I was reading the Sept issue of the “Prevention” magazine and came across an article by Caroline Myss. One particular paragraph sums up my belief about the approach to anything you do.
I especially love the analogy of a lifeguard pushing you into the pool, saving you and then standing around looking for praise. Everyone will agree this is just not done, but that’s exactly what many people do at work and in life. The need to be liked and societal approval is so much that you are more worried about what others might say rather than do the thing you love.
A quote I absolutely love is from Eleanor Roosevelt – “Do what you feel in your heart to be right … For you will be criticized anyway”. This is so right !! A beautiful story from Osho’s collection brings this point home. Shiva and Parvati along with Nandi, the cow, were walking upto Mount Kailash. The first village they pass through, people bow to them and some people snigger and say, look at this Shiva, he is supposed to be a God and has the Nandi with him, can’t he and Parvati sit on the Nandi rather than walk ? So Shiva immediately sits on the Nandi and gets Parvati also to sit. The next village they go to, again people bow to them and a few snigger saying, these are supposed to be Gods, I get it if he makes Parvati sit on the Nandi, but why can’t he walk ? Poor beast of burden.. So Shiva gets off and lets Parvati remain on the Nandi. The next village they go to, again people bow to them and a few snigger saying “what sort of a woman is Parvati ? Her husband walks and she sits on the Nandi, shame on her !” So Parvati gets off and let’s Shiva sit on the Nandi. The next village they go to, again people bow to them and a few snigger saying “strange Gods these are, the lady walks and the Nandi carries Shiva, ideally Shiva should be carrying Parvati and Nandi”. So Shiva lifts Nandi and Parvati and moves on … The next village they go to, again people bow to them and a few snigger saying “Gods have lost it, Shiva carrying the beast of burden Nandi on his shoulders, even human beings are smarter. Why can’t Shiva and Parvati sit on the Nandi ?” And the story repeats from the beginning :):)
Do what you love to do and worry not about being liked. You cannot please everyone at any time. Some will praise you, some will criticize you and different groups of people will do the praising and criticizing for different things. Go ahead, find the things you love to do and stop bothering about being liked and accepted all the time.
Like I say to many of my “girl” friends “Be Bindaas” … Nothing to lose.
ahh Bindu…I got t hear this story live from you the other day !! 🙂
Nice one Bindu. But I don’t know where Osho roped in Shiva and Parvati for the story. I always knew it as the story of a washerman, his young son and their donkey and the story remains the same.
Secondly, ‘do what you love’ is fine when one has climbed to a substantial level on the ladder of success. Its a good moral alright but can be followed at an appropriate time ( if such a time does come ), when one is free of responsibilities and encumbrances and no one’s life is hinged on the person. At a lofty level, I agree with your thoughts. The lifegurad need not push people inside and seek praise, but he may well still be condemned to his job regardless of his liking it.
Harish, thanks and you are right, it takes a while for most of us to identify what we love to do. The idea is to look for it and try and move towards the kind of work we love. Being stuck in work that is uninspiring and disliked, doesn’t help anyone. Actually the timing doesn’t matter – my father-in-law quit from his 15 year old stint in the Indian Railways and became a teacher because that’s what he loved to do – at a time when financially the family was struggling and there were three small boys to educate and sisters to be married off. Guess that’s the Aries craziness :):):) but he died with his boots on because he loved the work so much. Guess that’s what I was getting at.
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Hi Bindu. I have been reading your blogs from some time. This is the best story i have ever heard 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Gitanjali. I use this story almost every day because it helps in taking decisions without fear :):). One keeps worrying about what “someone” will say and take the wrong decision.
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