What Work Should I Do in My Life?

"What Work Should I Do in My Life?"

This is a crucial question staring at any student who is about to complete his or her schooling.

The reason above question is a crucial question is very simple and fundamental:

"After you are dead and gone, you would only be known by what work you did in your life!"

Like Warren Buffett would be known for being an investor.

Like Barack Obama would be known for being the President of the United States of America from 2009 till 2016.

Like Sir Donald Bradman would be known for being a cricketer.

So obviously, "What Work Should I Do in My Life?" is an important question.

The work one should do in one's life should depend upon three factors primarily:

• The work is something in which one is reasonably good at
• The work is something in which one is passionately interested in
• The work is something that makes good enough money for a decent life

Let us talk about the above three in detail now.

The work is something in which one is reasonably good at

• Ideally speaking, the work should be such that one should literally be able to do that work in sleep also!
• Finding what one is reasonably good at is a matter of doing experiments in one's own life.
• Trying different things would certainly be very useful in understanding one's inherent and innate capabilities and competencies.
• Choosing a work that aligns with one's inherent and innate capabilities and competencies is the right way to go.
• Of course, one may need to really work hard in a determined way before one can conclude either way about what work one is good at or not.
• This is important because if one is good at something, one can easily find some job in a related area.
• Not being good would mean one may not even be able to find related work!

The work is something in which one is passionately interested in

• Ideally speaking,  the work should be such that one should literally enjoy that work so much that one wouldn't want to sleep and would want to do it even if one doesn't get any money for doing it!
• The above aspect is essentially related to job satisfaction.
• If one is good at something, one can surely find a job. However, one will not be satisfied and happy. One would in some sense drag along in life while doing work one doesn't passionately enjoy in the real sense.
• An acid test for finding this out is to imagine that one is super-rich and has all the money one would ever need in life.
• So in that case one wouldn't need to work for money at least. And if money is not a criteria then what would one want to do?
• It is better to find an answer to the above and do that work.
• One has to blindly assume that one can earn enough while doing the work one would want to do based on above test.
• An of course, one could be totally wrong in making that assumption.

The work is something that makes good enough money for a decent life

• All said and done, money has its importance. It may be the case that one may not live for money but one would certainly still need money to live!
• This is the third leg of the stool of a life lived well.
• One chooses to do something one is good at. One also chooses to do something one is passionately interested in. But is that enough?
• Not really, since for a life lived well, one would need to able to take care of one's physical and material needs and comforts.
• And money is very very important for assuring that. So choosing a work that pays well is equally crucial.
• One should take care of this aspect also while trying to decide what work to do in one's life.

So the question "What Work Should I Do in My Life?" is definitely an important one.

The answer to this question indeed defines and is related to the very purpose of one's existence.

Haridwar, Rishikesh, Chamba, New Tehri Town and Tehri Dam - Some Photographs

Here are some photographs from a recent family trip to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Chamba, New Tehri Town and Tehri Dam.

These capture some of the tourist spots and landscape that is so very unique to this part of India.

You may ask why the New Tehri Town and why not just Tehri Town?

Well, the Old Tehri Town was submerged under water when the Tehri Dam became operational.

So a new Tehri Town was created as its replacement for those who used to live in the Old Tehri Town!

Enjoy the photographs.

Rishikesh at night from the mountains above while coming down from Tehri Dam

Tehri Dam

Lizard on a wall on the side of a road in New Tehri Town (Can you see it?)

Landscape while on the way to Chamba from Rishikesh

Gaushala (Cow-house!) near Rishikesh. Last one is Google Photos effect!

Some philosophical thoughts on the grills on the sides of the path to the Shanti Kunj Ghat on river Ganges at Haridwar

Birth, Life, Death, Cremation and Afterlife

The cycle of time makes every living object finally and precisely and exactly stop at where it started from.

Nothingness or pure soul.

We all start from nothingness to end at nothingness.

Whether it be Akbar the great emperor or Akbar the not-at-all great gardener at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Whether it be Amitabh the great actor or Amitabh the not-at-all great junior artist in Bollywood.

For a living being the above journey is like moving forward along a circle to reach the starting point after some time when the journey would come to end, and perhaps another would start.

However, for time the above journey is like moving forward along a line. As circles come and go, and living beings are born and die, the march of time goes on, incessantly, always!

