Banned by the MSJ

Commentary

By Sumit Mehta

Did you know that Microsoft's highest-ranking woman recently quit her job; or that the president of Pepsi recently resigned; or that the first female to head the FDIC stepped down.

You and I might ask the burning question...why?

As children, we are often asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?” What we learn from this is that we are supposed to do something when we grow up. In fact, it is so ingrained in us by the time we're adults that one of the first things we ask people we meet is, "what do you do?" Is it any wonder then, that we have the belief that the one goal in our lives is to do the role that we have selected for ourselves, and that if we do the best role we can, then our lives will be complete? Is it a rude awakening for many of us when it doesn't happen quite like this?

For many of us, our lives are consumed by work. In our quest for success, we often neglect our families and our friends. After all of the tangible rewards that our hard work brings us, do we really feel the joy and peace of mind we thought we would. Or do we find ourselves asking the question, 'is this all there is?' When we're married to our work, do we feel complete and absolute contentment, or do we feel empty, disillusioned and unfulfilled? Are we losing our sense of purpose...purpose is not what we do, its who we are. What we do is immaterial, it is purpose that gives our work meaning. and eventually, an absence of meaning is not only frustrating; it robs our life of zest and joy.

You have to ask yourself...what is your definition of success? Does having a lot of money or being able to shop at expensive stores symbolize success, or do inner happiness and complete satisfaction define success?

And you have to ask yourself, do you really control your life, and do you really determine your destiny? We are often so busy trying to prove ourselves, that we have lost sight of our values, and subsequently, control of our lives. In trying to meet other's expectations, we have lost control of our own destinies.

A staggering number of people are leaving their jobs to start their own businesses...the number one reason being control - of their time, and their futures.

So how do you win at work without losing at life? What is the secret to integrating profit and purpose? What is the solution to the quest for meaning and balance in one's life? Is embracing mind, body and spirit in everything we do the only way to shut up the little voices in our head that say, 'there must be more to life'.

Ultimately, it is our souls that need caring for...and our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. In fact, these rewards almost always create as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, and that the world will become a better place because of our having passed through it.

My plea to you is...Don't get caught up with trying to be so successful that you forget to be happy, and don't pretend to be so happy with being successful that you forget to live.

The top ranking woman at Microsoft, the president of Pepsi, and the first female to head the FDIC all figured out the same thing.....the trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.