Business to the Buddha

Tag: Race

  • Improving self

    When you work somewhere ultimately who are you working for? A shallow answer is for the company or the client. The deeper answer is for the self. You are trading your skills to a company or a client to earn your bread, right? When you improve self who would benefit more? You ain’t it?

    improve

    I was thinking about developing oneself. I wrote a few sentences and continued from my previous blogs on the competition. When I reached the end of the second paragraph, I realized that I need to take the support of this one scene of the movie “Three idiots” to drive home the point. In this movie, a character goes for an interview and says ‘…I found this confidence after breaking 16 bones, I will be able to do something good with my life…”.

    This is right, everyone has the capabilities to do something worth it for his or her life. Why get in a race of anything? Especially when one understands, competition brings stress, stress causes mental or physical suffering. Why try to be a replica of someone else when one can be a better version of self?

    Improving self

    What best a person can do? Improve self isn’t it? Improving self requires looking at your own self, knowing owns strength and weakness, understanding the environment where you’ve to perform and working on these to get better results, that’s it. 

    I know people may have a point – how is that possible in a competitive world? Sales folks may say how will we bring in new business is we don’t compete with rivals? The point is – is now of learning and improving self. It is more about improving your product rather than just trying to sell a solution that may not be a good fit – your competitor’s product may be better. The point is followers look at leaders and compete with them. Leaders look at the customer best example is Amazon, isn’t it?

    In your case, you are the customer and you are the serving company.

  • Race – never ending







    I met Professor Arun Ramanathan a few months back (precisely in April). He taught us Corporate Governance and Business Ethics in our MBA. I told him a very practical daily situation I face. Whenever I walk, I am almost running, I notice that I walk very fast that I leave people behind as if there is a kind of competition happening. I am running to – say – win some competition.

    Courtesy Nilesh Yeram (my friend)
    Courtesy Nilesh Yeram (my friend)

    Why are we doing this? Am I alone in this kind of running (not just literal) without knowing where is the end or many professionals – like I do – are just running. Some running for money, some for a next bigger car or home, some others for a better position. Or is it that when people are young they just get in a race, a race no one knows who started but a race in which other peers are also equally involved (at least in the runners mind)? This is how ethics gets shelved in our personal and professional life. We are trying to be something. Is it of any consequence or what are the accolades related to that? It is of no interest in many cases. So the mentality is by hook or crook achieve the results.

    Two weeks back Rajagopaul uncleji shared a story with me. This perfectly relates to my discussion with Prof Ramanathan, so, sharing it here.

    Race

    I was jogging one day and I noticed a person in front of me, about 1/4 of mile. I could tell he was running a little slower than me and I thought, well, I shall try to catch him. I had about a mile to go my path before I needed to turn off. So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards behind him, so I really picked up the pace and push myself. You would have thought I was running in the last leg of London Marathon. I was determined to catch him.

    Finally, I did it! I caught and passed him by. On the inside I felt so good. “I beat him” of course, he didn’t even know we were racing. After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had missed my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it. I had to turn around and go all the way back.

    Isn’t that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more important?

    We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths. The problem with competition is that it’s a never ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with better job, nicer car, more money in the bank, more education, better behaved children, etc. But realize that “You can be the best that you can be; you are not competing with anyone.”

    Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to what others are doing, where others are going. Take what has been given to you. Stays focused and live a healthy life. Run your own RACE and wish others WELL!!!

    Is not it a good thing to learn?

    Other related blogs

    Chinu and the pebbles

    Money worth earning

    Swasthay – dwelling in oneself

    What more you need?

    When will we stop?

    Why are you doing what are you doing?