Of motions of life, seeking meaning, ennui ...

The other day, ‘once in a while’ periodic call from one of my prior colleagues, led me into a train of thoughts into my past consulting life. The rush between the planes, trains and automobiles; the sundry presentations, the lonely drinking sessions to cut down ennui in an alien hotel, the detached run through motions of life…

“Life is good. I have got the best ratings among peers; I got favourable feedback and my seniors are happy with me. The clients trust my advice and the current assignment is going on really well. But there is some void somewhere; where is all this leading? What am I actually delivering? Am I happy?” he asked with the amazing earnestness that he shows in every interaction. “Six pegs of vodka, plenty of lime and some cubes of cube and the drink induced stupefaction and then deep dead slumber should do the trick!” I joked. But amidst the ensuing smiles and chuckles and the easing air, I went into some of my null days of the past – before my teetotalling present.

Yes, life just drifts away most of the time when we are working with that ‘detachedness’ a sort of ‘present but absent’ existence. So do a lot of us go through the rigmarole of daily life, hurry through every minute of life and blame it on the ‘pay cheque’ or realities of adult life ! Yes, we do – because we just want to; because it is convenient to do so; because that is what my friends, batch mates and colleagues do; because it is so difficult and unpragmatic to do anything else. I could think of a thousand excuses to confirm to the schedule I don’t like but I find it difficult to think of even one ruse to do something I like!

Fundamentally looking at life like an engineer, a bean counter and a stodgy management consultant, we spend most of our waking life in our working careers festooned in cubicles, office spaces and maybe boardrooms. With all checks and balances of life to cancel out in this life time, that is a tough call. The work scale is always heavier and tilts the balance to its side. So what is your advice Mr. Consultant – I ask myself. Well the key thing is to enjoy what you do … “Ok save the spiel, not another ‘lift me’ literature!” I reprimand myself.

So what else – a very simple set of rules

1. Look around you – notice all the different colours
2. Smile at every opportunity
3. Look at the faces of people around you – they are all going through life
4. Buy a bunch of flowers to give it someone you love
5. Watch a romantic comedy or read a comic

So, will this solve all the problems in your life ? No, it wont. Because we are the choices that we make. Nothing will change till you make that choice to lead a meaningful life – whatever that may mean to you!