Treadmill

After spending the whole day reading papers, thinking hard, and staring blankly at the walls, I decided to hit the gym. When you are mentally exhausted, the best way to recharge your batteries is to exhaust yourself physically as well. At least you will have a good night sleep, making it easier to refrain from obsessing over that problem you are trying to crack since the past couple of months.

While running on a treadmill, a piece of thought occurred to me. Let me begin with a gentle warning: I am a self confessed nerd, and by implication, a slew of weird thoughts capture my imagination all the time. To be honest, I had read about it somewhere long time back, and do not claim the perspective to be an original one. Nevertheless, I would like to articulate the viewpoint.

A person should have a clear idea of what she wants to achieve in her life. I intend to use the word achievement in the broadest sense possible. Indeed, one may aspire to become a respected professional, a loving daughter and wife, a trusted friend, and all these are considered to be achievements. A way of verifying that you are on track, an easy way, is to ask yourself whether or not you are trying hard enough. However, this can often be misleading. Suppose you are running on a treadmill. Close your eyes, and it will feel as if you are working very hard, perspiring a lot, and making great strides towards your goal; whereas in reality, you are stuck at the same place, wasting valuable energy for no good reason. A similar situation might arise in life. So the next time you approach nervous breakdown due to late nights in office, or get emotionally drained out in a relationship, open your eyes and honestly ask yourself: Is it worth it? If the answer is no, better change course late than never.