The word education is dervided from the latin word "educere" which implies drawing out what is already in and not to blindly stuff in. One wonders how far it is followed in the practical world. In the last two- three years, I have read several books from American authors on how tough career transition can be. If it is such a grave problem in the United states, one wonders what the situation is in India which does not have the kind of psychologists the Us has and also has a huge population.

Just to have some feedback, I am presenting the articles that appeared in India's leading newspaper with the largest circulation. I had earlier written similar articles for two leading Indian magazines.

THE TIMES OF INDUA UNDER MIND, BODY, SPIRIT AND YOU

ARTICLE -I IS YOUR HEART IN YOUR JOB?

In today’s competitive environment, it is not at all uncommon to find people working as much as 16-18 hours a day and indulging in other activities only in the weekend . So, If a person is forced to work for such a long duration in the wrong occupation , will it not have health and other complications. Can a person who is unhappy for a majority of his working hours be integrated in mind, body and spirt?

One has to look at the situation from society’s perspective as well. Dale Carnegie had stated in one of his books that Job misfits are the biggest wastage of Industrial society. Even in a small company, the less square pegs in round holes, the better the productivity and profitability of the company. This is true for the society and country at large. The individual too would prosper if he really loves his job.

Nanette Hucknall interpret it in terms of Soul “To know the self is to know your own spirit. The work one selects is most important as it always helps the soul to go to another level of maturity. It is necessary to look into your inner self to discover your true life work.” It is not for nothing that it is said, “Choose your career not on the basis of what you know but who you are” . How can there be an integration of mind, body and spirit when the heart is not in the job?

Career and spouse are the two biggest decisions of one’s life but the amount of time spent on the former is far greater and has graver emotional and financial implications. Even purely at the mind level, it is not easy to identify what Harvard Business review calls “functional talent”. Analytical intelligence displayed at the time of case studies in an MBA does not always translate into creative or practical intelligence. After all, money and satisfaction are byproducts of the right talent being there in the right areas. So how does one go about identifying one’s right talent?

ARTICLE I- WHAT THEY OMITTED?

Morgan and Banks, who are HRD consultants in over 28 countries have confirmed that career change is one of the toughest decisions anybody can attempt. Nanette Hucknall in her book “Karma, Destiny and Career” explains extensively how many drastic adjustments are required both from family and friends if a person has to either go back to school or peruse a completely different course of action. Many people complain that they don’t know what their hidden talents are and some say compromises have to be made once you go the family way. .

Just as divorce is the remedy for a bad marriage, innovative ways should be sought for extricating people from what could well prove to be a lifelong prison- the wrong occupation.


ARTICLE II – FOLLOW YOUR INTERESTS.


An American intellectual once said that hobbies are more a measure of a man than profession is. Somebody else suggested that the luckiest man is one whose hobby and profession are same. Every hobby unfortunately cannot become a profession but these statements merit further introspection.

American psychologist Jay Farlay says “First you need to discover your most important interests and inclinations—the kinds of activities you enjoy, the kinds of settings you prefer, the kind of technology you like to work with, and the sorts of people you like. This understanding will lead you to activities that spark your excitement and enthusiasm, work that taps your creative edge, and a lifestyle that is deeply satisfying. “Although Farlay works with clients over weekends, he says that it can sometimes take years before you find your life’s work. He sometimes even uses “community service” to pinpoint life’s work.

The basic issue it how to zero in on your niche. It could be something right next to you but you may not take it seriously because of absurd preconceived notions. Management consultant Pramod Batra reveals in his book that “An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than in incompetent philosopher. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because its a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy”. Sometimes, obsession with fancy qualifications or money or catering to society’s preconceived notions hide our real calling which could be a humble activity. In extreme cases, it can entail lifetime suffering when the mindset and the occupation do not match at all and one is forced to persist with it to support one’s family.

Sometimes one can go to the other extreme as well. There was an interesting case of a child psychologist who became a taxi driver because driving was the passion driving him. When questioned on this strange climb down, he replied that one must do what one must do without caring about what the world thinks. If only the majority in the world too could think like that, it would be a lot happy and integrated if not better world.


WHAT THE NEWSPAPER OMITTED – PART II

Heart over head is deemed appropriate by many for the major decisions and actions of their lives. Poetry being the language of the heart, the decision of one’s life’s work is best described in the words of the mystic poet Kahlil Gibran “Work is love made visible”.

Sometimes, it could be right next to you but you may not take it seriously because of absurd preconceived notions. Osho said once “Just because a man is a president of a country does not mean that he should have respect and the man who makes perfect shoes should not. Both are fulfilling certain needs of the society; both should have the same honor and the same dignity.” It is a person who dignifies a job and not a job that dignifies a person. Even the Nhagvad Gita(revered hindu scriputre) defines yoga as excellence or expertise in all types and aspects of work. Pride of workmanship is a valued national asset in Germany because of following this philosophy.

