone enjoyed working. Slowly, but surely, it dawned on me that it is not so. Most don’t enjoy what they’re doing. This is not for the fault of the job but for the fact that they’re in the wrong place. It’s something like the monster.com ad that flashes ever so often on TV. The classical dancer working at the airport directing the airplane is a classic case. They couldn’t have pictured it better.

So what is it that lands a person in the wrong job?? In some cases the person is not at all aware of what their swadharma is. Worse still, they are not even aware that there is something called ‘aptitude’. In other cases, although they know what they love doing, they still opt for other jobs for want of economic security. They compromise. How right or wrong they are, is for them to decide.

What I do know is, I have hardly worked a single day of my life, and I hope I continue to do so.
Can’t wait for Monday!

When Hunger Strikes

Some people eat to live and there are others who live to eat. My friends H & G are some of those who make up the latter. Think food Think H/G or rather Think H/G, Think food. Yeah, yeah ok, I am exaggerating a bit. They do other things too! They play, they drive, they sing, they write….etc etc. No, they don’t cook!!

Recently I read somewhere, ‘A cardiac doctor’s diet: Avoid any food that tastes good’.

And that’s exactly where we falter. It is only in case of extreme sickness that we avoid food. In fact it’s the body that rejects it in a bid to give the system a rest. We just don’t feel like eating, though at times we might even be hungry.

Arguing against healthy but no so tasty food are the connoisseurs of food like H & G who believe in enjoying life to the hilt and taking each day as it comes. Eat, drink and be merry, who knows about tomorrow. And then there are others who are so cautious that they can’t go beyond salads and soups and boiled stuff. Tasty? What’s that?!

I guess the idea is, like in all good things in life, moderation. Not too loose, not too tight, just right. Strike a balance & you’ll get more years of going against the cardiac’s diet.

What about me you ask? Well, I am perennially on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it!

Bon appetite!!