Playing Football Versus Winning A Match
Playing football is one kind of joy winning is anotherkind.The problem is we identify joy exclusively with winning. I cannot escape the feeling that equating joy with winning reduces the scope of joy altogether. Playing becomes a chore, a job, not an expression of one's talents, not a celebration of one's athleticism. I do not want to detract the joy and sense of fulfilment one gets from winning, but an exclusive concern with winning sucks the life out of sports and games. You may have a desire. Put in your best effort to fulfil it. But make sure you enjoy the effort rather than its fruits. There are those who make the effort grumbling and are happy only when the desire is achieved. Others exhaust themselves making the effort so that they have no strength or enthusiasm left to enjoy the fruits of their labour. A third method seems superior. Enjoy the effort no matter what the effect. I see nothing wrong with having a desire. The Taittiriya Upanishad says even the gods have desires, but if you are using fulfilment of desire as a condition for contentment, you may be reducing your chances of happiness altogether. For example, you decide that you will be happy only when you become the managing director of the company you are working for. Now you are postponing the moment of your happiness to a point in the future. You will be happy only if and when you attain that position. The third way celebrates the march towards the destination. If the destination is reached, we will be happy. Even if itis not reached, nobody can take away the sense of thrill at having run the race, the delicious fatigue felt in the process. My happiness is derived not from reaching a goal,butfrom the struggle i wage as part of my attempt at reaching it. Observe classical musicians giving concerts in front of large audiences. They are so absorbed in their performance that for all practical purposes, they are unmindful of the audience, the applause at climactic points, or the money they will receive from the performance. What they enjoy is their involvement in bringing the art alive, not the end result in the form of ovation or payment. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the travel. Enjoy the endeavour. But don'tjust listen to me and work yourself to death saying that is what meant. Ensure that you will be wordmark, not just hard. Don't go fishinthe bathtub, for example. Don'ttrywork up lather in a running streamed evaluate your goals, estimate quantum and quality of effort to beinvested in attaining the goals, calethe ROI (Return on Investment) quotient carefully, and then, if youconvinced the ratio is satisfactory, ahead and work towards your goal That is smart work, intelligent effeFailure is a fact of life. In all competitive contexts, as in sports, example, one side has to lose.I insithe need to enjoy the effort ratherthejoy of success because i do not the losers to feel that they have notto feel happy about.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Swami Sukhabodhananda and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Swami Sukhabodhananda and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Playing Football Versus Winning A Match
Playing football is one kind of joy winning is anotherkind.The problem is we identify joy exclusively with winning. I cannot escape the feeling that equating joy with winning reduces the scope of joy altogether. Playing becomes a chore, a job, not an expression of one's talents, not a celebration of one's athleticism. I do not want to detract the joy and sense of fulfilment one gets from winning, but an exclusive concern with winning sucks the life out of sports and games. You may have a desire. Put in your best effort to fulfil it. But make sure you enjoy the effort rather than its fruits. There are those who make the effort grumbling and are happy only when the desire is achieved. Others exhaust themselves making the effort so that they have no strength or enthusiasm left to enjoy the fruits of their labour. A third method seems superior. Enjoy the effort no matter what the effect. I see nothing wrong with having a desire. The Taittiriya Upanishad says even the gods have desires, but if you are using fulfilment of desire as a condition for contentment, you may be reducing your chances of happiness altogether. For example, you decide that you will be happy only when you become the managing director of the company you are working for. Now you are postponing the moment of your happiness to a point in the future. You will be happy only if and when you attain that position. The third way celebrates the march towards the destination. If the destination is reached, we will be happy. Even if itis not reached, nobody can take away the sense of thrill at having run the race, the delicious fatigue felt in the process. My happiness is derived not from reaching a goal,butfrom the struggle i wage as part of my attempt at reaching it. Observe classical musicians giving concerts in front of large audiences. They are so absorbed in their performance that for all practical purposes, they are unmindful of the audience, the applause at climactic points, or the money they will receive from the performance. What they enjoy is their involvement in bringing the art alive, not the end result in the form of ovation or payment. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the travel. Enjoy the endeavour. But don'tjust listen to me and work yourself to death saying that is what meant. Ensure that you will be wordmark, not just hard. Don't go fishinthe bathtub, for example. Don'ttrywork up lather in a running streamed evaluate your goals, estimate quantum and quality of effort to beinvested in attaining the goals, calethe ROI (Return on Investment) quotient carefully, and then, if youconvinced the ratio is satisfactory, ahead and work towards your goal That is smart work, intelligent effeFailure is a fact of life. In all competitive contexts, as in sports, example, one side has to lose.I insithe need to enjoy the effort ratherthejoy of success because i do not the losers to feel that they have notto feel happy about.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Swami Sukhabodhananda and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Swami Sukhabodhananda and Speaking Tree,Times of India