Passion for success - Is that worth it?

Passion. This word is driving the world crazy. Management gurus constantly keep advocating to follow your dreams like crazy. Constantly you are banged with the concept of putting in a lot of passion into what you do to achieve the end results. And like always, I get into a big debate within myself with respect to this very idea of cultivating this culture of passion.
So what is this whole noise about passion? To me, passion is to love or desire something / someone without bounds and transgress the limits to achieve the object of desire. Great idea? Umm... I am not very sure. I look at it a little differently. To be honest, I have some reservations about this whole idea about injecting passion into the work. No doubt it works. And works like anything. But with the tremendous energy  and the ultimate focus it brings into the work, it also can generate a lot of negativity around with a touch of self centered attitude. Just look around to see some very successful athletes, very successful businessmen,  very successful musicians or actors around. They all put a lot of passion in their work. And they have reached great heights. But if you hold on and take a little closer look, a different kind of reality starts staring at you. Beyond the success they achieved by passionately pursuing their dreams, there is often a darker side to them. Innumerate problems starting from bad relationships, alcoholism, drugs, road rage, and whole list of other unthinkable situations are found to be surrounding these people. If you are not convinced, keep an eye on the nearest role model you can  closely watch. Try to dig a little underneath and you may find unpleasant realities peeping out.

So am I saying that we should stop following our dreams? Not at all. My whole reservation is about the concept of injecting passion in our pursuits. What about bringing in sheer love? I sincerely think that it is a very positive emotion with no less energy. Love is pure. Love is gentle. Love is tender and yet so powerful. While passion is selfish, Love is selfless. Passion can be hurtful. Pure love can never hurt. Passion is the hunger to possess by all means. Love is the freedom to release. Working out of love can only bring the best yet can not cause hurt. To self and to others. Working out of love is accommodating. Passion leaves no room for accommodation. Does this make sense? If it does not, you need to wait. Till I write more about it in my next blog post ... Not with passion but with love :-)

Stress - the mechanics behind it

In my last post, I emphasized on the fact how the human craving for "More" is a potential source of stress and unhappiness due to the complications that it brings in. I have also been trying to decode the mystery behind stress. And this is what I think it really is.
Stress is often not a malady in itself. It is a by-product of our actions, thoughts, and desires. I view it as something which is caused by the level of importance you attach to your actions, thoughts, desires, expectations and the end results. Example? Okay here it is. Being late for any event can cause stress only if it is important enough to catch it in time. What will happen if you reach late to your office?
a. Miss a meeting / deadline for an activity.
b. May lose half a day of leave.
c. Poor impression with boss, peers or juniors.
One or more of these are the most possible outcomes. But can it be a matter of life and death? I bet that the answer is mostly a NO. But look at people during the morning rush hours. Their faces tell a grim story. They apparently think that it is a matter of life and death. They honk, they swear, they get into verbal fights with other commuters and you can easily see the high stress levels as a collective negative energy on the roads.

So what to do? Stop worrying about meetings, deadlines, bosses, or even absent marks? I don't think I want to suggest that. Then what to do?

I suggest one has to reduce the degree of importance attached. At least not till the time you actually reach the work place. Take a chill pill. Enjoy the commute with all its challenges. Try to reduce stress for others. If someone is in a great hurry, give him way with a smile. At least let him feel better.Shouting at him is going to increase the stress for two people. Smiling and giving way does not mean you are losing a battle. It is actually a way of winning it.! And winning it collectively for all.

I am sure not many will take this suggestion as a strategy. But I am not going to stress myself with that thought either. I am keeping my expectation levels low enough not to cause me any stress :-)

Yeh dil mange more

Why people have stress? Why people are unhappy? Why people do not seem to be satisfied even after having a decent livelihood, relationships and good health ?

This is a million dollar question. A very simple answer lies in one sentence - Yeh dil mange more. Or in simple English it mean the heart craves for more. This "more" is the one force behind how the mankind has evolved in its journey so far. I strongly feel it is the single most powerful cause of all the not so happy things in this world.

Let me elaborate with an example - You initially used to walk to your work place and then came the desire for a public bus to be available on that route to take you there. And there came the many associated stressful things despite the ease and comfort it brought. You struggle with crowds, pollution, change for tickets, worried  about pick pockets, eve teasing, and the list goes on. So once again the heart craved for more. A bike or may be car would be ideal. So now you have traffic congestion, rash co-commuters, high fuel costs, high maintenance, insurance premiums, police cops etc. to worry about !! The same pattern continues in all aspect of life. A bit of thought will make it visible. Be it relations, job, house, education or any other thing in this world. This pattern is everywhere. Result ? Stress, unhappiness, discontentment, anger, frustration

So does this mean we should go back to stone age in the hope that we become stress free? Nope. Is there a solution in sight? Maybe. My observation is that to reduce stress levels, one has to reduce expectation levels. Simple formula is to do more and expect less. Be like any other animal on the planet. Aim for the sky like a human but be happy when you got two square meals just like an animal.Keep the things simple. Do not try to read too much into what is going around, who is doing what and things like that.

I want to write more on this. But let me keep it simple. So I will do it sometime later.