I am a consultant by profession. I am not really an expert
on anything but know enough (or at least pretend to know) to help my clients. I
float around from one client to another and one place to another. The job
requires me to change or reset my life frequently. I have not been allowed to get
comfortable although I want to. In the last 2.5 years, I have lived in Seattle,
California, Chennai (home) and am now in Amsterdam. It does suck - I have
missed having some sort of stability in location. By the time I settle down
somewhere, make friends and get into a routine, it’s time to move. My biggest
gripe is that as long as I don’t finalize a long term location or at least a
continent, I cannot have dogs in my life again!
On the plus side, I have learnt to adapt to new places,
cultures and people quickly. I have learnt to work with people in India, the
United States and now Europe. I know how to set myself up quickly in a new
place. I have a nice checklist to find an apartment anywhere.
I was talking to a client who is leaving his organization
having spent 11 years building his career there. That organization, the people
and the place are all he knows and he has built quite a bit of goodwill there.
Everybody loved him and I envied the guy. So why was he leaving? Interestingly,
he told me that he envies my job! He is worried that he is getting too comfortable
and that is a risk for him personally and professionally. What if the company
or industry runs into some kind of financial crisis? He is worried that he has
not seen enough of the world outside to survive. He thinks he has been
influenced into thinking a certain way which may or may not be the only way. He
wants to be able to work in a place like India or China and be successful.
It got me thinking – I complain about work a lot. But to be
honest, it has allowed me to learn and experience so many new things and meet
so many people. Right now, I am in Europe with my living expenses covered and I
get to travel over the weekends. I should be thankful. But I want what the
other guy has – the stability, the comfort, the relationships and all the good
stuff that comes with it. I guess there is no right or wrong – the grass is
always greener on the other side.
In fitness and training, there are people who specialize in
something like strength/endurance/mobility/sport and there are others who
prescribe training for life – for long term health and wellness. Personally, I
love lifting heavy stuff and don’t quite enjoy anything that requires me to
move for longer than a minute. I focused on lifting heavy for about a year and
at that time, I probably needed it to build a solid foundation. Now, I need to
get better at the other stuff if I want to remain healthy in the long term. I
need to move better, faster and last longer. If not, it is a risk for my
health. I need to diversify my fitness portfolio and not get comfortable at one
form of training. I need to get better at everything to have a stable and healthy life in the long term.
I have been training with barbells after a good 6 month
break and I am loving it. However, I know I love it only because I am comfortable
doing it. I still hate running – maybe if I train enough and run better or more
efficiently I will start to like running. Maybe even love it. I appreciate the importance
and effectiveness of kettlebell training but I still don’t like it – it’s
probably because my squat with the kettlebell is so much more wobbly and
lighter than my squat with the barbell. I have learnt that I have to try
different things and get better at everything. I need to be prepared to be fit
anywhere. What if I have to travel to someplace which has absolutely no
training facilities and the only available resistance is bodyweight. What if
the place has only bread to eat and no meat? I still have to be fit and strong
and need to adapt.
I do want to find a sweet spot and not keep experimenting
all the time. But, just as with professional life, I think it will take time. I
will try and fail in the next few years. But I will learn. Some people are
lucky and find that sweet spot pretty early in life. Most of us will spend the
majority of our lives looking for it. I am one of the lucky ones who has
started looking for it reasonably young and also has the freedom to look for
it.
When I do find that sweet spot, I know I am fit for life.
