It is the time again, to take a look at the day – defined as the time we spend in office – in our lives. I am pretty darn sure that all of you reading this will be shaking your heads and some of you/us cursing when you saw me defining day as the time we spend in office. Well, I don’t like it too… but somehow over the years, we have ended up spending more time at office than with family at home. So our ‘day’ is simpler and yes, let us face it, is easier to relate if defined so.
Work is always there, but is that the only thing that happens? Seems like a simple question, but it is that question that answers another very common question – “How was your day?”. Any guesses on the possible answers?? There probably are a million, but the most popular one (my personal fav) : “It was fun, except that they made me work!!! :P “ (thank you calvin for inspiring my thinking ;))
I have a friend at work, whom I have known for over 2yrs. He and I have been great buddies. We used to work at the same office building before he went on a project assignment to the US. We kept in touch. Then after a month or so, I also happened to travel to the US on work. We didn’t live in the same city, or state. Yet we found time and travelled during the vacations, went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, partied in Vegas, travelled in the NY underground….et al.
Then, we came back to India, back to the same office. We were on different assignments though. Then it so happened that he shifted offices. Few months down the line I also shifted and both again landed up in the same office. Both were really happy and our entire gang of friends were here and the fun was back!...... or so we thought…..
Days went by, then weeks, then months…. Even though we sit about 25ft away from each others cubicles, we were not able to find time to say "HI" to each other!! The regular coffee breaks were now totally random and more often than not 'just not there'! We were buried in our respective projects and work had taken over life! About 3 days back, we bumped into each other in the cafeteria (at 9:30 pm) where we had each gone to take a drink of water, and then realized we had not spoken for many many days! And then it came out, the sentence neither wanted to say or hear – “ Dude! we have become strangers in the same office!!” – he said. We had a good laugh and went back to work.
But this set the thought train rolling in my head, steaming me down the track, pushing me to take a Reality Check!!!
How did this happen? When did life with family, friends and others go into, or dare I say, fade into the background? When did work CONSUME the life that it was supposed to be a PART of??
I am sure all will agree with me when I say – None of us signed up for this! And also when I go on to say – But this is life!!.............................. or is it ??!
I am still very ‘young in the industry’ as lot of people may take the liberty to say. But does that mean I (and many in my position) don’t have a life!!
I do have a life and I will always have a family that backs me and friends who say – "got your back dude" - to count on. Is that all?
With all this bugging me, I came in to work as any other day today, but there was one thing different waiting to happen. My friend and I decided to go have a cup of coffee!! Yeah! That seems right!! Seems the right way to keep work as a PART of life!
The seemingly small even of having coffee with a close buddy changed the way we think and act and of course best means to take a REALITY CHECK!!!
Work (in my thinking and opinion) is supposed to be a way, a means, to fulfill our dreams, for ourselves, for our parents, wife/ husband, children, share dreams with close friends and fulfill them! Our working now, is supposed to aid all this and build foundation for our next generations to again be able to dream!!!
So, again, I decide, to TRY MY BEST, to keep work as a PART of life, and ENJOY life as a whole and definitely build and Chase DREAMS!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Of bumpy rides, weird smells, work pressure and motivation…..
The title may sound familiar to many of us, relating it to our everyday routine. I don’t know how many of our lives are similar, but I just felt that I can take a look at a day in my life, and try and find some comic relief somewhere under all the buzz and rush I am in ( …maybe all of us are in).
I dedicate this couple of pages to the power of Comedy and effect of subtle Sarcasm!!
:)
It is with immense determination and supreme effort that I manage to open my eyes every morning at 6:15 am !! No, office is not the driving force :) … instead it is the alluring smell of fresh filter coffee and breakfast that my mom is cooking J . With a yummy hot cup of coffee in hand, begins my day, reading the newspaper…. And no, I don’t even bother to see the front page these days… I jump straight to the comics section ! :) Front page of newspapers are of no interest to me as I am totally fed up of ridiculously dirty political drama/scandals/scams ..etc. to me, comics make sure I start my day laughing. Calvin and Hobbes are such a riot ! and I am sure many many of you would agree with me on that :)
And then there is the sports section, yes, guys love sports, so..all you girls there sneering and grumbling about it…. Get used to it J it is in our DNA J and yes, in India, cricket is THE SPORT! So, as I shuffle through the cricket scores and Wimbledon updates, I realize I am running late!!
Yes, I need to catch the office bus in about half an hour!!!
Here begins the race!
A quick shower, throw on Tee shirt/shirt on some jeans/trousers , run down the steps into the kitchen and gulp down a big glass of fruit juice and I am on my way!!
Now, the bus ride is something!! No doubt it is convenient. But it is incredibly bumpy and shaky. I am not sure if it is because the bus itself is all shaky, or the small bits of road in between potholes and speed bumps, or the driver who seems to think it is fun to jerk the bus around, speed on speed bumps (..hey driver!! Speed bumps are meant to slow down the vehicle..in case u didn’t know :P) !!
