Who is a "Professional”?, ‘An individual who is highly skilled in performing or carrying a specific task or responsibilities’. Whether factual or not, the world we live in has no shortage of professionals. In a race where each trying to outperform the other, in reality, it feels as if our lives are run by our professions either directly or indirectly. But how many are living their own lives professionally?, and when I say ‘own lives’, what I really mean is the ‘personal life’ we lead as individuals., Or is it that we have become professionals to others, we have forgotten or neglected to manage or live our own life professionally?.
What would it take to become a professional to our own self?, my belief is that, we must strike balance between our working professional life and our own personal life. Believe the appropriate term should be ‘balance sheet of life’, bringing responsibilities and accountability to a point where one supports the other, without losing perspective of our own life and the lives around us. In a highly competitive environment, perhaps one might say, finding equilibrium may be an impossible task. But in reality, we lose our way simply because we are unable to find rhythm and harmony to coexist with a routine that can help us to balance our life and to create a professional environment to inhabit our personal life style that is both practical and realistic. Without such a balance, there is only contrast between the real life we lead and the person seen by rest of the world. So in reality, we live our life to please others rather than trying to please our self’s. In a society infatuated by tangible possessions, at times I wonder whether the legacy we leave behind will be remembered or it too will simply decay just like the tangibles possessions we are driven to collect.
No religion teaches us to become inhumane, each religion teaches us to respective and to care for all living things. Part of building a ‘professional’ personal life is respecting all religions and never dividing your own feelings and thought based on once race or nationality. Apply ‘Life’, when tradition is required.
We must learn to empower people with positive thoughts. Negativity prevails when selfishness is given the power to immerse. Enlighten yourself when doubt prevails about life and about the world which we are living in. Each country inherits its own history and culture, and contributes to the well-being of rest of the world. As such, respect must be given to the Laws and practices of each country without bias or prevailing circumstances.
Money has become the new instrument of power. But it should not be the instrument which measure the value of life and determine who we are. In a commerce driven world, money has become a necessity to survive. At least, this is what’s been fed by the ‘world powers’ to the masses. Money has given birth to greed; greed has given birth to destruction. There is nothing professional about one envying another and losing all humanity to a piece of paper with a assumed face value. We have become professionals driven by greed and envy, a combination which is bringing humanity to its knees. It’s our inability to balance our own personal life professionally, what is dragging us further apart from the reality and the purpose of our existence, and untimely to our own extinction.
God has created each human being with purpose, a purpose which does not include thoughts of envy or jealousy. The natural recourse's where created in a such away, co-existence and harmony was needed as intended. But God’s creations and intentions are being defied and manipulated. The world commerce has changed in such a way; the battle to gain power has created chaos and disparity throughout the world. While rest of the world cry in agony, some wine and dine, basking in the riches, pawning their humanity to Greed and power in their selfish quest for Glory. Is this the Purpose we were born to serve?. May it be your work place, or wherever you are right now or may it be your home town; look around and look down to seek the less fortunate. Do not let them disappear in to the dark; do not make them invincible while they are standing right in front of you. Live your life while you cherish the lives of others and you will be a professional in your own personal life.
Life has taught me many things, and the most important lesson of all is; nothing comes easy in life. There are no short cuts to living a balance or a healthy life. We must work hard and should sweat every day. More active our body and mind becomes, less prone we will be to sickness and deceases. Each one of us has the ability to change our own lives and live our own lives professionally. World cannot be changed overnight, but change we must, if to make this a better world, a world where humanity over power greed and suffering, a world where Love truly exists.
 | Ravi Varrier, CEO, Al Rashed International Shipping Company |