Sometimes mistaken perceptions may entail a lifetime of suffering when the mindset and the occupation do not match at all and one is forced to persist with it to support one’s family.
  

ARIICLE III- Know your calling?

International HRD consultants Morgan and Banks point out that a combination of overwhelming desire and ability will see a
person reach the top of their field. Stressing that the love for one's work is as, if not more, important than ability, they
stress on that the activity or work that would makes one feel anticipation and excitement while going to work and feel fulfilled,
challenged, contended and motivated while at work. Even spiritual gurus have conceded that “Know thyself” is one of the
toughest things to determine/.



For this purpose, there are specific heart probing questions pertaining to different psychological tests some of the ones I
find most pertinent are:


What are the gifts with which I have been blessed but which have been hidden from me or set aside because of fear of failure?

Am I engaged in work that I value or work that merely pays the bills?

Is my work spiritually and materially rewarding?

Is my work my calling?

Do I love my work?

What do I love to do?

What activities engage my passion?

What are my authentic, natural gifts?

When am I most happy in my life?

What am I doing when that happens?

How can I turn those activities into my life’s work?

How can I make my work my spiritual practice?

What is holding me back?

How can I overcome those obstacles?



Questions pertaining to the mind identify the skill sets in an activity and then one has to think of how they can apply
elsewhere. A mother running a household could use many of the same prioritizing and organizational skills to manage a
business. Taking one’s particular skills and applying them differently can enable one to change one’s career path.
Personal traits and skills are more important than degrees and qualifications as they reflect what one yearns for and what
one is really capable of.


ARTICLE THREE- MY VERSION

International HRD consultants Morgan and Banks point out that a combination of overwhelming desire and ability will see a person reach the top of their field. Albert Einstein had said once that all great discoveries come from people whose feeling run ahead of their thinking. It is also a well known fact that people who excel at something are able to demonstrate but not able to explain their achievement. Similarly while trying to determine our life’s work, gut feel and emotional information is difficult to articulate.

Therefore, while maintaining a balance between our emotional and rational selves, a calling is defined as the intersection of talent and passion. Accordingly one can ask oneself the following:-

Is my work my calling? Do I love my work?
What is that I will do or continue doing irrespective of whether I am paid for it or not.
What is that I enjoy and can do spontaneously and effortlessly ?
How can I use my passion, gifts and talents to serve mankind?
In which activity am I most happy in my life?
How can I turn those activities into my life’s work?
Do I enjoy doing it or do I enjoy writing and talking about it?
What is it that I can do well and like doing in all moods and most circumstances and situations?

In a nutshell, its more about “What do I love” and “How do I want to feel” instead of “What am I good at” or “What do I want”.. It’s more about the heart than the mind.

A very successful CEO and later entrepreneur, when asked the secret of his planning, attention to detail and organizing skills replied that writing screenplays in his college days which entailed writing each and every thing about a character helped both in business plans and implementation. Similarly cooking, which was his hobby could be very tedious and time consuming without proper planning and organizing. By his own admission, his mind got automatically trained for the above skills because of being actively involved in his leisure pursuits..

Morgan and Banks have also indicated that how a mother running a household could use many of the same prioritizing and organizational skills to manage a business.. Identifying activities that one enjoys doing and which enable one to know one’s particular skills and talents and applying them differently can pave the way for both knowing one’s life’s work or opting for a change in occupation.
   

ARTICLE 4- CAREER MEDITATIONS

Nanette Hucknall in her book Karma, Destiny and your Career writes that very often young people spend years in occupations that may have appealed at some time but turn out to be boring and uninspiring.. One would not like to spend the best years like that.


Hucknall advocates a type of meditation as a means of connecting with the higher self as one of the means to overcome this problem. It basically entails taking deep breaths, relaxing each part from the toes to the top of the head and trying to center oneself by linking with the heart chakra. Then, visualize oneself in the middle of nature – it could be a meadow, a waterfall or a mountain . After that, imagine a wise and loving being in the sun looking down at you. The figure then slides down and appears besides you. Link your heart with its heart. Then, while being focused on the heart chakra ask questions like “What is my life’s work?”. One can make a list of occupations or broad categories, imagine placing an image of one of the categories in your heart center and ask “ If my life’s work is in this category, please let me feel it in my heart”.


The heart chakra responds in various ways. It may start to move or pulse in a circular motion. It could also feel as if it is expanding and emitting warmth. Working on a regular basis may reveal what is the right reaction for you.


An interesting case study that Hucknall states is that of 25 year old Laura who could not decide whether to be a sculptor, a decorator and to pursue something new- like performance art. After this meditation process, it turned out that she was made for structural engineering, something she had not even thought about. Going back to school was terrifying but she had no difficulty in taking to a subject like calculus and her success strengthened her resolve to pursue her goal..

Psychologists practice variations of the above and one hopes that mankind which has been able to reach the moon and the outer space so effectively is able to attempt an encore with the inner space equally well.