The subject line of this article is something which came to my mind several years ago. From that day onwards, I started to live my life a little differently.
It was during festival of Diwali in 2014 that I was working with an IT company. I was assigned an international project based out of US. On the day of Diwali, an unexpected high priority issue came at around 8.30 pm and I got a system generated call on my phone that this issue should get resolved in 1 hour otherwise SLA would be breached. People from IT background know how important it is to make sure that the SLA does not get breached. I was celebrating Diwali with my family but I took my bike and went to office which was a half & hour drive from my home. The whole office was empty. I went and resolved the issue. I wanted to rush back to my home as quickly as possible so that I can have maximum time with my family for Diwali. I reached home at 11 pm only to see that Diwali celebrations are over. My mother cooked dinner for me and then we all slept. But I was awake the whole night.
• Because this was not the first time that I have sacrificed my family time for a corporate work.
• Because this was not the first time that my mother actually hide her emotions of sadness that her son was not there with her on festivals.
• Because this was not the first time that I was actually questioning myself- Do I have to sacrifice my personal time for urgent issues for the rest of my life.
• Because this was not the first time that I was thinking of becoming more independent.
I meet people from all kinds of background, mostly from our profession and realized that we treat CA as our way of life. We fail to recognize that CA is a degree made by human beings, just like us. We live our life doing what a CA always does. We fail to recognize that CA course has changed us as a person from inside, giving all of us that immense confidence that we can apply our knowledge and experience to bring a difference to each other lives as well as to our country as well.
I ask people what is your plan now and where are you seeing yourself in next 5-10 years. The most common answer I get is- Abhi toh bas Job chal rhi hai aur kya, 1 saal ya 2 saal baad company change karlunga. I know many people who want to do something for themselves, they have their passions, they want more time for themselves and their families etc, but due to lack of faith and belief in themselves, they never move a step forward.
I am sure you all would have heard a term- Book-Keeping. We all are so busy in making or handling books of accounts for others, that we forget that we have to focus on our Balance Sheet of Life as well. The reason why so many of us are struggling after becoming CA’s is because we are not free mentally. We are doing Jobs without having any specific dream or vision.
I feel so unfortunate that some people move out of their homes to pursue CA and the reality is they get trapped in a vicious cycle of a monthly salary and they never come back to their home location. Thank God for the festivals in India- Festivals make us go back to our families and friends. I wonder- if there were no festivals, would we all spend enough time with our loved ones, as much as we do now.
We are so busy in making and finalizing other companies’ balance sheets that we forget our own Balance Sheet of Life. Earning a hell lot of Money and having the time to spend that much money, both things are different.
I truly believe that:-
Yes, a well balanced life is what I want.
Yes, I want to give time to my family and friends.
Yes, my passion is equally important to me along with my corporate/business life.
Yes, I should have control of my time in my life.
Yes, my parents deserve much more from me.
Replace the word “Need” with “Want” in your life. Don’t be a Needy anymore.
If you truly Want something- Go for it, Achieve it and Inspire other people by sharing your journey.
Listen to your instincts.
I look forward to hearing from you guys.
The author can also be reached at ca.anurag10@gmail.com.
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