After spending so many years in India I got used to the frequent electricity blackouts, the chaos, the filth and stench and when I came back again to reside in the western world I was amazed. I was amazed by how easily we are impatient about small things, so cosy and comfortable and so complacent about our easy lives. I was reminded how very impatient I had been when building my different businesses.
We do know that we have it easy compared to those in underdeveloped countries; we know that we complain about anything at all and whinge, bitch and gripe about almost anything at all…
We even have clean air and forget that luxury; mostly we can get sickness benefits, old age benefits, unemployed benefits, paid parental leave benefits and a whole host of other lurks, perks and legal benefits…
Society is for the individual, not the other way around but we have become so comfortable with the trappings of society that even the poorest of us can afford a relatively secure, safe and comfortable life. If you’re fortunate enough to have your own business which you love, that in itself is a luxury most can’t afford.
Because of our tendency to take for granted what we have, we tend to forget that once in awhile our cosy world will crash especially if we get sick, seriously ill or one of our loved ones leaves us or even worse dies.
So, how much more intelligent will our life be if we take our business as a life process by which we can learn about ourselves and put things in perspective?
Remembering that life is very fragile will ensure you don’t waste time and that you give your life and your business endeavours 150%; that totality will become the fuel by which your business can grow and your life become easier.
The more we look at life as a struggle the more of a struggle life will be. The more we look at life as a constant challenge and treat that challenge lightly, the easier it will be to…
suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes.
Chaos is certainly a great way to test our light and our understanding of ourselves and life.
And Business will certainly test our understanding of ourselves and those around us.
Any chaos only serves to make us more flexible and flexibility in business is a MUST if you don’t want to go crazy.
Things like technology, social trends and norms, national and global opportunities and the way we connect, are changing so rapidly that we must be flexible at all costs.
Look right now at Fairfax Papers and the sacking of hundreds of journalists will give you some idea about the way the world is going and the flexibility we all must have.
The less we understand ourselves the easier we will be swayed by any circumstances and not only, that the easier we will fall prey to blaming life and its often harsh lessons, rather than taking absolute responsibility for everything that has happened to us.
We become more flexible and resilient when we understand ourselves more. How we integrate this understanding in our career, business, relationships, health is our challenge.
~ Chris Borrett