Following are my morning notes from YouTube Video of Professor Mahadevan:
Question: Why do many professionals feel stressed at Work?
The professor , Dr.Mahadevan, attempts to find an answer and did a survey of his class of MBA students , who were primarily working professionals:
Following were the reasons that the professor summarizes:
Survey outcome 1 : Results Orientation:
Workplace is all about Outcomes, results and this is an external thing ;
that which is outside of your control - if not totally- but to a great extent!
This externality of the results causes the Stress;
Survey Outcome 2: Short-term<=>Long-term:
What does success mean to you in the next 5-10 Years?
Most of them mentioned about Position, Possessions (House, Money) , Profit as the
measure of success!
The same folks , when asked about the meaning of success when they hang their boots -
They mentioned about the impact they had on People, Influence , Giving back etc.,
So, as you can see, there is a clear lack of alignment in the professionals surveyed - between the short-term and the long-term aspirations - and that causes the stress!
In summary, the professor explains that : Stress arises due to:
1) Working for Outcomes
2) Misalignment of Short-term and Long-term aspirations
One solution to this stress : can be the adoption of principle of Karma Yoga as prescribed in the Bhagavad Gita: according to which :
You are entitled to the actions - and not the - Outcomes!
In an hyper-competitive world, karma yoga is tough principle to adapt to ;
Fortunately though we have Meditation as one solution that can enable you;
Eknath Eswaran defines karma yoga in action ,very elegantly, as below :
Complete attention to the Job at hand with a sense of detachment!
and devised the 8-point Passage meditation as the means
if we have one-pointed focus , for the Job at hand (irrespective of How mundane or exciting it is) and without clinging to the Outcomes - that is Karma Yoga!
Also read here the take from Stoic Philosopher; Epictetus :