Work Life Balance and The Endless Debate

A lot is being discussed and argued about work life balance. From business tycoons, politicians, actors and actresses, employees- all have been giving continuous opinions about this important aspect of our lives. So, I am just one of them, sharing my viewpoint.

First, let's understand the meaning of work. You can consider work as primarily a source of income. That's what most of you do, right? If work is a means of earning money, that you are talking about, yes, it has to be timed. Because, if you work only for money you cannot spend hours on it. That work has to add more than the monetary value for it to be done continuously.

Again, by God’s Grace, if you earn money by doing the work you love, then the timing has no meaning. According to 3 Idiots, “Agar aapki girl friend aur biwi ek hi hai” then, it becomes enjoyment and not bondage. 

Bondage is the correct word. If work causes bondage, it cannot be done for long durations. If you are working for the self-created EMI’s or for the endless family needs, you are bound to break one day. 

But if work is liberating, it can definitely be continued. If you have some purpose, other than material desires, it automatically realigns your energies and saves you from collapsing- in life as well as on the treadmill!

But as your duty, you must carry on! The show must go on, right! Because giving up work due to lack of physical or mental ability to carry on is like the biggest defeat. So, the catch here is to surrender. As you age, you must learn to surrender, not the work but the results. 

Imagine Nitish Bharadwaj telling Feroz Khan to give up the results and fight on the battlefield, in a chariot!  Well, if it is told like a Gita Updesh, you might not want to hear. It might seem saffronization of one of the most quintessential lessons of life. But, the fact remains that the freedom of work can only be achieved through those magical words of Krishna. 

There is another very important factor about work that needs immediate attention today. Doing Swa-dharma. You can never get tired if you are doing your own work. That work is entirely done for the self. Even if it’s raising children, serving parents, or loving your spouse. You are fulfilling a part of your own desire through these relationships.

So, you have to ponder over a few things first. Are you working for yourself or fulfilling somebody else’s expectations- wife, children, parents, or the boss? Are you working because you need to save your face because of “log kya sochenge”? Or worse, are you working so that you can post it on LinkedIn and feel proud later on? 

You must consider all these things before trying to maintain a work-life balance. Because, as my beloved Nitish Bharadwaj once said: You cannot survive without action even for a moment. So, let’s first define our work and actions, and then define life; then we can discuss how to balance it!