“Traveling in India gives you a chance to observe a Renaissance.”
– Marie Brenner
I visited India a few years ago and though I love travel, India had never been on my list of “must see” places. I went because I felt this was a country that was going to have a significant growing importance in the world and I wanted to better understand the culture, business environment and infrastructure and how that could affect business in the United States. Though I certainly came away with a taste of that knowledge, the great surprise was the deeply touching life lessons I experienced. Since my return, I find myself reflecting upon those experiences and how they impact the decisions I make in my own business as well as how they translate to individuals considering a change in career.
1. We often find our destiny on the path we try hardest to avoid.
Listening to the story of the great Buddha’s early life, this thought really resonated with me. As the story goes, the Buddha’s father was told by a seer prior to this birth that his son would be a great emperor or a great leader of the people. His father spent all of his son’s early life protecting him from seeing any suffering so that he would assuredly become a great emperor, keeping him inside the palace at all times in great luxury. But when the Buddha did reach an age that he could venture out into the world on his own, he was struck by the great suffering he saw and took the exact opposite of the path his father tried so desperately to avoid.
There are a multitude of interpretations of this saying but for me, I thought of the many people with whom I have spoken over the years who are consistently focused on the things they don’t want to happen and then that is exactly where they find themselves. Fear of failure makes them not take the risks that could propel their career or bring greater happiness into their lives.
Focusing on the negative aspects of your current situation takes energy and focus away from what you would like to be doing instead.
2. You must let go of old habits to achieve new ones.
Except for a rare few, most of us have a limited capacity in our lives for the things we want to accomplish both mentally and physically.
Even bad habits can be a form of comfort. For example, working very long hours at times is required in any role but that often becomes a habit. I consistently see individuals leave a job because they are working long hours only to start a new role and immediately start working those hours again in the new role, even though there was no expectation that would be required by the new employer. They often say they are only doing it until they get comfortable in the new role, which is admirable, but I find them still doing it three years later!
You must make a conscious choice to evaluate when you truly need to work those hours versus just working them out of a habit before you can make a commitment to have dinner with your family, go for walk, or do other things that you enjoy in your life.
3. Education is the great equalizer.
In the 1950s, the average total years of education for the population in India was 1 year. Today, it is approximately 8.5 years, which translates to the younger population receiving a full high school education and at least some college for many. The access to education is changing the fabric of the Indian society and consequently the world has a vast number of educated workers entering the global workforce.
Regardless of your role, learning is critical to your personal growth. For some, it can be formal classwork or technical certifications. But for many, it can be finding a mentor, a leadership program, a networking group, or anything that expands your horizons beyond your personal experiences. The more you expand your knowledge, the more you level the playing field in your career advancement.
Careers can be very demanding and can oftentimes require a vast amount of our time and mental energy. Perhaps one of these thoughts will resonate with you in the same way the sights and sounds of India resonated with me and help guide you in a future career decision.
READ MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Dresser leads J Curve, LLC, an Atlanta-based firm specializing in providing companies with experienced accounting and finance professionals for project and interim roles. Amy started her career at KPMG and now leverages her accounting background combined with her passion for helping others achieve success through matching ideally-suited interim professionals with client’s needs. You may contact Amy at amydresser@jcurvellc.com.
J Curve, LLC is a Strategic Partner of Atlanta’s premier accounting and finance recruiting firm, Homrich, Klein & Associates. Visit their website to learn more about our full-time accounting and finance opportunities and retained executive search services.