So what happens on the circle when you are dead.

Step1 - First you need something to help you reach the right place for cremation.



Step 2 - Then you reach the place for cremation.



Step 3- And then you get cremated, finally. You disappear in the Pancha Tatva or nothingness.



The Pancha Tatva or nothingness is the pure soul and the only and ultimate reality of life.

Life as a living being  is a finite space-time phenomenon which needs to have a full stop.

And death is really good in the sense that it serves as that full stop.

The full stop is like Moksha.

Death is a useful reality that way.

So accept it, welcome it, and embrace it when it comes.

Birth, life, death, cremation and afterlife - they all are really one.

They are one since they are different forms taken by the nothingness or pure soul.

Focus on good deeds or Karma needs to be your sole purpose in life since that is the inherent and true nature of pure soul.

What we do other than that is not important and won't really matter.

In the end only Karma counts.

The Hare-brained Head and the So-Silly Stooge

The hare-brained head of an organization and his so-silly stooges are a delight to watch.

You are in a stupid company if you come across such funny folks.

A very warm welcome in case that is the case!

The hare-brained head will copy every tom, dick and harry who lick his feet in some of his really funny emails.

Don't they at all discuss the highest visibility project that has been going on for several months?

That's so surprising.

The hare-brained head of an organization and his so-silly stooge manning the operations go for lunch together to the office cafeteria. Everyday, if possible.

So what do they discuss over lunch?

It is shocking to know that they don't discuss the critical happening in the organization.

The hare-brained head would then send an e-mail why something happened or did not happen.

He would pretend as if he doesn't know anything.

What the hell they discuss over the lunch table then?

And then the hare-brained head has special, secret, silly meetings with his coterie.

It is called inter departmental meeting.

Only the so-silly stooge manning the operations and the other blind loyalist so-silly stooges like him who are the close inner circle of the hare-brained head go to that meeting.

What the hell they discuss in that meeting then?

The hare-brained head says let us discuss this in some other inconsequential review meeting.

Why is the other review meeting inconsequential?

Why, because the hare-brained head says silly things like this:

• Well, we just had this meeting few weeks back
• Why this meeting again?

In addition, on many occasions he says can we finish the review meeting in 30 minutes? Or can we move it to next week?

He is not serious at all but says serious things in a very serious manner. Seriously?

That's actually all very funny.

What else can you expect from a hare-brained head?

He knows what his so-silly stooge manning the operations is up to.

He knows what exactly is going on.

He pretends not to know.

He pretends to be something else.

When you highlight an issue related to his so-silly stooge manning the operations or any other of his so-silly stage (basically anyone who is a part of the close inner circle) he doesn't bother to respond.

You send an email and see no response.

So what do you do?

You stop highlighting any issue.

He knows what's going on.

He knows what's cooking inside the vessel.

He is in fact part of the cooking along with his so-silly stooges.

And then he says, how did that happen?

That's so funny.

That's unprofessional too.

In such a case you should know that you are in a stupid company if you come across such funny folks.

A very warm welcome in case that is the case!

Enjoy.

And best of luck!

It's All in the Family - Do You Feel So about Your Place of Work?

Well, if you do so, welcome to the real world.

A world where some  places of work can literally get on to your nerves.

A world where you find asses having a great time.

A world where you see Cheshire cats showing their smartness.

A world where some people get something which they don't really deserve.

The "All in the Family" kind of culture at your place of work will constantly throw following strange and interesting situations at you:

• A certain group of people are like college friends more than professional colleagues
• A certain group of people do just one thing - scratch each others back
• A certain group of people are no more than a mutual admiration club
• A certain group of people are like stooges of the top dog
• A certain group of people operate as a close-knit coterie

In such organizations the top man is the father of the family.

And depending on his mood he will dole out largess for other members in the family.

Those who report into him are blind loyalists.

For the stooges, the only answer they have is "yes sir". Always.

The stooges would come across as even more despicable than a bonded labour.

For anything their ultimate answer is always the same - "We need to do it as he has said it".

The he is the biggest ass in the organization and is the real culprit behind the sick culture in the organization.

However the he will  act as if his company is the best company in the world.

The truth in such organizations is unfortunately far removed from reality.

The he and a certain group of people who are like his family is all that matter in such a sick and third class organization.

Loyalty wins over merit, hands down, in such companies.

After all, its all in the family!