What I wish I had known :: Lesson 1 :: Balance Sheets Are Not Made Everyday

I have been asked by student bodies, many times, to share what it is really like to work in Corporate India.  I have made the standard presentations on work culture, discipline, career management, etc. many times too.

Last year, I decided to do something different.  I decided to share with them, what I wish I had known about working when I joined the workforce in the mid-80s. These lessons, if I can call them that, may have helped me feel happier, make fewer mistakes, learn faster, or just revel more in the here and now. 

Lesson 1 : Balance Sheets Are Not Made Everyday

I believe, if I ask myself every day, whether what I have done or achieved was worth the effort and time spent, then I am sure to be disappointed. Working life, or for that matter, life, is not a balance sheet where all the numbers match up neatly at the end. There are days that I feel are a total waste of time, where I deliver nothing and do nothing useful.  There are also days when what I do is so absorbing and interesting, that I don't have time to eat or when my bladder is the only thing that tells me that it is time for a break.

 

Also, believe it or not, there is no such thing as Work-Life Balance. I say this for 2 reasons. 

 

Reason 1: I disagree with the semantics. "Work-Life Balance" implies that work is not life and life is not work. Work is life, life is work. What I want is to balance my personal and professional lives.  Lucky are those whose personal and professional lives are the same, but for most of us these are 2 distinct areas, with some overlap. The bigger the overlap the better it is.

 

Reason 2: At any given point of time everything cannot (and dare I say, should not) be balanced. Sometimes my personal life will need to take center stage - all my mind share, time, effort, focus, money; and sometimes my professional life will take center stage. That's just the way it is.

 

I have worked 18-hour days for many, many months, without weekends off, 'coz that is what was needed by the organization.  I did it without resentment.  I just put other things on hold.  I have also taken many weeks / months off to recover from illness, take a sabbatical because that is what I needed for me.

 

I have learnt to look at the bigger picture, view what I have achieved or missed from 30,000 feet.  The questions I have asked are:

• Over a period of time have I done what I  wanted to do?
• Have I learned and grown?
• Am I better as a professional and person today than I was 6 months ago?
• Have I met my personal goals?
• Have I created new goals for myself?
• Have I truly impacted the lives of friends, family, customers, partners, colleagues, and of course, myself? 

 

If the answer is "Yes" to even some of these questions, then I know I am on the right path.

  

Daily Stock Taking is Just a Waste of Time and Energy