Wake up and smell the life:

A ping from Anju, a highly successful colleague of mine, came as a surprise. She seemed worried. She had it all she said, but wanted more. She had plenty of money, but wanted more. She had a loving husband, but wanted more of his love. She had become exceedingly touchy about her work and needed better, more meaningful work. Over the fifteen minutes that I managed to chat with her, I realised that she was not even aware what she wanted. And finally when I asked her the question, “Anju, what is it that you are searching for? Wealth, success, love or peace?” It took her by surprise.

But the choice was obvious. Peace was what she wanted and she had been searching for it in money, in love and in her work. My advice to her was simple. I asked her to find the answer to a very simple question. What was the one thing that made her happy which involved no one else. A simple question for which, she had no answer. Here was a lady who solved complex business problems of her clients without the slightest effort but who was incapable of answering a simple question about herself. It was time for her to wake up.

Anju’s situation made me ask a very important question. “Have we lost the real meaning of life in our trance to be successful?” Seems so. Every one of us is struggling to be happy whereas happiness itself is supposed to be effortless. So why the struggle to be happy? Could possibly mean only two things. Either we have forgotten the true meaning of happiness or we have forgotten ourselves.

So what is it that really makes you happy? Not being successful in life and not earning truck loads of money. Something that would make you at peace, at being just yourself, something that would make you proud to be alive. Do you think you can help Anju with suggestions? Let’s hear them.