THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SENSE OF OUR WORK

We, as humans, are different from animals. How?

1. We seek meaning from our lives.

Compare this with an animal that merely eats, reproduces and dies.

2. We are born to “do”, not just born to be

We need to be constantly doing something because our lives demand it.

3. We are always in search of better prospects

We contemplate the future. It is important for us to have the feeling that we have a brighter tomorrow waiting for us. This is scientifically proven that our ability to think of the future differentiates humans from other animals.

4. We always seek to go higher

We try to be better at what we do, we try to be richer, more famous, while some of us try to be more in control of our health or be more spiritual, but the path we see is upwards.

Meet Chum: he works endlessly on reports and presentations and documents, and he does not know why he is working. He is not able to make sense of his work.

Our work must give our lives some meaning

Seeing and knowing that we are different from other animals, it is only natural to expect that the work we do every single day of our lives, gives us meaning and satisfaction. If you are working 8-10 hours a day (or maybe even more) on a mission that you have no faith in, on a project which makes you unhappy, on something which gives you no learning or satisfaction, chances are high that you start to feel like an animal, a being without purpose. The day will not be far when you start feeling that your body is not helping you and is becoming a house of diseases born out of stress.

Working on a cause that you don’t understand makes your body ill

Stress doesn’t only come from working long hours, but also from working on a cause that gives you no happiness of any sort. Soon, a doctor may be prescribing you medication for hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, or any of the several types of hormonal disorders or mental illnesses. Think of it, the human body is a complex organic machine and it knows by itself when it is unhappy and being made to do tasks it is not designed for, or is not comfortable doing, and just like any other machine, it begins to malfunction when it works in the same disorderly state for long. By continuing to work in the same fashion, the body is reducing its own life expectancy.

If you work for a long time in a career or a company that doesn’t give you a sense of achieving something significant, or a feeling that you are contributing to a bigger cause, or making a dent in the world with your efforts, your mind begins to get boggled in ways you don’t understand. Some of the ways this can manifest is:

• Simple tasks take longer to accomplish, while harder tasks make you feel incompetent
• You feel lethargic and push tasks, trying to avoid them altogether
• You feel a constant nagging feeling within, but you can’t really place what is bothering you

Chum feels tired, lost, unmotivated and always remains stressed. It shows on his face, his body language, and off late, in his work, which he cannot relate to.

This negatively affects your inner energy and hence, your productivity

If you aren’t able to understand why you are filling excel sheets and making dead powerpoint presentations day after day, you will start being careless, or scared of this work. If you can’t really determine why you meet so many clients every day, or what’s the purpose of making those reports, you may end up feeling completely lost and purposeless.

Now, do you realize the importance of working towards something your soul believes in? Working on something that your inner being feels happy doing? Putting your energy into something that is in harmony with your own internal energy?

Once you are making sense of your work, only then, you, a human, can feel realized.

Nobody will tell you what makes YOU happy

That’s the truth. Nobody else will tell you what will make YOU happy. Not your friends, not your parents, not your boss, neither your teachers, nor your significant other. It is a long journey towards self discovery as to what work gives YOU immense happiness. Some of us know it from the very beginning, when they see their parents happy as teachers or doctors or scientists and they know their own happiness lies there too. For others, the path is very complicated and distorted, often pebbled with failed stints at a career, a sudden illness caused by tirelessly working in a wrong profession, or career progressions much slower than our capabilities. It is then that this group of people realizes that they need a shift in their life strategy, and need new work in order to be able to fulfil their lives.

Our work takes up the biggest chunk of time of our lives and for each of us, it needs to be meaningful so that when you look back on your life, you feel that you accomplished something, or helped in something, or contributed towards something in your life. And this is one of the most important motives of human life.

Chum reflected on his life. He realized that he needed to make a change. He could not find meaning in his work earlier. Now he is a teacher. He is finally happy. He finds his work meaningful.

So start finding meaning in your work if you already don’t. If you can’t find your work giving enough meaning or substance to your personality, it is never too late to start all over again.

