Hello everyone,
Long since i wrote a blog. Was so pre-occupied with the happenings in my own life that I did not find time to analyse what was happening and express myself here. But now I found time because I recently read a short passage while going through an aptitude paper. Usually such passages never influence people because it is read on only one purpose which is mechanical- to score more marks. But somehow I was influenced by this and suddenly the way I look at myself and my life changed.
This was the first line of the passage..
Goethe, a German philosopher once had mentioned that one should not do what he does not like and must try hard to succeed in life doing what he really wanted to do. Otherwise there is no meaning in life doing things for others' happiness.
I was exactly having the same opinion and was really obsessed with thoughts that I was not doing what I really liked. This made me read the passage with interest rather than with purpose. But the following lines of the passage was a turning point. The author who had mentioned Goethe was actually opposing it. He wanted to convey that you should start liking what you do. Well... I really thought it was nonsense. But i couldn't help circumspecting this fact. We usually don't end up easily doing what we like and that is practically not possible as soon as you wish. It really takes a hell lot of time to fullfill your desires.
In the meantime, if you start worrying about the truth that "This is not what I always wanted", life becomes miserable and I personally faced it. But what if I started to like what I do.. Won't I be happier than what I was? This is what the author concluded. Though he did not like doing certain things in life and was compelled to do it several times as a routine, he had started to like doing them and the result was his own happiness. I had to agree with him and I did not have a choice.
A few days later there was a quote from another big philosopher which supported the author's argument. In Aristotle's words- "Start loving your work. You will never have to work again in your lifetime". This is the sense of practicality. This actually changed the way I looked at my life before reading the passage. Now I feel much happier and peaceful than before.
But this does not mean that one has to stop his journey towards one's desires. Looking this way will only make you optimistic towards your ambitions. When you are happy doing whatever you did not like, then imagine the bliss you would get out of doing what you like. Looking at life from this perspective makes the world a beautiful place to live in.
7 comments:
The first line that struck my mind after this post is a line from a tamil song..It ll go sumthin like "Kadamayai indre seivadhil dhane aanandham"... I think it can be extended beyond work to many facets of life.. Happy with what one is and work for what one wants to be..... I am all for this...... Gr8 line of thought.... Lets see what good u get out of it..
Guess u r right. U feel much better if u start liking wat u do while parallely taking efforts to achieve what u want. but, there is always a transition period in between or a hazy time when u start wondering if u r still on the right path...It happens!
To do what we really want to do, we must know what we really want to do!
That in itself is a big deal!
After 23 years of existence, I still haven't figured that out!
And hence for that reason, your blog makes a lot of sense.
'Like what you do if you can't do what you like'.
But isn't it a compromise with the purpose of our lives??
A compromise to live in peace and to avoid the burning sense of angst and frustration of not being able to do what we want to?
In other words aren't we taking the easier choice and trading purpose for peace?
Also, are we at peace at the end of the journey? Will we look back with satisfaction?
Which would be the better choice??
Came here through the comments in Shiva's blog.
Nice blog :-)
There is no room for compromise in work.....If u don like the work u do, there is no harm in searching for a better place that fits u! Cent percent satisfaction is wat is required at work!
"Do start liking what you do." Sounds so meek. I agree with Goethe, there's no point in doing something you don't like. It's like maintaining a relationship just for the sake of maintaining it. If you don't like do something just don't do it and that's it.
I had the same issue...
I had to do things that I din't ever want to do.... I had few options.
1. Continue ...as it is
2. Start liking wht I do... yuck...
I am sorry I couldn't
3. Look out for another place u wanna be... n ven u reach there its like "yup, This is where I always wanted to be"*conditions apply
* some times it can be like... On The Otherside Grass Is Always....
People who oppose my views failed to notice one thing. I never asked anyone to be satisfied with what you are doing. I just mentioned that loving what you do makes other things easier. Other things include searching for your right kind of future. Never stop trying to do what you always wanted and at the same time do not get frustrated with your present work which actually spoils our mood.
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