Reflections

The sudden death of Survey Monkey's CEO, David Goldberg, has shocked the world. Personally, this news has led me to realise the importance of appreciating small things in life and life in general. 

Often referred to as the ‘Silicon Valley Power Couple’, David Goldberg and Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, probably had everything going for them – high profile careers and 2 children. Given their respective positions in corporate America, the couple undoubtedly led a good life, but David Goldberg’s sudden death last week will probably change that. 

Having read Sheryl Sandberg’s highly acclaimed book, ‘Lean In- Women, Work and the Will to Lead’, I remember reading about Ms. Sandberg and Mr. Goldberg adopting a ‘Shared earning / shared parenting marriage’ approach. Ms. Sandberg wrote of Mr. Goldberg being a “true partner” who helped her make her career possible. In the high pressure environment that the couple worked in, sacrifices might have been made on the family front, however, Ms. Sandberg often spoke of Mr. Goldberg being a hands on husband and father. 

One might wonder where I am going with this. Like I mentioned earlier, I have suddenly come to realise the importance of appreciating my life. It’s time for some self-introspection. While I gain my footing in the corporate world, I have to ensure I don’t sacrifice on other equally important aspects of my life. Given that I am still trying to make my career, I probably miss out on things, for example, spending quality time with the family, pursuing my hobbies, taking care of my health or even spending some “me time”. At this stage, many like me get so absorbed in their careers that all these other equally important aspects are often ignored and then it’s too late to go back. I have spent the last couple of years feeling very proud of myself for doing something good with myself, however, I have now come to realise all that I have done so far is nothing out of the ordinary. I am only doing what every other person is probably doing. 

I am not a spiritual or superstitious person, but events like these often make a person relate them to their own lives and I am no different. I now see a big board in front of my eyes that says “Caution! Take control of your life!” I have been lucky to have been brought up by parents who have given me everything I ever asked for, which has probably made people to label me as ‘arrogant’, ‘spoilt’, ‘pampered’ or ‘privileged’, thus making me take things for granted. However, I am currently going through a phase where I am realising the value of life and all that it has to offer.   

I always considered myself as an average individual who followed the set pattern of completing high school, then moving on to pursuing a graduate degree, then a Master’s degree and then make a decent career. However, once I got into the groove of the corporate world, I realised even I could have potential if I worked hard and believed in myself. As a result, the past couple of years have been spent in understanding what direction I want my career to take. Not that I have achieved all that I want to, I think I have managed to make a small place for myself. And, it’s now time to give some serious thought to what else I need to do.  

It’s sad to know that I have to make a conscious effort to spend some time with the family, but I have to do it to continue to lead a happy life. I have tried to pursue various hobbies, be it learning to play an instrument, playing a sport, drawing and even singing, however, I often gave up for various reasons. Today, when I see people around making an effort to pursue their interests, it makes me wonder why I haven’t thought about doing the same. It might just be a way for me to de-stress and also realise that even I can do something other than what is expected of me. 

As much as I steer away from clichéd sayings, my new mantra is “Life is too short, do what you want NOW!”