I recently read an article where a celebrity was talking about blocking out all the meaningless chatters around him and focusing on what’s important right now. The term that he used to describe a life of being constantly judged, commented upon, given unsolicited opinions to, etc. was fascinating. He called it ‘White Noise’. If you look at it, each of us are constantly exposed to ‘White Noise’ under the garb of communication & media.
On a regular day in a regular time, it’s unlikely that we would even pay attention to the rhythm of our heartbeat, the consistency of our breathing, the manner in which we stand, talk & present ourselves. Worse still, we rarely reflect on what’s got us this far, what we need to do right now and what tomorrow going to be like.
Personally, both lockdown 1.0 and its extension have been bittersweet. Bitter because I am on my own as my family is 1400 kms away – in a 1BHK with almost zero “human” contact. The futility of technology to keep us really connected aside, I’ve started to also realise the silver lining that this dark cloud of social distancing brings.
I have been forced to make myself my best friend. And in silence, my best friend and I share a Vipasana-like experience. Some days I feel anxious to the extent that I want to break the doors down, some days are dull and dreary, some days resigned, and on other days I feel optimistic…but mostly, reflective.
I am taking a lot of time to build a connection with myself – to understand who I am, what got me so far and what I want.
It’s a painstaking process and I fail more often than I succeed but then, the successes are worth celebrating.
Following are three thoughts that emerge in the silence - away from the ‘White Noise’ of criticism, praise, expectations, judgments and the stories I tell myself. All three help in filling the “GAP” in my life.
G - Gratitude: My domestic help works far harder than me for far less than the amount I earn in a month, and I’ve never been able to fully appreciate the physical toll it takes to clean a house or wash utensils. Let alone the psychological one of dealing with some form of poverty. We’re extremely lucky that society values some forms of labour over others. In an alternate world where physical labour would be prioritized – most of us would be absolutely useless with our nice degrees.
A - Awareness: I am not the owner of my life story. Family has played an essential part, but more than my family, society has invested in me. People I have come across have adopted me and contributed to whatever I have learnt and experienced. I am nothing but a product of the society’s investments.
One critical set of people who often get criticized and are made the butt of all jokes are managers. This lockdown, I sat down and listed all the things I learnt from their traits, habits and successful practices that have allowed me to progress in life. I clubbed it into a video series called #MyBossIsBest. This exercise has uplifted me and made me feel more aware about the fact that I’ve actually been carried this far and that I have to do a lot more to own my credit-scroll.
P - Physical Health: To sustain a lockdown like this again, God forbid, in the future – I have to focus a lot more on my physical preparedness. My cooking is elementary and I have no idea about measurements and nutrition – that’s the first part to learn.
The second part would be exercise: stamina and strength. For those with whom I haven’t shared – cult.fit has been my greatest find of 2020, and I am working really hard to stay true to the product and its offering. It’s difficult at times to consistently follow the routine without anyone watching, and I feel tempted to cheat. But the hard thing is telling my mind that it’s not hard at all.
My recommendation to all would be to have dedicated times in the day to keep the ‘White Noise’ out and focus on what matters. This might the last opportunity in a long time to do this – unless you’re up for retirement of course…then you have a lot of time in hand. Okay, just kidding!
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
Ritwik Mallik is the Executive Assistant to the President, Schindler India-South Asia. In the past, he’s dabbled in writing, sports journalism and internet commerce prior to joining Schindler India in November 2019. He has an MBA from the Indian School of Business Hyderabad.
