This week I am going to pull up the curtain on what I learned as a leader, while handling the intricate nuances of the corporate world.
An Unexpected Crisis
Approximately 2 months ago, not even in my wildest dreams, I would have imagined that my life would be confined to the four walls of my home.
The routine of frequent international travels, manoeuvring through marathon meetings, connecting with my global teams; brims up in the form of some long-lost nostalgia nowadays. Little did I know that my life, my career, and in fact, the whole world, would be turned upside down and we will all be living in the time of crisis.
News of the COVID-19 pandemic is everywhere, presented in stark and scary terms. Even if we feel that all this frenzy about the virus is over-hyped, it is certainly not the time to feel complacent.
Yes, the world is in a state of crisis, and our daily routines are disrupted. Our emotions are riddled with fear. Uncertainty and doubt surround us from all directions. And, it is human to feel scared.
As we are put in isolation for the sake of safety, we find ourselves disconnected from our communities, and that’s why it becomes a real challenge to think clearly and find meaning amidst the chaos.
The Longest Flight of My Life
I also felt this fear and uncertainty enveloping me when I boarded a sixteen-hour flight from San Francisco to New Delhi, exactly when international borders were on the brink of shutting down.
Prior to the epidemic erupting, I was running around for work. Closing important tasks. Chasing deadlines. Coordinating with my colleagues and global teams. But all that work-mongering fizzled out as soon as I arrived at the airport, and saw how serious the situation was.
I could feel the heaviness in the air, masked faces were everywhere, and there was an undeniable fear in people’s eyes. I knew we are all in this crisis together.
As I sat on my flight to New Delhi, thoughts about my corporate commitments and targets took a backseat. I was no longer focusing on ‘what’s next’. All I could think about was my family, my people, my teams, and a prayer for their good health emanated from my heart.
This small (yet deadly) virus was good enough to take me on a merry-go-round of anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity and various other emotions.
On that sixteen-hour flight, I felt all of it.
And then amidst all these negative emotions, wisdom from some unknown source dawned upon me — This too shall pass.
The Early Beginnings
That was a long 16-hour flight. Perhaps my longest one. Going through playback of past memories and twisted emotions was something obvious to happen. I vividly recalled preparing for my Master’s degree as a young twenty-something and eventually moving to America. I remembered how I applied for my Master’s from a small city in India, with a slow internet connection, using Microsoft Word and Excel, and being in awe of Bill Gates.
As a young man, I was fascinated by Bill Gates (Still I am!). Often, I used to wonder how he first started Microsoft. Completely smitten by his grit, commitment, passion for technology; and most importantly, his ability to make a difference in the world, moved me.
Coincidentally, it just so happened that I landed my first job after graduating from Masters in King County, Seattle, where Bill Gates had headquartered Microsoft. Ironically, King County happened to be amongst the hardest-hit areas in the US, with approximately 6,499 cases and 459 deaths at present.
Later on, I got a job in Seattle, bought a new condo, and it was a pretty smooth life I was living. After some time, I also got a chance to work for one of Bill Gates’ companies, which was yet another propeller to my career. Everything was in place for a successful climb up the corporate ladder. But, life took an unexpected turn.
Inspired to Give Back
I had been following Bill Gates for many years, and always drew inspiration from him in my professional life. However, seeing Bill Gates create the “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” after reaching the pinnacle of his career shifted something inside me.
I started observing the life graph of some incredible visionaries: Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey. And hence, it dawned upon me that after reaching the peak of their careers, they all moved towards Philanthropy.
I wondered why they did that.
What was their mindset? What made them do this?
It made me wonder If I should chase the dream of becoming the richest man and then turn to philanthropy, or reverse the equation. It made me ponder harder on the thought of starting out with philanthropy first, and become the richest man later.
Somewhere, deep down in my gut, I felt that philanthropy would give me the fulfilment of positively impacting others’ lives and if not the richest, I can become the happiest man!
I always felt fascinated by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam”, or “One world family”. There was a strong pull to do something in that direction.
This is when I left Seattle to join Sumeru, where I had a chance to make a real social impact. Inspired by the vision of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sumeru is a social entrepreneurship, cause-driven company. Even though today, Sumeru is a successful multinational company, It wasn’t an easy choice to make when I left my job in Seattle back then.
Sumeru was just starting out. Everything was raw, fresh and full of possibilities for this new company. Most importantly, it came with a huge opportunity cost for me. However, that calling to contribute something valuable towards a social cause made everything clear in my head and heart. It was a sacrifice which was worth and I was willingly ready to make.
I have always trusted catering to the intangibles of life — this includes wellbeing of our mind, building our resilience, and cultivating inner balance through holistic practices like pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, meditation, and yoga. All these intangibles enable us to achieve tangible achievements and desires in other spheres of life.
I remember leaving my workplace. My colleagues were shocked and thought my decision was completely irrational. After all, who leaves a flourishing career to venture into uncertain territories?
I tried to reconcile. I did my best to make them understand that practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Yoga are what humanity requires at a large scale.
But I guess, the idea of investing in a holistic lifestyle wasn’t ‘cool’ back then.
Well, since the outbreak of COVID-19 crisis, old colleagues and friends from Seattle began to get in touch. It baffles me that the same people who knocked my idea of moving to Sumeru are the ones reaching out to me, now, at this time of crisis. As they face escalated levels of stress and anxiety due to falling stock prices and global health emergencies, they desperately want to turn to yoga and meditation.
This leaves me with a surreal feeling of how life always comes full circle.
The Full Circle Moment
As I finally landed in Delhi, I came across even more surprising news — Bill Gates stepping down from the Board of Directors at Microsoft and moving full time into Philanthropy.
This was certainly a big revelation and made my beliefs stronger. I felt confidence in the path I had chosen.
Human Beings are inherently scared of two basic instincts in life: Fear of death and fear of uncertainty. Right now we as a society face both.
Human Beings are inherently scared of two basic instincts in life: Fear of death and fear of uncertainty. Right now we as a society face both.
But amidst all the fear-mongering, I wish to assure everyone that the sun is on the horizon and like all the calamities of the past, humanity shall overcome this one too. Yes, the current situation is daunting. But all crises are at first!
Why? Because we know nothing about them.
Yet, this is precisely the right time to go back to your roots and find solace in your own space and breath.
We are a generation blessed with the boon of virtual connectivity. Browse through the internet. Join an online cooking or Yoga class, or perhaps an online Art of Living Happiness Program.
What could be a better time than this?
Just take a few deep breaths and know that everything is not always under your control.
Consider Mother Nature is under a reset button and move on.
Pick up your interest and hobbies. Unleash your creativity. Channel your mental energies in the right direction.
After all, we have now seen that life is unpredictable.
Let’s take care of the intangible aspects of life. They are here to stay!
This way, we are armed to face the ever-changing nature of the tangible world. We can learn to face uncertainty, without feelings of insecurity.
And we can move forward together, as a One World Family.
Once the planet gets back on its feet after this crisis, let’s come together to make a positive social impact on our society. I do hope to meet some of you, including Bill Gates 🙂, so we can learn from each other and think of creative ways of making a difference in our newly transformed world.
To be continued…
**The article was initially published on Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/covid-19-what-changed-flashback-my-life-16-hour-flight-chaurasia/?trackingId=BQdQ49spRi6CFUsYaINKMQ%3D%3D**
