Mother Teresa once said ‘Work
without love is Slavery’. How many of us actually love what we do? How many of
us are truly happy and at peace with ourselves when it comes to our jobs? It is
surprisingly rare to find someone who is happy with his career plus equally
satisfied with life as well. The universal truth is that contentment is
missing, whether you are a prince or a pauper! So the question really is what
is more important- a highly paying job bereft of any time for life or a mediocre
job that leaves us asking for more?
We heave sighs of envy when we see
a man all suited up in the back of his luxury car being driven by his chauffeur
to work? A great job, paying for all the luxuries one could wish for, must
evidently mean a satisfied life, wouldn’t it? But the truth is the more one
grows in stature in the work place and the more zeroes get added at the end of the
pay cheque; the more hours are in reality taken away from life.
Even a peaceful meal with family
becomes difficult for the boss needs
to be across everything as he is the one ‘In-charge’! For a married man or
woman; family time is important. But with position and standing comes the added
need to devote more time to work. So he or she cannot work just eight or nine
hours a day and then expect a fat salary at the end of the month. More
involvement, humongous responsibilities come along with an increase in bank
savings; but the sad part is when it happens there is no time to experience that.
If true then where is the peace? There is constant pressure to meet targets and
there are thousands of things going on in the mind as life silently slips by! One
would think a Bachelor for once could even afford to get completely lost in the
fathomless pit of work; notwithstanding the fact being highly debatable! But it
doesn’t sound right when one has family waiting at home; don’t you think? Irony
is that if it weren’t for family we would have perhaps taken more risks and
given up jobs that offer no peace of mind!
The basic necessities of life don’t
come cheap; certainly not in this day and age. Everything comes with a price
tag of late and that surely isn’t forgiving towards those that cannot afford to
pay. So yes a regular paying job might give the needed space and time to live
life. But would that quality of life be something that could give us happiness?
Doubtful really; considering as human beings we always want more and more!
It all bottles down to the
amalgamation of two facts. What is peace for us and where are we ready to draw
the line? We can’t have it all; now can we? If peace for a person is spending
more and more time with family and being there for each milestone in their
lives; then a high paying job is certainly not accommodating to give that! If
happiness for an individual is to do what he is passionate about then more
often than not a high paying job won’t cut the deal. There are many people who
are in good positions in MNCs and are taking away fat salaries home; but when
asked if they are satisfied and happy; the unanimous answer is always in the
negative.
We are brought up with the psyche
that we need to chose a career that pays well and eventually most of us try to
do that, but at the cost of passion and joy. Unless of-course money is the only
thing that gives us pleasure!
The curious case of the ever
elusive satisfaction really! It is a unique equation if truth be told. You need
money undoubtedly to live life like you choose to but again that very money
comes at the cost of time, love and enthusiasm. The key is to maintain a
balance but that doesn't come easily.
Work Life balance is a
never ending pursuit! Stress has become a part and parcel of our lives which
increases as responsibilities multiply in the work place. What is the trade off
really? It’s also true that anxiety creeps into our lives if our work fails to
pay.
It is true when they say there are
no free lunches in this world. We can’t expect a hassle free life in terms of
finances if we are not willing to sacrifice for work. Perhaps a high paying job
is indeed a good job even though it isn't good enough to devote our entire life
to. When we have the hunger to achieve more; we cannot sulk and detest the
pursuit.
Confucius had said ‘Choose a job
you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’. But honestly
that hardly happens. A job we love wouldn't pay for the necessities of life,
for us and for our family. A person who is not married or has no family to take
care of can even afford to venture out towards uncertainty but eventually when there
are lives to take care of salary outweighs everything else. So peace and high-pay
never harmonize. Since we can’t have both why not make peace with the high
paying job!
