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01:26 AM
Bikram Vohra
JournalismPakistan.com
May 11, 2013
Do you realize that only 5% of the working population actually does a job it wants to? Like, the rest are living a lie and doing something they would rather not be doing but have no option. The small minority who chase a dream or follow a star and manage to grab its coat-tails is not you, that is a cruel fact because if it was, you would not even have bothered to read so far. You are the nine to fiver, the person in the rut, on the treadmill, the usual labels that are stuck on most of us for the decades of our working life. We find comfort in being reliable, dependable, industrious, stuff like that and these become our guiding lights.
So, since most of us are leading lives we wish we were not, how do we make it more tolerable? That is the trick. And the trick breaks into five major elements, which collectively make you feel better about your situation.
First, specialize. Seriously, it is the most obvious step to give yourself an extra dimension and take you out of the merely common. The moment you are seen as an expert at something be it computers or repairs or projections or finance or commercial trends, your demand will increase and the drudgery of the daily slog will be less tedious. Many of us go through life being cogs in the wheel, easily interchangeable. Don’t do that, excel at something.
Two, do not waste your energy in envy. There is no point in looking around you and wishing you were someone else. You are not so buckle down and make the best of what you have. Think of the millions who envy you…they are out there even if you cannot see why.
Three, don’t get into debt or bad habits. They do nothing for professional depression except make you more depressed. The moment the cushion of money is reduced the intolerable becomes the impossible and you begin to actively hate what you are doing. And that harms not only you but your family life, your health and your peace of mind besides wrecking your career.
Four, do you have the courage and the opportunity to do what you really want to…if yes, then go for it. It is only one life so make the best of it, the bus won’t come around again. If material gains are not your singular aim and you have not been brainwashed into signing up for the rat race go for it. Go farming, mountain climbing, adopt a village, teach the poor, grow tomatoes, write music, walk to your own drumbeat…you are one of the lucky ones. Do it now, before the doors shut.
Five, and this is the basis of all things tolerable. Keep learning. Knowledge is a comfort, it builds your self-esteem, it makes you feel you are worthy, even the most tiresome of jobs becomes that much more acceptable and before you know it, you can even get a more exciting promotion because your knowledge levels have impressed your bosses. Read, that is the first habit you should get into. Listen, to informed opinion, on TV, over the radio. Stay abreast of what is happening in the world today…right across the board, don’t be ignorant.
(The writer is a Senior Editorial Advisor of Khaleej Times and the paper’s former Editor. He has also been the Editor of Gulf News, Gulf Today, Emirates Today and Bahrain Tribune)
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