Hardbound

Finding inner peace

Future Group's group president-food and FMCG brands, Devendra Chawla on Rajiv Vij's Discovering Your Sweet Spot

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Published 9 years ago on Apr 17, 2015 3 minutes Read

With success comes the fear of losing it. With fame comes the fear of a day of obscurity. How we can attain real happiness and satisfaction? Singular success is not an end in itself and a day comes when one realises that in many dimensions of life, the glass is still empty. While a can-do attitude can bring one some success, I do not think it leads one to self-actualisation. How many of us really do what we do as if it is our true calling?  

In the book, the author, too, after a very successful career, felt inadequate and experienced fear, anxiety and insecurity, which lead him to take a journey to discover his sweet spot — a soul-searching journey to create the life he really wants. While one may have met material success, the fundamental question is if one is leaving the world having made it a better place. It helps that this books comes from someone who has been there and done that. The structured and process-based coaching approach that the book takes will perhaps appeal to trained professionals.

The author makes a striking point that the journey towards discovering your sweet spot is actually nothing but a journey going back home. The book offers lessons in personal mastery by deepening one’s self-awareness and taking responsibility for one’s thoughts and actions. There are key aspects of meditation, elaborating the need to be more self-aware. The book throws light on the core question related to the ultimate truth about who we are and it deepens the scope of
personal responsibility. 

In the corporate world, one is nudged, taught and pushed to take charge. The pressure over the years creates an emotional debit. The art of letting go, though not easy, balances this by providing credits to the debits. Learning the art of the opposite: such as taking charge versus letting go and giving versus receiving at an early age will lead to a balanced life. One can’t agree more. We all need reminders every once in a while, because the so-called high one seeks from life makes us ignore much that passes alongside and by the time we realise, it is too late.

 This is a book that will take you through a self-realising journey. It reminds us of moments where we could have done things differently. Such an acknowledgment itself makes one realise one’s shortcomings and that’s where the journey starts. 

This book is a journey worth taking, though each person will draw their own inferences. The style of the book is such that at every stage, one reflects on one’s own life. The author does not preach but lets you discover who you are and the sojourn can be as deep as one wants it to be. As Joseph Campbell said, “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”