HALF-A-LIFE: 3 reasons people do things in HALF MEASURES; and 1 simple way to CHANGE that

Many years ago, I happened to read a book by Sir V.S Naipul. I remember struggling with it; perhaps my sensibilities were not mature enough at that time to enjoy an effortless read. But, being a student of literature, I felt duty-bound to not leave a Naipul book incomplete. Predictably, I do not remember the plot anymore. But I do remember, the title.

Infact, for some reason it has stuck to my mind.

Half a life.

That phrase, I found, was not only written on the cover on Sir Naipaul's book, but on the cover story of how so many people conduct their lives and work.

I see it all around..

I see it when a ground staff of an airline looks at you with some salaried compulsion to greet, but finds it too cumbersome to carry through the act.

I see it when a teacher while correcting the notebook, settles for just the tick, cross and smiley in the notebook correction, when she could have written an extra line of suggestion to help the child.

I see it when a manager wants to only give instructions to his subordinates, but finds it too taxing to find out how the subordinates feel about their work.

I see it when an employee does only what he is asked to do, and vehemently stays away from what else is necessary to be done.

I see it when a friend sends a whatsapp message to wish on an important moment, but finds picking up the phone, for just a minute, an earth-shattering effort.

I see it when a parent is mindlessly fiddling with the phone, instead of being completely present with their child.

It appears that so often we are dragging our feet into our workplaces, homes and relationships..

It appears that we are

"trying" to live life..

"trying" to work..

"trying" to love..

"trying" to be..

To my mind there are 3 reason why we try to everywhere, but are nowhere completely.

#1- We lack the COMMITMENT: The lack of excellence and drive that we see at workplaces or even relationships is often a result of inadequate commitment. A person who is committed to achieving something will find ways of doing it. Others will wait for things to go wrong, and use it as an excuse.

We TRY to do things, but do not REALLY DO it... we do not bother to commit ourselves fully to anything.

#2- We lack the COURAGE: Another reason people drag their feet to some place is, if they feel stuck in a situation they do not wish to be in. Yet, they lack the courage to take a decision to exit that job or relationship or place. They fear the consequences, the trade-offs, the others in the situation, the popular opinions.

We TRY to do things, which we DO NOT WANT to do... we do not try to summon the courage to take a call.

#3- We lack the CLARITY: Often we are doing things in an auto-pilot mode. We never pause to think why we are doing it. We simply "tag along". People follow the same routine without any thought on the question of why. We are in jobs because someone said that is good for us. We are in relationships because that is the social norm.

We TRY to do things, which we HAVE NO CLUE WHY we are doing... we do not spend time seeking clarity within ourselves.

The cumulative outcome

of all this "half-measured trying"

in every moment of our lives

is in the end..

A life half-lived

And make no mistake. This impacts business revenue as well.

I will anyday choose fewer employees who are fully there, than an army of employees only half-present. (Managers - don't confuse this with longer work hours. It is about employees who are fully present mind, body and soul. They could even work fewer hours, but bring themselves to work 100%.)

I know, I have been guilty of writing about purpose of life, often.

But I am saying today - chuck purpose of life (for now).

Here is one simple way to live life fully:

Make a choice, and take accountability for what you choose.

Don't just "hang around".

Choose which job you want to be at.

Choose whether you want to be a father, mother, sister, brother, friend, husband, wife, daughter, son.

And then give yourself fully to it.

Umm, did I hear you say - "but what if I have no choice?"

Keep morals aside. There is always a choice.

You feel like running away from a job?

Either commit yourself fully to running away OR immerse yourself into the job, if you make the choice to stay.

Same with a relationship.

Please spare yourself and others the MISERY of TRYING to do the job or being in the relationship, and CRIBBING about it.

As Yoda, the Jedi master of Star Wars says:

Try not. DO or DO NOT. There is no try.

Birth is NOT our choice.

Neither is death.

Everything else in between IS.

And every passing second, is the choice to live..

