Yes Man

Swami Nikhilaananda said:
"Say Yes"

There is a movie called Yes Man which has Jim Carrey, a loser who is totally depressed in life attending a workshop where the guy there asks him to say Yes to everything, so that he can embrace the positive energy. It's a really nice movie, that shows him getting into trouble in the beginning, but then all the creases get ironed out by the end of the movie.

I have had quite a few experiences that are similar. So, I thought I should share a couple of anecdotes just to show you how things are... The following is part real, part fiction, but you will get the message.

Raj was working in a very large company, but as time passed, he was beginning to feel stagnated. He looked back over the past one year and tried to assess what he had done. He found that he had not learned anything significant in the past year, well, nothing that required a year to learn. He felt that he was learning a lot more in college, amidst the fun, while here, he was like Harold Smith, the villain from Powerpuff girls who felt the work was getting totally monotonous and there was no excitement. 

And then, one day, there was a circular that said that there was an event where one could talk about any topic that can benefit others. Raj could have dismissed this as yet another event and let go, but then he remembered the movie 'Yes Man' and decided to give it a shot. He registered to talk with the intent of getting at least a certificate and a time out. While giving the seminar, one among the audience seemed to be really interested in the talk. After the talk, Raj met that person, and was engaged in a pleasant conversation, and subsequently came to know that there was an opening in his team, a team that was way more exciting than Harold Smith's job. And thus, Raj switched teams - this would not have happened if he had not registered for the event... Raj is very happy in his new job

Whether you call this as fate, or anything else, the result is something you will appreciate. And then, one more incident happened in Raj's life.

Raj's friend told that there was a competition, and asked Raj if he wanted to participate. Raj decided to embrace it, and said cool! Raj and his friend decided to participate in the event, where Raj's friend was also supposed to join them. After the event, Raj's friend's friend decided to offer Raj a job in a large company, and that was yet another pleasant surprise. Raj declined the offer politely, but was again reminded of the theory from Yes Man

The beauty of these two anecdotes is that, the objective of going to an event was something, but the benefits came from unexpected sides. Similarly, you never know how things will come to you, but if you decide to sit quietly at home, watching some series, you won't be able to reap benefits that come from connecting with people. It is always better to have a rather positive outlook in life, and give things a shot - What's the worst thing that can happen? Nothing... You will return empty handed.

Therefore, it is better to do work without expectations, as Lord Krishna says, but again, it is better to do work than to not do work, as Swami Nikhilaananda says :-) Have a great weekend guys