Somehow , listening to the really curiously weird choice of music blaring on the bus, half dozing from sleep deprivation, I end up at the office gate after nearly an hour of leaving home!!
Now is the really really really interesting part….. as I(we..) enter the gate, there is a very pungent, odd and definitely not pleasant smell that awaits to welcome us in!!! this is one thing I have failed to see how the office administration has failed to rectify!!! Also where I fail to see reason is that there are a total of 3 gates to our office and it is only at one gate that we are to enter and it happens to be this!!!!!!! With all the revolting smell beckoning us! Grrrr…… and so it begins…
It takes about 5mins to walk and reach my desk from the dreaded gate of smells, - in which, trust me, I may have set a record for fastest walk ;) – and switch on my workstation.
Sometimes, I have mails that press for starting work immediately. Else I usually have time for a small dose of caffeine. God bless coffee ! :)
Hereon, there is absolute carnage!! Meetings, discussions, work,….. all crammed into the 9hrs (supposedly) we spend here! I must say though, even with all the frenzy and hectic state, we do manage to have our share of fun, teasing each other, sometimes laughing at each others’ silly mistakes and other comic situations that have become regularity in my team. It is also a relief that my manager has a great sense of humor and keeps the sprit up with jokes and really funny quips.
Yes the work is hectic. But whose work is not?? So, that is the topic I would prefer to talk really less about. So… now that it is mentioned… that is the end of it! J
The more interesting part that is worthy of talk is – Motivation. Ok ok… no need to get all bored, I am not going to talk like anyone on TV who says – we need to be like this, we need to be like that..blah blah blah… .
My question is, how?????? And why? :) ….. yeah, each one of you reading this will have many answers to each of these questions… here is what I think/feel .
Motivation - to me this is the most funny word! And trust me… most useful too!!
People say, that we need to be motivated and do our work well. Many also associate this to ‘right attitude shown’. Well… people who understand that – great! You are all better than me! :)
My motivation is my bank balance :) … seriously! ! well.. I am not going to say that the balance is great now…! As in case of most guys in their mid-twenties, my balance is in total imbalance! :)
Money, if we take an impartial look, is a very strong driving/gating factor for most of us. To a very minute minority, it is not. Let us be frank, everyone needs money dude! Again the government hiked the price of fuel last night! But looks like they forgot to hike our salary :P
Motivation for me is to see how far I can stretch that 1liter of petrol I put in my bike! The high price ensures I drive well for that extra kilometer of mileage! :)
At work, motivation is that 1hr of meeting where we all fight with our manager/s during annual appraisal for that one extra rupee !! :) yes, that is the reality!!
But in all that confusion and desire for “balance”, the valuable and truly precious things – developing hunger and love for knowledge, improving quality of our personal lives, spending time and taking care of our families – is kind of lost! …. … so.. is motivation actually a choice that we make of the inputs that we take in everyday life???
Frankly , I don’t know!! :) maybe someday I will know… but right now, my motivation is to await the one hour in the day during which yummy food awaits! And then back to work, and then again I get motivated, awaiting the time in the evening to reach the gate of smells (looking forward to setting better walking speed records :) ) and take that miserable ride in the shaky bus home!! :)
Well, all that does not mean that work is not getting the correct required concentration. It does and it will. But does it have to be the center of our life? Or should we and our life and family be the center and the rest of it (including work) be a part of life?? Or do we need to balance everything???
Difficult questions to answer and this is the source of many many debates and verbal fights all over the world!! Good luck in finding the answer folks :P …. And happy discussion all you TV show hosts!! :D
So what do I do??? …. I am trying really hard to make sure it is the second one. Why? …. Because that is the way I like it and that is the way I am happy and is that not the whole intention… that we are happy? ;)
Well, I shall sign off now folks…. Will leave thinking to you all because I am not too good at that part ;) … and enjoy your lives…
Good luck with all the bumpy rides, oodly repulsive smells, and loads of work pressure and of course, the eternal question…. How to be motivated!!!
I am going to just get back to enjoying my life…… with everyone and everything that is associated with it :)
PS: I am really hoping that they do something to remove that stench ;)
I dedicate this couple of pages to the power of Comedy and effect of subtle Sarcasm!!
:)
It is with immense determination and supreme effort that I manage to open my eyes every morning at 6:15 am !! No, office is not the driving force :) … instead it is the alluring smell of fresh filter coffee and breakfast that my mom is cooking J . With a yummy hot cup of coffee in hand, begins my day, reading the newspaper…. And no, I don’t even bother to see the front page these days… I jump straight to the comics section ! :) Front page of newspapers are of no interest to me as I am totally fed up of ridiculously dirty political drama/scandals/scams ..etc. to me, comics make sure I start my day laughing. Calvin and Hobbes are such a riot ! and I am sure many many of you would agree with me on that :)
And then there is the sports section, yes, guys love sports, so..all you girls there sneering and grumbling about it…. Get used to it J it is in our DNA J and yes, in India, cricket is THE SPORT! So, as I shuffle through the cricket scores and Wimbledon updates, I realize I am running late!!