Just half-of-the-life we can...

OR..

Live it fully..

Give it everything we have..

Be everything we can be, in that moment..

That is the choice we have to make.

And, I hope we all choose well.

What more can I say, except..

May the force be with you.

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(Disclaimer: No part of this blog maybe copied or reproduced or reused or republished in any way, except using the share feature of LinkedIn. Any other form of reuse, must be only after explicit written consent of the author.)

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Swati Jena is a writer and entrepreneur. She is among the LinkedIn Top Voices 2017.

While Swati writes on a wide variety of subjects, her favorite topics are leadership, life & purpose, artificial intelligence and education.

She is the author of a unique book on entrepreneurship, called:

The Entrepreneur’s Soulbook — Is it your cup of tea? Link to the book

Swati is the founder of GhostWritersWorld (LinkedIn Page)/(website)

Her other articles include the following. You can find them here.

Technology & product

1. “If Robots will do everything, what will humans do”: Why AI Rhetoric deeply worries me
2. “Justice delayed is justice denied”: Could AI and Data Science be the answer to India’s judicial backlog?
3. Flirt with your product ideas, don’t fall in love
4. LOL … driverless cars for India??: When AI meets Cows, Rajinikanth and Ganpati
5. Love in the time of Artificial Intelligence: Valentine’s Day 2030
6. “Who pays the price?”: Why PRODUCT INNOVATION without SERVICE EXCELLENCE hurts customers — the ETHICS of product innovation

Leadership and Organization

1. “If you are nothing without the suit, you don’t deserve it”: 3 cardinal tests for anyone who calls himself leader
2. 3 unforgettable lessons I learnt from an Indian Ed Tech Leader
3. “Oh! You are sensitive”: Why sensitive is a TABOO word — and LEADERS should consciously HIRE such people in teams
4. “I love solving problems”: The BIG problem with problem solving
5. “So why are you leaving?”: Don’t treat retention discussions like a ONE TIME date
6. Sophisticated-fear-based-management: 3 unmistakable signs
7. Interns or cheap labor? Making internship count
8. “Travis may be Uber, but Uber cannot be Travis: The curious case of Charismatic leaders”

Diversity and Inclusion

1. “Women can’t code because of Biology: 3 reasons it was a BIG MISTAKE for google to fire James Damore (perspectives of a feminist)
2. 3 taboo questions Millennials are asking, leaving hiring managers shocked
3. Why the ‘Corporate-style Women’s Day Celebrations’ gives me the creeps
4. The OOUCH of maternity leaves: Why managers secretly dread it
5. Man or Woman? Who should lead gender diversity? Why we are simply asking the WRONG question.
6. “She has good figure”: Why creating a safe place to work takes much more than just sexual harrassment policy

Life & purpose

1.”But I have bills to pay..”: Why the PREMISE we build our life on, DECIDES how far we will go..

2. “How is life? Well, going on.”: Why you should NOT quit your job, but GRADUATE from it

3.The Monkey Catcher’s Lesson: Why we get stuck in our jobs, situations, emotions..

4. “Anger is remembered pain”: 3 steps to healing from difficult experiences at workplace

5. “How is life? Well, going on..”: Why you should NOT quit your job, but GRADUATE from it

6. A “50-over-50” list: Pressures of adults “growing up” in a world of over-achieving youngsters

7. The (difficult) art of doing nothing and why it matters in a world proud of “busy”

8. 500 Uber rides without driver talking on the phone: My personal starfish story

9. “Here is a muffin that will make you successful”: The unspoken truth about success

10. 5 reasons we should “stop fighting” for a cause

11. “You are hiding something”: 4 reasons we find it difficult to trust those we love

12. “Pick your battles”: Fine, but how?

Education

1. The Yin and Yang of Ed-Tech: Will schools even survive the next 10 years?
2. Why we “grown-ups” are the biggest reason the education system must change urgently
3. “No chair for teacher”: Is it time we do away with this regressive and myopic policies