​In today’s fast-paced world, many modern-day workers are pushing their limits - taking two or three jobs at a time resulting to weekend shifts, stressful meetings, frequent client calls, and the likes. This is on top of their daily household activities like doing the groceries, general cleaning, baby-sitting, walking the dog, etc. These workers collapse into bed at night… exhausted.

Add to it the growing competitiveness of our business environment which encourage companies to push their services to higher levels and pressuring their employees to stretch their capabilities to the edge. It also compels employees to spend more time in their workplace and to prioritize their job over their families. As a result, modern-day employees put themselves under pressure in order to be successful in their work and to earn more money. This way they can buy luxury and use their money to experience everything they can possibly can. They have raised the bar of their own expectations and they cannot forgive themselves if they are unsuccessful in meeting their anticipations.

Most of us are probably guilty of the above circumstances. Our chaotic schedules and extreme lifestyles have stolen from us the peace, happiness, laughter, and satisfaction of life. We have become too analytical, too systematic, and too critical of our actions and as well as the actions of other people. Since we lack time, we fast-track our judgment by simply looking at the cover of a book instead of its contents. We sometimes condemn a simple mistake in a sentence like a missing period - and totally disregarding its inspiring message.

Our life is no longer satisfying because we live our life to work and we have very little time to enjoy it.
In order to have a satisfying life, we must work, we must enjoy, and we must rest. This is the simplest way to have a satisfying life. Try it.

Republished with permission.

I used to work in a medium-sized universal bank during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. As a direct report to one of the top executives of the company, I have witnessed so many times the arrogance of my former boss. His orders must be followed at all times. He never listened to the suggestions of his peers and subordinates. For him, he was powerful and all-knowing. His position made him self-righteous; he acted and made decisions as if he was a god.

A few years later, our bank was sold and merged with a much bigger bank. As a result of the merger, the bank became bigger and the employee population tripled in numbers. New divisions were created and new groups of well-experienced executives joined the company. My former boss who used to be a big fish in a small pond, shrink quickly in a large ocean. A few months later, he left the company.

Pride can sneak into our lives so easily. We need to be reminded not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. It is easy to become bigheaded when we stay in our own little circles of life. But when we are plunged into a larger situation, with amplified stress, problems, and competition, we realized that no matter how big our stature in life maybe, we are no different from other people around us.

You and me, whether we are white or black, Asian or European, Indian or American…no one is above us, we are all equal… because we are all humans… we should stop acting like gods.

Republished with permission.

In a business conference, one of the participants slipped out of the conference room since he can no longer stand the lecture of the guest speaker. In the corridor he met a friend who asked, “Has he finished yet? I can’t stand him either. His lecture is full of nonsense, but he is not aware of it. He simply won’t stop!”

The above episode is a natural talent for some of us. We talk without thinking and we spurt words that do not promote goodwill or do not benefit people around us. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that some of our conversation with other people is nothing more than a careless talk.

Let us learn to pause for a minute and think about what our usual conversation is like. Do we talk too much and do not give others an opportunity to speak? Is the topic of our conversation too focused on ourselves and disregard the needs of others? Do we often use the word “I” in our conversation? Is our speech profitable to others?

Let’s remind ourselves to guard our mouth and keep watch over the door of our lips. Speak words that build-up others and don’t just fill the air.

Republished with permission.