Whatever you do, do it for the joy it gives
you, do it with love – don’t do it to be the first or the only one or to be
famous!
Our education system is such that it forces us to be
competitive even before we understand what it means to compete. The whole
social environment of a child (particularly in India) is focused on academic
excellence. And that is measured not by how much the child has learned and
imbibed, but by what grades the child has got. So, naturally, there is anxiety
among young, impressionable children – they all want to be the first in class –
even if not for themselves but to do their parents proud! However, the nature of
any competition is such that there can only be one first. Everyone else will
have to follow. So, the ones who do not get to be first in class, continue to
compete, often vainly, rabidly. And the one who stood first is competing to
protect and so becomes possessive of her or his first position! This continues
through college. At work. And in society. Look around you. You will find this
evident in all walks of Life – even in a queue in India, where people simply
have to push and jostle to get into a movie hall or a plane!
Let me clarify. I am not against aggressive people or
against competition. But if competing is going to make you miserable – thinking
about winning all the time and feeling depressed if you don’t win – then what’s
the point in doing whatever you are doing? A constant state of urgency and the often-avoidable
aggression, takes away the joy that any activity can deliver, especially when
the focus is only on winning, on coming first, on being hailed, on becoming
famous!
Whatever you do in Life has to fundamentally give you
joy! If you are not feeling the joy when you are doing something, it is simply
not worth doing it. Good coaches will always inspire people to strive to be the
best, deliver what they are truly capable of, while enjoying
themselves in the process. If what gives you joy also gives you
wealth, fame and recognition, great! But if you work with only wealth, fame or
recognition in mind, if you play the game only because you have to be the first
– it may just not always be possible. Because, chances are, someone may be better
than you are on any given day. That doesn’t mean you are worthless. But your
hunger to win and your lusting to be number 1 will make you believe you are
good-for-nothing. The Bhagavad Gita
explains this simply, beautifully. Krishna says: “Don’t
focus on the result at all!” – just make sure the “motive is pure” and the “means
are right (ethical)”. Offer whatever you are doing to “Me”.
Look at any great artiste or sportsman or actor or
business leader. You will find one trait common in all of them. They simply
lose themselves to whatever they are doing. They are not bothered about what
people are thinking or about winning or losing or about coming first. They are
offering themselves, and their craft, to Life (cosmic parlance for the “Me” in
the Gita!). When the doer becomes the
deed, when the singer becomes the song, when the painter becomes the art –
magic happens. If the magic delivers a world-class performance, and with it
material rewards, fantastic. But even if doesn’t, a truly great professional
will not bother. Because she or he has enjoyed the process of doing thoroughly!
Life is not a 100-metre race. How you run in Life and did
you enjoy yourself running – these are far more important aspects to consider than
any medal that you may win at the end of the run! So, the next time you are
placed in a competitive context, compete by all means. But do so only so long
as you don’t lose the joy of doing, or sleep, over wanting to win or be the
first or the only one!
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