Are you too busy? Very serious?

In India and probably in other parts of the world too, we have a cultural issue. Look closely, the society conditions us to become “serious” as we grow in life and career. So is being serious equal to being more hardworking and sincere?

There comes a feeling that certain things are not important. Like laughing at simple things, having some fun between work, taking part in a game or a cultural event at office. Generally the lesser experienced folks; the “freshers” participate in these. So what happens to people beyond an age and career level?

Do people become too old to have fun, play a game or ponder upon an idea different from work? Or these things cannot be done with the deliverables, beyond a certain “level”? Or do they feel that it does not suit them anymore? “Arre yeh to bachhe karte hain?”  J

Let us consider a couple examples in India. Prasoon Joshi, national award winning lyricist and screenwriter is also the Chairman of a company. Palash Sen, lead singer of the band “Euphoria” is a qualified and practicing doctor. Are they not serious about their work or do they have more than 24 hours a day?

Why do the top MBA colleges across the world want well rounded profiles for admissions? The reason is that it has been observed that such people more often than not, end up as better professionals in the long run. The idea is that someone who shows enthusiasm and competence across other fields apart from academics and work, would have a more matured sense of people and life, have more diverse forms of experiences and would hence have better raw materials to become successful business leaders.

There would be situations at work when we would not have the time for anything else. But generally we need to be able to find the time to unwind, smile, have some fun, nurture our passions and keep the fizz and excitement of life intact. As we struggle with the tough and mundane things of life, let us not kill the child within.

Time for each one of us is limited, so let us be enthusiastic about things and never grow so old, that we become incapable of enjoying the happy moments of life, that come for free!