        
>>Click to know more
>>Click to know more
|
|
Career Tips - Issue # 36 (Sept 2007) FREE monthly newsletter dedicated to your career development. You'll need less than 15 minutes to read this newsletter. Split Self and the Inner Voice We all appear to be in one piece, but psychologically, we are split into two. The very person who wants to quit smoking smokes. The same person who wants to do the important work stays busy with unimportant stuff. The very person who likes to be punctual in arriving at office or for meetings gets late. The same person who wants to be honest and fair sometimes cheats others for personal gains. The same person who wants to do meditation and exercises also avoids them. The same person who eats oily, unhealthy foods also wants to be healthy. The very person who wants to spend time with children also avoids getting home on time. There is a part in us that keeps telling us what we should do or not do and there is another part of us that lets us ignore the former. The first one is conscience, the inner voice that speaks to us in all delicate, tricky situations. The other part--let's call it anti-conscience--is more powerful and it keeps defeating the conscience. And so we operate and live, torn between the two. I encountered my own split self just a few days back. It was a beautiful, windy afternoon, and I was out for a walk with my daughter. Suddenly, a middle-aged lady, looking haggard, with an empty bottle and a towel in her hands, approached us. "Sir, I need money. I have asthma, and I don't have money to see the doctor," she said. My immediate reaction was to say, "Sorry, I can't give it" and we kept walking. I could hear her pleading for help from behind, but we kept walking as if nothing had happened. Soon, however, I started to feel uneasy. A while later I stopped and turned back. The lady was not too far behind and was now pleading with other people. I called her, and she came running. I reached for my wallet and gave her twelve dollars, all the money I had at that time. Tears started trickling down her eyes. As we parted her company and walked away, I felt greatly relieved and peaceful. Just moments ago I was feeling disturbed and uneasy and now the opposite feeling! As we walked further, I realised two things: First, I had just encountered my own split self. When I refused to give the lady the money she requested, I followed that part of mine which lets me crush my conscience. Following this part, however, I lost my peace of mind though my money was intact. And when I did decide to help that lady, I had bowed to my inner voice--the conscience. And that brought me instant peace and a sense of relief. The second thing I realised was how conditioned we are to play by the system of give and take. We have no qualms about giving money for a loaf of bread or fruits or a DVD, but we feel extremely hesitant to give up even a little money when we can't take back anything tangible in return. But there are people in this world who have nothing tangible to offer: the poor, the destitute, the disabled, the old. These are the people who, when helped, offer nothing, yet the givers do receive something in return. Think why the world's richest people from Andrew Carnegie to Warren Buffet to Bill gates, they all land up setting up foundations for charity work. After they have accumulated all the money and all that money can buy, they realise the need for something money can't buy: The feeling of self-less service to the needy. It's just a feeling, yet the richest crave for it! >>CAREER TIP: You will come across many people in your career who care a damn about their conscience, but have successfully climbed the corporate ladder. They may have taken credit for the work done by others, exploited others, sidelined their more capable colleagues and so on, and yet they have made it. So is it too naive to be so concerned about conscience in this world where, as it appears, there are no special rewards for doing the right thing? Well, conscience is about peace of mind. It's about being comfortable with who we are. It's about loving and respecting ourselves for our behaviour and actions. Ultimately, it's about inner rewards and success! Yes, one can achieve success by sacrificing own conscience, but what is the point of being successful, powerful, rich and famous outside, but feeling like not worthy of it or guilty about it inside? What's the point of raising a castle of success on the ruins of our own heart and soul? Just like the humming of the little fan inside a computer can't be heard in the background noise of an office, the inner voice of our conscience can't often be heard among the chaos of our daily lives, yet every time we take advantage of a weak colleague or accept an unethical favour or avoid the work that we should do, our inner voice never fails to speak to us. In fact, its call is louder when we falter. And strangely, this voice never leaves us whatever we may do to silence it. Like me, if you too ever get caught in a situation in which your action or behaviour leads to a feeling of unease, just wait a moment and turn inwards, and you will also find someone whispering to you. Atul Mathur FORWARD IT: Would you like to share what you've just read with any of your friends? Click below to send a link to your friend. To SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter, send a blank e-mail to:subscribe Career Tips ***Copyright 2006 Atul Mathur*** |
|
