Happy New Year

As I sat down to pen this year end note, I read some of the responses I got to the previous couple of notes. As I read through your mails, I found myself thinking about how I could once again write something meaningful that resonates,changes lives,solves for world hunger,determines the future of humanity,and as a collateral benefit helps execute on Brexit.And then I stopped myself from getting caught in this all too familiar web of expectations.

We all so its...did my post get enough likes?Did I make more money than my peers?The English call it'keeping up with joneses',the economists term it'conspicuous consumption',and I simply call it putting pressure on oneself.Pressure to be perceived a certain way,look a certain way,behave a certain way.And so often this brings with it guilt and stress as we try to balance  conflicting demands as we try to keep up with this superhuman expectation from ourselves.Don't get me wrong...passion and drive and ambition are fundamental to excellence and betterment...it's what drive people to achieve greater goals and I'm all for that.But I also believe in setting realistic bite-size goals and making choices that empower us rather than overwhelm us.

I recently watched a movie where the protagonist was faced with a dilemma and receives a terrific piece of advice from someone she respected.That person role her that too often we take the more difficult option believing that just because it is difficult,it must be the right option.When in reality,the easy way is probably the better option for us as that's the one we are capable of handling at that moment.Simple and so powerful.In other words,be kind to yourself.Do less,but do it well.Aspire for greatness but give yourself space to get there.

Often we see ambitious employees take too much...for multiple reasons...getting the next promotion faster,better visibility to leadership,or even simply because all of what they do is fascinating stuff.And it's here that we run the danger of crash and burn because we did'nt account for the tradeoffs this involve...across work,health&relationships.Do check out TED talk 'What makes a good life?lessons from the longest study on happiness' about a Harvard study followed over 700 men for 75 years,keeping track of their lives through surveys,interviews,tests and so on...the idea was to figure out what made them happy and healthy.And not surprisingly,it was the ones who were able to build long-lasting and meaningful relationships that were the healthiest and happiest in their 80s and 90s.It wasn't the level of cholesterol in their Middle Ages,not the wealth they were able to accumulate that guaranteed a cushy life in their old age...but secure,dependable,loving relationships.

And I just realized that I've gone on for 5 paragraphs with no mention of GP or People Function and any of the highs and lows of the year. but I'm going to give myself a break and let it be. You know what happened...you were there(hopefully)!

But before I let you go,wanted to share another interesting thing I read a few days back.Richard Branson said in an interview that a quirky way he once assessed interview candidates was by disguising himself as an 80 year old taxi driver who picked up the candidates at the airport.He wanted to observe the behavior of the candidates when they thought nobody was watching.Did they let the 80 years old man pick up their bags?Were they nice to him?And that became one of the key deciding factors as he assessed them.I would like to believe that most of us fall in the category of people who didn't let the 80 years old pick up the bags...you agree?

Here's to a happy,safe&healthy 2017!