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| Book Author: Sonali D'silva |
I have been one of
those professionals who had no time for myself or for reflection and had lost
touch with my health, overall wellbeing, with friends and anything that was not
directly related to office and work. Personal relationships took a beating as well.
There was no time to think or process all that was going on around me. I was
traveling around the world like a woman on a mission. A suitcase would always
be ready in case I had to shoot out the door at short notice; all very
thrilling, but also mind numbing and exhausting.
Then one day, the
stress of all of it got to me. The year was 2009 and I decided to resign from
my job. The decision was so crystal clear that I felt shocked why I hadn’t
thought of it before. I don't know how sky diving or bungee jumping feels
because I haven't done either, but when I quit my job the free fall felt
similar - only it seemed to last for some months; surprisingly, in a good way.
More like the joy of doing something forbidden and enjoying every moment of it.
The break I took
is what gave birth to writing Corporate Nirvana. It was an organic decision to
write a book, it wasn’t planned for in a big way. What the book eventually
shaped up to be was more of an outpouring of my thoughts that came from the
depths of self-realization about the fact that there was so much more to life
than just chasing a high octane career. I wanted to share the valuable lessons
I had learned through my challenges over the span of a decade long and
successful corporate career. The book needed to be credible and believable for
a person living a hectic, often lonely and stressful life, in a big city in a
big job – and for them to know there is a way out. It’s a tale of urban
enlightenment and that self-leadership can help you craft the best life possible
for yourself.
After I took a
career break my husband and I chose to spend a year living in a small mountain
town in the foothills of Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. The silence, the
stunning natural beauty, and the simplicity of that existence brought me many
life changing realizations. The long walks through nature and listening to life
around me (and not traffic) helped also. When I woke up each morning and looked
at the mighty Himalaya I felt more sorted out, deeply happy and at peace than I
had in years. I had no job, no plan for my career, and no remorse for being
utterly unemployed. The results were nothing short of dramatic. Amazingly, I
never missed my workplace though just a month ago I couldn’t have imagined not
going to office. Neither did I have any withdrawal pangs of not buzzing along
with a busy city even though I was a hard core and a spoilt city girl. Of
course, it helped that I didn't wake up to go anywhere, the doorbell rang
rarely, I stopped checking my emails compulsively, ate on time and ate healthy,
had the luxury of sweet naps and talked for long hours with those who really
mattered in my life.
Probably nothing
else brings more perspective to life than realizing that we are a significant
yet miniscule part of the overall scheme of things. Also, that success had more
meanings than I had so far figured out. A lot of us don’t realize that we
unwittingly define success as chasing the next big shiny object. The price to
pay in return is bad health, mental stress and a dysfunctional family life.
This life changing decision to remove myself from all of it made me understand
that it was indeed possible to live in a busy city, with a big job and still
have wellbeing and balance in life. That enlightening journey I traversed
spurred me to write Corporate Nirvana and spread the message that has helped me
to bring my own life back on track.
Corporate Nirvana
has a simple and significant message – the quality of our personal life drives
the success of our professional life. Very importantly, the book delves into
how to strike this important balance. That’s the key message of the book. The
book is an easy read crafted as the story of a protagonist that has many
fascinating adventures and experiences as he tries to sort out his priorities.
Corporate Nirvana has practical and powerful ideas to balance our personal and
professional priorities. It is all about the choices we make. We can choose to
be healthier, happier, more balanced, more connected with our personal life,
and therefore, more successful in our professional life. The book has a great
step-wise plan for doing so, and even helpful worksheets and exercises to
clarify your own priorities and goals.
The deliciousness
of doing nothing is a gift. I would urge you to try it. Being terribly busy is
not necessarily the mark of a successful person. Success is a deeper idea. When
we meaningfully and happily suspend ourselves to flow with the current of life
tremendous things happen. We find some part of our true selves, detect our
destinies, discover our motivations, ponder on our purpose, master our
impulses, and realize what truly matters. The mind and spirit have all the
answers. Only it takes doing nothing to listen to their voice.
Nothingness taught
me to trust my deepest instincts. I've used the big ‘N’ word in the title of my
very first book - Nirvana. Corporate Nirvana talks about a few simple things -
to be at peace with what one has, to enjoy the present moment, to treat this
day we are part of with respect and joy and nurture our relationships above
all. You can feel like an absolute star on a daily basis - on the inside.
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