Lara 11/2017 Mumbai Gateway
There is so much light in the world, there are so many people with willingness to do good, why do we struggle so much to live a full life, in peace, without regrets, doing what we like?
During my last months I have confirmed the theory I have lived my whole life with, what my mother has taught me and what I want to teach my children…
For you to be happy, you have to love EVERYTHING you do and find purpose and a positive impact in each word, each action you take.
The idea that we have to find what we love in order to feel that you are not working is not my philosophy or my belief… In this search-for-what-I-love many people feel frustrated and end up leaving behind super cool things in life because they feel something-is-missing!
With my childhood learnings, love-all-you-do / find-meaning-in-all-you-do there are few times in my professional life that I felt miserable, or woke up wanting to change jobs… I remember once with my whole family going to our farm, there was a truck with the saying “You do not need to have all you love, you need to love everything you have” I remember us debating on it and my mother was always repeating it to us…
…Now I absolutely know – she just wanted to share with us her secret for being this endlessly happy smiley person! She wanted us to have light, and, learn to spread it as soon as we have acknowledged its presence…
Being in India the last 6 months I learned also that there is something that connect us all human beings – the goodness inside us, I have seen so much goodness and willingness to give-back-to India that it is impossible not to love what I am doing, how I am doing, where I am doing, with whom I am doing….
I heard always so much doubts about working for a pharma company, about working in a multinational, being executives, corporate people, all related to the image of cold, money driven, ambitious people, but we will prove that human beings are human beings, and when we want to show the goodness inside, when we want to turn on the light inside, no matter where we are, we can do good, and we can impact beyond our imagination…
I am a mother that often has to choose between going to the teachers-parent conversation, children presentation or go to a strategy presentation, regional or global meeting – or better saying, can not choose, have to fulfill the professional responsibilities and prioritize many times work over family – how do I face my family, my husband, my children and myself at the mirror when I miss a unsubstitutable music presentation of one of my daughters????
Very, very, but, very consciously and in peace….. I just have to remember what I want my daughter to be when she is an adult… I want her to be a successful woman, that copes family and work, that talks about her life balance, a life balance and not a work life balance, because she simply loves what she is doing, and her children are happy when she is doing so and no one whines or makes bad faces to her when she is not in her daughter´s presentation. And when she comes back from her travel, her daughter just look at her, hugs her and asks “…how was your business trip mom, are you happy? Was your strategy approved to help many people? I hope it was ok, because my presentation was super cool and I want to show to you!!” :)))) Well, if I want my daughter to be as this, I have to give her the example, I have to just not regret, explain why I am travelling, explain that we are in India because this is our family purpose, to be wherever we can bring light and learn how to build much more light inside ourselves – and a perfect place for us to do so is here, is India, the light country!
Having a purpose in our lives helps us a lot to guide whatever we do, helps to love whatever we do. We can make anything meaningful in our life, the meaning, the passion, the purpose and the eternal plenitud exists inside ourselves and we are the ones who have to nurture it and we have two choices in our life….
- If you have many doubtful questions to yourself, you will live in doubt and you will be unhappy… “Could I be happier? Could I be doing something else more meaningful? Can I have more fulfilling life? Can I find something that I love more? Am I doing with my life what I have to? Did I do everything that I want at the right age? Should I work in a NGO to be more truthful with my life? Are my friends happier than I am? Should I spend more time with my kids? With my brother and sister? With my nephews and nieces? With my father? With my husband? Should I be doing more yoga? Should I be reading more? Should I be more healthier?…….” All the answers are a BIG YES which will make you frustrated….
- If you are glad and you genuinely want to be happy and make people around you happy your questions will be on how to do what you really want… “I have one hour with my kids, which book will I read with them that can make this moment memorable, something that will both make them have fun and will make this moment meaningful? I am travelling with my team and will be far away from my family, how do I take the best out of the time with my team and learn from them so I can share with my family when I am back? How I tell my family my daily work stories so they will understand the huge meaning my work has to me and how it makes me happy and fulfill our family purpose? What can I do today in my work that can make a difference in the world? Which words should I choose so I am sure that people around me will be more conscious rather than just living? I know that I can bring light or darkness from people, what exactly brings light from each individual I interact with? Which smile will I get from some face today that will make my day worthwile?…..”
It is so easy to make our life worth and learn to make the right choices, you have only to be sure what you want in your life and make your day be worth a smile in the end it, yours and the ones around you…
…India… has made me smile absurdly since I arrived, I know I was blessed with a super special team to work with, people that themselves have a higher purpose and are here to make a difference in India, and that they know that our work is not just a job, is a responsibility, so this turns to be our purpose…. Our Ikigai – What we love to do, What we are paid for, what we are good at and what is good for the world…. My Kritagyata to my family, to my extended family – my team, and to India!!!