Yes, I need to catch the office bus in about half an hour!!!
Here begins the race!
A quick shower, throw on Tee shirt/shirt on some jeans/trousers , run down the steps into the kitchen and gulp down a big glass of fruit juice and I am on my way!!
Now, the bus ride is something!! No doubt it is convenient. But it is incredibly bumpy and shaky. I am not sure if it is because the bus itself is all shaky, or the small bits of road in between potholes and speed bumps, or the driver who seems to think it is fun to jerk the bus around, speed on speed bumps (..hey driver!! Speed bumps are meant to slow down the vehicle..in case u didn’t know :P) !!
Somehow , listening to the really curiously weird choice of music blaring on the bus, half dozing from sleep deprivation, I end up at the office gate after nearly an hour of leaving home!!
Now is the really really really interesting part….. as I(we..) enter the gate, there is a very pungent, odd and definitely not pleasant smell that awaits to welcome us in!!! this is one thing I have failed to see how the office administration has failed to rectify!!! Also where I fail to see reason is that there are a total of 3 gates to our office and it is only at one gate that we are to enter and it happens to be this!!!!!!! With all the revolting smell beckoning us! Grrrr…… and so it begins…
It takes about 5mins to walk and reach my desk from the dreaded gate of smells, - in which, trust me, I may have set a record for fastest walk ;) – and switch on my workstation.
Sometimes, I have mails that press for starting work immediately. Else I usually have time for a small dose of caffeine. God bless coffee ! :)
Hereon, there is absolute carnage!! Meetings, discussions, work,….. all crammed into the 9hrs (supposedly) we spend here! I must say though, even with all the frenzy and hectic state, we do manage to have our share of fun, teasing each other, sometimes laughing at each others’ silly mistakes and other comic situations that have become regularity in my team. It is also a relief that my manager has a great sense of humor and keeps the sprit up with jokes and really funny quips.
Yes the work is hectic. But whose work is not?? So, that is the topic I would prefer to talk really less about. So… now that it is mentioned… that is the end of it! J
The more interesting part that is worthy of talk is – Motivation. Ok ok… no need to get all bored, I am not going to talk like anyone on TV who says – we need to be like this, we need to be like that..blah blah blah… .
My question is, how?????? And why? :) ….. yeah, each one of you reading this will have many answers to each of these questions… here is what I think/feel .
Motivation - to me this is the most funny word! And trust me… most useful too!!
People say, that we need to be motivated and do our work well. Many also associate this to ‘right attitude shown’. Well… people who understand that – great! You are all better than me! :)
My motivation is my bank balance :) … seriously! ! well.. I am not going to say that the balance is great now…! As in case of most guys in their mid-twenties, my balance is in total imbalance! :)
Money, if we take an impartial look, is a very strong driving/gating factor for most of us. To a very minute minority, it is not. Let us be frank, everyone needs money dude! Again the government hiked the price of fuel last night! But looks like they forgot to hike our salary :P
Motivation for me is to see how far I can stretch that 1liter of petrol I put in my bike! The high price ensures I drive well for that extra kilometer of mileage! :)
At work, motivation is that 1hr of meeting where we all fight with our manager/s during annual appraisal for that one extra rupee !! :) yes, that is the reality!!
But in all that confusion and desire for “balance”, the valuable and truly precious things – developing hunger and love for knowledge, improving quality of our personal lives, spending time and taking care of our families – is kind of lost! …. … so.. is motivation actually a choice that we make of the inputs that we take in everyday life???
Frankly , I don’t know!! :) maybe someday I will know… but right now, my motivation is to await the one hour in the day during which yummy food awaits! And then back to work, and then again I get motivated, awaiting the time in the evening to reach the gate of smells (looking forward to setting better walking speed records :) ) and take that miserable ride in the shaky bus home!! :)
Well, all that does not mean that work is not getting the correct required concentration. It does and it will. But does it have to be the center of our life? Or should we and our life and family be the center and the rest of it (including work) be a part of life?? Or do we need to balance everything???
Difficult questions to answer and this is the source of many many debates and verbal fights all over the world!! Good luck in finding the answer folks :P …. And happy discussion all you TV show hosts!! :D
So what do I do??? …. I am trying really hard to make sure it is the second one. Why? …. Because that is the way I like it and that is the way I am happy and is that not the whole intention… that we are happy? ;)
Well, I shall sign off now folks…. Will leave thinking to you all because I am not too good at that part ;) … and enjoy your lives…
Good luck with all the bumpy rides, oodly repulsive smells, and loads of work pressure and of course, the eternal question…. How to be motivated!!!
I am going to just get back to enjoying my life…… with everyone and everything that is associated with it :)
PS: I am really hoping that they do something to remove that stench ;)
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