The soul is here to “do” and the body is your instrument to do it. Ask your soul what it wants to do and put your body to it.How to find meaning in my workImportance of making sense of our workmaking sense of our workmy work does not make me happyMy work makes no sensemy work seems meaninglessSignificance of making sense of our workwhy am I doing this workWhy should I find meaning in my work

8 THINGS TO DO DIFFERENT THIS DIWALI

Diwali is special for every Indian all over the world. But we have come to associate it only with bursting crackers, recycling gifts from one relative to the other, mindless splurging, eating and overconsumption. This Diwali, let us do things different. Here are 8 ideas:

1. Light more diyas than usual

If you usually buy 50 diyas for your home, buy more and light more. I find lighting diyas and candles on Diwali extremely therapeutic. On some level, it feels like you are eradicating the darkness of your own soul and burning away the negativity of your house. Hence, light more diyas and decorate your house with them yourself. You would love the harmonious energy that these burning candles will bring.

2. Spend half the money that you would have spent on crackers on buying something for yourself

I can’t tell you how relieved I am with the Supreme Court maintaining the ban on firecrackers in Delhi this Diwali. Keeping religion and celebration aside, I can’t forget the sickening smog we breathed through last year post Diwali and how ridiculous it felt to be wearing masks just because we had “celebrated” a festival. Keeping my opinion aside, if you still want to indulge in fireworks, the least you can do is spend only half of your planned money on firecrackers and buy something useful for yourself with the other half. Firecracker money is anyways, money going away in a puff of smoke. If nothing else, buy yourself some cool mechandise from your favourite series, something to decorate your room with, or anything at all that you fancy. You will be much happier.

3. Instead of buying others sweets, gift something savoury

All of us receive an excess of sweets and chocolates from friends, relatives and our offices.  So, instead of being a culprit yourself, gift everyone something savoury instead! Think mini kachori, samosa, namkeen, chakli, chips and so on… People may be blessing you under their breath!

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4. Recycle an old outfit instead of buying a new one

Buying a new outfit for festive occasions can hit your pocket if you are living on a budget. Pull out some fancy stuff from the last wedding season and mix and match to create a new look! However, if you are planning to indulge in fireworks, do take care to ensure that you are wearing cotton clothes only.

5. Gift yourself a book

If you have been putting off buying that book because it was too expensive, or whether you have been eyeing a particular rare novel but not buying it because it was out of your budget, please do yourself a favour and buy it. Definitely check out book prices regularly on Amazon and Flipkart as they have amazing deals coming out on books all the time. There is no better gift to yourself than a book. And no better time to splurge than Diwali.

6. Buy your parents something they had been meaning to get for themselves but they never did

If your Mom had casually mentioned that she wanted a particular outfit or piece of jewellery, buy it for her without letting her know. No, this does not include another pressure cooker for the kitchen, please! Gift them something for “them”, not the house. Pamper your parents in whatever way you can. They have given you all that you have today, so it is only your responsibility to make them happy in such ways.

7. Adopt one good habit only, and try to keep doing it for as long as you can

This Diwali, just adopt one small, good habit. Though Diwali is not really a time for resolutions, but nevertheless, it is the beginning of the new year as per Hindu calendar, and really, any time is good time to adopt a good habit. It could be as simple as going back to reading again if you have abandoned the habit (start with a couple of pages a day only, but stick to it). You will feel even better about the festival.

8. Stop sending forwarded messages, instead just send a heartfelt “Happy Diwali”

Nobody reads mile long message forwards nor sees those forwarded picture messages. Instead, type a simple but genuine “Happy Diwali” to your near and dear ones. Feels much warmer and heartfelt.

Make this Diwali different. You will love the festival even more!

Share this article with all your friends and spread the “difference”, and make this a really Happy Diwali!

