Drawing Inspiration from Dusshera: Reflecting on Professional Success and Satisfaction

As the Indian subcontinent celebrates Dusshera or Vijayadashmai today, an Indian festival, which symbolises the victory of good over evil as written between 8th to 3rd century BCE epic 'Ramayan'. At its heart it is the story of a powerful king, Ravana, defeated due to his unchecked negative traits, despite his vast knowledge and intellect.

While the story originates from Hindu mythology, I believe its core lesson is universal and timeless: unchecked negative traits can hinder success, regardless of one's skills or knowledge.

Ravanaa is usually depicted with 10 heads, as a I child i used to be scared and wondered why 10 heads? I quizzed my elders trying to understand the rationale behind it. I was told those 10 heads symbolises 10 different traits, I believe these 10 traits can also be co-related to the professional world which so extent extent define our professional career, its approach and our perception of success and failure, These 10 traits are:

1. Kama (lust): Excessive desire can blur our vision. In the workplace, it’s essential to differentiate between ambition and blind greed.

2. Krodha (anger): Uncontrolled anger can damage professional relationships and cloud judgment.

3. Moha (delusion): Being deluded or overly attached to an idea can prevent us from seeing better opportunities or solutions.

4. Lobha (greed): While ambition is commendable, greed can lead to unethical decisions.

5. Mada (pride): Confidence is key, but overconfidence can hinder personal growth and learning.

6. Maatsarya (envy): Instead of being envious, let's be inspired by others' successes.

7. Buddhi (intellect): Relying solely on intellect without empathy or emotional intelligence can limit one's leadership potential.

8. Manas (mind): A focused mind can achieve more than a scattered one.

9. Chitta (will): Misdirected willpower can lead us down the wrong path.

10. Ahamkara (ego): A balanced ego helps in accepting feedback and fosters collaboration.

Each of these traits can also be seen a fuel for many of us, I wonder as a human if we could ever control or manage all or even one of these. Professional pundits and experts have also re-iterated, achieving professional success isn't just about skills or knowledge. It's about introspection, self-awareness, and constant self-improvement.

Let's use Dusshera as a reminder to reflect on our professional journey, acknowledge our strengths, and work on our weaknesses. In doing so, we can hope to find not just success, but true satisfaction and the hopefully fulfil our aspiration to achieve a work-life balance where we work to live and not the other way around.

Reflecting on these traits, which one do you believe is most crucial to address for personal and professional growth, and how do you plan to work on it? Let's share and learn from each other's experiences.