Disclaimer: I am yet to master this form of art, like others. This article is just another version of my experiences and learning that I am planning to share with you.
Over the past 6 years, (the last of my teens and the first 5 of my twenties) I have been striving hard to be the best and get out of mediocrity. My elder brother once told me casually, "Why do you want to be a part of the crowd? What's the point of being average? Do you ever plan to get out of your mediocre scores or you are too comfortable?" These words hit me hard for a while, for so long that I wanted to be productive every waking moment of my life. I wanted to break the monotony and the mediocrity of course, not realizing whether it was what that I wanted or it was something that I thought was tied to successful people.
The next battle of battle began soon, I questioned myself constantly as How do I become more productive? What makes people so successful in their lives? Is it hard work or luck or a combination of both? I thought academic achievements are a full-blown contribution to being productive only to realize that there are more elements to a CV, and one must be extra active. Soon, in the race of sorting my interests and aligning them with the masses, I had created an endless maze of goals without an end. I thought I need a more specific goal and something more achievable and quantifiable.
I set my goal in the next few years and I was back at being more productive. I did everything possible to contribute all my time to tasks that got me closer to my goals. I guess what I was still not satisfied. It hit me hard, that something was wrong. In my whole battle to stand out, I had become more mechanical than ever. Every lost tick mark on my list would bother me more than my meals. Even my emotional backlogs were a part of the list I thought had to be finished. Productivity was 100% but mediocrity was still alive.
One morning on a Sunday breakfast, one of my friends asked me, "What makes you happy?" I was stunned, because I did not know the answer. I took my time and this time I made a list again, the only difference was this time it had things like watching my plants grow, spending time with my mother, drinking with my friends, and so on. There was nothing "productive" in it. That day I learned something, in order to be at your best you need two kinds of goals in your life "Productive" and "Non-Productive", something that is for your "career goal" and something for "you". Now, if you are extremely lucky and they align for you, or you do not get worked up easily about your work and have blurred boundaries between personal and professional life you are wonderfully comfortable. For those of you who are not, take it one day at a time, be productive, you need to only persevere through your will power to do something more.
Make lists, keep reminders, but remember to buy yourself a burger once in a while.
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