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	Sunday, August 14, 2005

Straining to Succeed   (On Life )   (selected articles in bizdrivenlife compiled) I remember an incident where we were going out on an overnight trip to an island three months ago.  There were about 8 of us in a van.  We needed to drive more than a  hundred kilometers, then take a ferry to cross to an island where we would enjoy a nice beach. The ferry only departs once every 45 minutes, and we were a little bit delayed.  So I had to drive a little bit faster and admittedly a bit more reckless to make time.We  arrived at the ferry pier with just minutes to spare.  The whole trip took about 2 hours, and we arrived trying to rush.  The whole episode of driving was strained, and got into the nerves of everybody as it was almost a rush. The next day, it was time to come back.  After we disembarked on the ferry, there was no rush to drive home.  We decided to take our time and enjoy the trip and the scenery.  The whole trip back took 2 hours and 30 minutes, but it was a relaxed drive, with music, laughter and much talk.  It was a case of 2 hours and 30 minutes of enjoyment, versus 2 hours of reckless driving and stress. It recalls that sometimes we try to rush to arrive at success too much that we end up not enjoying the trip.  Is the purpose to arrive, or is the purpose to enjoy the trip?  Isn't it too often that we missed the enjoyment of the trip because of our haste to arrive, only to arrive and feel that all the trip was not worth it, because in the mad rush, much enjoyment was lost? Do we make a decision that we don't want to enjoy life until we have earned our million dollars?  And then after you have had your million dollars, make a decision that you won't be happy until you have 10 million?  And after so many years of chasing more, you decided you never enjoyed the trip, and moreover, not even the destination itself? If you have a plan, and a roadmap, and consistently focus your trip to arrive, why not consciously decide to enjoy the trip?  Is the haste to arrive a few minutes early at the destination at the risk of not enjoying the trip worth it?  If you have laid your plans, would it have taken a lot away from your happiness if you arrive a few minutes, err a few years late such a big deal?  Would it have been such a big deal if you were CEO by 30 or 32? Do you strain your way to success ( sacrificing some amount of family or throwing caution to the wind) , or do you enjoy the way? Maybe sometimes we do strain too much.  I just want to close with a quote which I felt is the very thing i want to say - and this quote is from Jill Churchill, " The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. "  Maybe we strive too hard to be where we cannot be, that we cease to enjoy just the pace where we would be most comfortable and happiest.     5:45:52 PM     comment []   trackback []