Even roosters have to lay eggs under performance pressure, says Gaur Gopal Das at India Today Conclave

Swami Gaur Gopal Das talked about performance pressure and why it is important for individuals to love what they do. Das, a personal coach, monk, author, lifestyle and motivational strategist, had an enlightening session at the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2022 where he talked about the important aspects of success, the solution to a happy life and much more. His session was titled - GURUSPEAK: LIFE LESSONS - How to live life to the Fullest.

CONNECTION TO NEW GENERATION
Swami Gaur Gopal Das talked about the purpose of our birth. "Mark Twain once said – There are two most important days in your life. The first is the day you were born and the second is the day you find out why. While most of us know when we were born, but to find out why we were born is an existential question. When we talk of purpose, there are a lot of people trying to figure out what is the answer to the question – why was I born? I surely wasn’t born to pay 30% income taxes, I surely wasn’t born to pay mortgages and liabilities. There’s probably something more that I was born for," he said.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION TO HAPPY LIFE
Gaur Gopal Das talked about what he thinks is the key to a happy life. "Under performance pressure, even roosters have to lay eggs. What do I mean by laying eggs under pressure? Doing something that I don’t love. Doing something I am not cut for. Doing something that I am not passionate about. I travel the world speaking to people in big corporate houses and it is not an exaggerated number, but over 80% of professionals who are working out there are getting thick, fat pay cheques because they are absolutely great at what they do but they are not satisfied with it. I jumped out of the corporate world, I jumped out of Hewlett-Packard to chase something that I love to do, but I simply don’t advocate that. My principle that I talk to people about is to get paid for what you are great at and also, side by side, add to your life what you love, your passion. So, do what you love, love what you do," he said.

ARE GLOBAL ORGANISATION LISTENING TO INDIVIDUAL DESIRES?
Is your company listening to your needs? Here's what he has to say. "I speak at a lot of corporate events, so the fact that I am invited to these events explains that there is some space for thoughts like these. But at the same time I think it is not a priority as of now because only when something is a priority, that’s when you take it seriously. When we are talking about leadership, I think that leadership is creating a sense of importance. It is about creating that sense of care. People are going to be loyal and they are going to stay around only when they are treated well. Nobody wants to be treated like a doormat. People have a visceral hatred when your growth comes at their cost. The awareness is increasing and maybe we are looking at a slow change," he said during the session.

ARE THE STEPS TO SUCCESS DIFFERENT TODAY?
For everyone who wants to be successful in their life, you might want to note down the three important aspects of success as pointed out by Swami Gaur Gopal Das. "Get the facts right. Success is not just about achievements. There is a narrative that the more you have the more successful you are. However, I know people have everything but have serious mental health issues. I consider that a failure. We just lost Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and remember what he said, ‘I have $5 billion worth but I only wish God gave me better health.’ So let’s not take one element of success as success. We should complete the definition of success by including those elements that are important for our life and not our lifestyles.
And if we are really looking at three steps to success. #1 we shouldn’t be goal focused, we should be process focused. The second aspect of reaching that success is constantly be on the learning curve. The third aspect is timing.