Race

Racing, originally uploaded by Sakari Lampola.

During Schooldays, we might have roamed around like brats, played day and night on streets, spent zillion hours on video games & TV, mainly avoid studying as much as possible, and, prefer to do Anything else that is Filled wiith Fun. Reiterating the obvious, Reading / Studying was not that much fun for most of us at that age. But, We knew that if we did our work ( study & give the exams & behave in class :) ) as much as we could ( still keeping the having fun part alive in parallel ), we are guaranteed of a promotion each year. A new class, new teachers, new friends, new projects, a lotta things prefixed with new were awaiting after the finals & results. All this, formed our basic goal of the year, and made us study. Irrespective of all the Fun we had doing other things, we all worked ( studied ) as much as we could for that 1 goal each year, to pass out that year with above average scores and move to the next grade.

Bottom line. We had atleast 1 goal each year, we worked for it, we raced for it, we achieved it. We were growing.

College days were more interesting. More friends, more ways of having fun. But, we knew if we passed out with out much arrears with a good score, we have the chance of getting a job through Campus Recruitment right after the final year. Which is prestigious, plus, the one who was struggling to squeeze about 1000 bucks a month from dad, will be paid about 20 K a month. That is a great inspiration, goal and aim for us to read and study whether it was interesting or not.

We still had 1 goal each year to keep us working towards something, we raced for it, we achieved it. We were growing.

After getting a cool, nice paying job for the first few years we had the pressure of building a good reputation, earning a good review, keeping the job, improving our skills, widening our knowledge, grow in the company, etc., etc.,. Why did we have all this ? Coz, we knew that if we rush our career in this path, we will be noticed in the team, in the company, and we will be promoted / given a salary hike / will be allowed to lead projects. Basically we will be noticed and rewarded.

So, We still had a goal each year. To keep the job we have, to improve our skills, get noticed in the company, get a promotion / a hike / a reward / a pat in the back etc., We raced for this. We achieved it. And we grew even bigger.

As years passed by, when our position in the company has grown to a good level, when we know that our job is pretty stable as we have all the key things needed to get the job done, when we have earned as much good reputation as we could in the company and mainly when we know that there is NOT going to be any new promotion next year, or any new project in next years, or a pay hike, we slow down a lot. Well, I think I slow down a lot in that situation.

This absence of something good or new or challenging for the oncoming year, leaves most of us to live without a goal for that year. Whatever our long term goal be, we are left with out a short term goal. If our company has announced that all good performers will be acclaimed, rewarded, or given a pay hike or even will be pushed to a new project, we will have a goal, we will have something to chase.

In crux, the thing I want to share in this discussion is, when there is nothing to chase we don't chase, when there is no one to race, we don't race. We do not grow when we do not chase or race !!!