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10 WAYS TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL

Indians love to run around and compete. Your day begins with a race to grab a seat in the metro, followed by a race to reach your workplace at 9:30 AM (or else, they may even deduct your salary! This crappy concept exists even today!) Once you are settled, you juggle along deadlines and several administrative tasks. Cut to the time of appraisals, they will compare your performance with that of Ram and Ramesh and every random person in the company to make their point and not give you the raise or promotion you deserve. The so-called work-life balance is nothing more than a myth, and you bring work home. This cycle continues for several years, with work getting more demanding, your partner (and kids) needing some of your time, and yes, you need to sleep to remain alive, so all the spare time that you could have had is spent sleeping. Consider yourself lucky to have a two-day weekend, because several companies exist that work six days a week.

Over time, you feel life becoming a hazy blur in the rat race. You can’t remember a single day when you were totally relaxed without being preoccupied with the thoughts of the upcoming deadlines or kids’ school or impending bills. Your soul is hungry for something, but you don’t have time to realize, let alone give it, what it requires to sustain.

Here are 10 ways in which you can nourish your soul, giving you a new form of spiritual energy, and making you feel a bit more in control of your life.

1. Breathe: Every morning, go to the balcony or preferably to a park, sit still, breathe and feel the incoming oxygen energizing every cell of your body. Feel your lungs expanding and your muscles working. Whenever you are stuck in a tough moment, breathe. We are living beings and need oxygen to survive, and this simple act of breathing deeply calms us and clears up our head.

2. Smile: Just smile. Even forcing your face to a smile makes you feel better immediately (it makes your body think that you are happy and releases happy chemicals called endorphins). The positivity of being happy gives you a fresh burst of energy, helping you have a fresh perspective.

3. Take a leave: You have a leave quota for a certain reason. The company will continue very well for a day or two without you. Once in a while, it is a good idea to call in sick and spend a weekday curled up in the bed, reading a book or watching a movie, learning something new, cooking and pampering yourself too. You earn and work in order to feed that body, hence there is no harm in taking a meaninglessly meaningful break to nourish your soul.

4. Do a mundane chore: Sometimes, when you are stressed, it’s a good idea to arrange your room, closet, or do some cleaning. It makes you feel capable of bringing orderliness. When you look at the end result, your stress is reduced and you feel like a competent entity.

5. Watch an animal play or eat: Looking at a living being of a different specie makes you reflect on your own capabilities as a human being. Not only is it stress-busting, it offers you a peek into the life of another creature, and puts you in touch with your humaneness.

6. Sit and think of a part of your body, and manoeuvre it: We don’t appreciate our body enough. The kind of shitty things it helps us through, and how well each part functions in order to keep us alive. Sit with your eyes closed and think of your feet, and how well they help you walk, and move them a little. Repeat with several parts of your body. This simple act makes you aware of your own existence, and how wonderfully perfect your body is.

7. Look at the stars: Nothing is more peaceful than reflecting on our own minuscule position in the universe compared with the infinity that exists beyond. Looking at the stars and the moon is calming, and helps us appreciate our unique position in the universe. There are still no signs of extra terrestrials, which makes us pretty unique in the sense that we are the only conscious living beings in the vast expanses of space (at least till now, while we have no more evidences!). Appreciate that.

8. Create something: Humans are not only meant to earn and eat. We are equally capable of the beauty that exists in the form of art. Pick up a pen and write a poem or a story, no matter how ridiculous it seems to you. Cook up an exotic dish. Record a song on your phone in your own voice. It is refreshing for our body, mind and soul.

9. Observe a plant: Go to a park or observe a potted plant at your house and look at how beautifully it sustains itself. Appreciate the wonder of nature that exists in the form of greenery.

10. Be grateful: It is not necessary to express your gratitude to God in a temple or a mosque or a church. The mere fact that you are grateful sends out such vibes to the divine and makes you a lot more peaceful.

From personal experience, I can tell you that these work very well and help you find much more meaning in life. In the crazy times that we live in, slowing down and doing things that harmonize the body, mind and soul is not a luxury, but a necessity so that we end up not losing ourselves. Nourish your soul and you can feel a lot better about being alive.

Did you try any of these? How did it affect you? Let me know!