Got your dream job and yet there is something amiss? Your dream job may not be your goal

"Have we ever considered that the ‘earning a living’ part could well have been just the first step and the ultimate goal lies somewhere else?"

We are Indians. We are wired to direct our lives toward earning a livelihood. And if you have ever dared to step out of this box, you would know how hard it could be. Right from school we begin searching for an answer to one perennial question –what do you want to be when you grow up? The question might have been asked slightly differently, like what is the goal of your life. But then again, the word ‘goal’ is often misunderstood as profession. The root of this misconception lies in the duress we are put into to earn a living. We stop seeing goals that are beyond monetary gains. We keep trying to convince ourselves that the profession we dreamt about from our childhood is our goal. And we keep looking for satisfaction in it, while the real goal rests in oblivion. No denying that for some people being in one kind of job could be their goal. But for most it isn’t. The goal is often not so direct. It’s deeper and sometimes vastly incomprehensible.

It’s upon us to take a look inside and wonder if we are satisfied and if there is nothing more that we want from life. We need to ask ourselves, have we achieved true happiness? -The one that only arrives when we actually get to the real goal. If we are that satisfied, well and good but if we aren’t then know one thing for sure, the goal hasn’t been conquered yet. Getting to that dream job gets one that momentary happiness that fades away in a while. And often we stop looking and searching for answers to ‘what is amiss?’ because we are too occupied in the routine. Have we ever considered that the ‘earning a living’ part could well have been just the first step and the ultimate goal lies somewhere else? Our profession is often the route to the goal and we misunderstand it as the goal itself. It’s possible that one guy saw his parents barely managing to pay rent of a rented apartment as he grew up. And he unknowingly pledged to remove those crinkles of stress from his parent’s forehead. He grows up, earns enough and buys a house for his parents –goal achieved, one craving that he had right from his childhood. He chose to be a lawyer, doctor or whatever else was of importance but was never his ultimate goal. The goal was to make his parents happy.

Similarly, a girl who has overcome an abusive relationship has a strong yearning of true love engraved in her heart. And there is no embarrassment in accepting that for some people true love, care and compassion –just a hand of tenderness could be the ultimate goal. She may do well in her professional life, earn handsomely and that’s important but still remain unsatisfied because what she desires most is a true, affectionate relationship. Another girl in her place could have made an ‘independent life’ her ultimate goal. It’s just about the way our heart beats.

The point in all this is quite simple. Goal of our lives can well be materialistic, monetary or emotional in nature. We just need to keep looking. Accepting dissatisfaction as part of life is the biggest disservice one can do to oneself. So let’s go out there, give our best in whatever we do and discover and hunt down that ultimate goal!