Ambition is fine. But never let it
blind you, consume you.
In a
reflective conversation with Vaani over coffee this morning, I discussed the
pointlessness of trying to overachieve in order to be successful in Life. The
papers have been full of news of jazz pianist Madhav Chari’s untimely passing.
Here was a man who gave up a PhD in Mathematics at the University of Illinois to
make music in Chennai. I never knew him. But to me, his obituary, much like the
perfectionist that I believe he was, reads perfect: he followed his bliss and
went away, perhaps too soon, having lived a full Life. Osho, the Master, made
imminent sense when he said that between a choiceless birth and a certain
death, this Life is nothing but drama, often a comedy too. What he meant really
was why do we take Life so seriously, why are we trying to acquire, amass and
struggle to cling on to material stuff – stuff that we can’t take away with us?
I think Madhav Chari’s Life is a good Life to live. Do what you love doing and
leave when you must.
Honestly,
I was never this way – simple, spiritual or sensitive!
As I
confessed to a young journalist the other day, and as I have shared in my Book (‘Fall Like A Rose Petal’; Westland, August 2014),
I once had this kolaveri, this murderous
rage, brazen, belligerence to earn money, to be successful, to be famous. But
over the years, I have slowed down. I realize the value of faith (in oneself,
more than in an external reference point) and patience. I understand that it is
more important to take in the scenery than only worry about getting to a
destination. And, of course, I believe that while you have a right to be
ambitious, don’t ever let that ambition possess you to the extent that you can’t
enjoy the process of getting what you want.
Ambition
is good as long as it nurtures your sense of purpose, gives you a direction to
move in and helps set the pace. But ambition must not ruin your sleep. It
cannot make you jealous, restless, angry, belligerent and obsessed. Being
competitive is fine. But learn to compete with a champion’s attitude – wanting to
do better than your last effort. Don’t let the pettiness of winning at the cost
of someone else consume you!
Let me
clarify that ambition and belligerence need not pertain only to for-profit
endeavors. Even if you are leading social change, if you are engaged in a
purposeful endeavor to make the world better, don’t let your do-gooder ego
drive you nuts. The same principle of following your bliss and moving onward
with grace applies here too.
A
lifetime that has been lived fully, every moment of it, by touching lives, is
far more inspiring and relevant than working overtime, to create an
awe-inspiring resume that no one has the time to read, or worse, remember. In
the end, you will have two ways to review your Life – with gratitude for a time
well-spent here, or with regret for having had this murderous rage, this kolaveri, to overtake, overachieve and
win. Make sure, you never have to ask yourself this: “Why this
kolaveri, kolaveri…?”
