Don’t be a Rat
A monotonous routine set by others that you mistake for some benchmark.
After getting an MBA Degree from Oxford University, I spent 4 years in a management consulting job in London & then left the corporate world to become a comedian.
700 shows in the UK later, I moved back to India & launched the English language comedy circuit in Delhi in 2009. We now have a flourishing comedy circuit with many talented comedians who sell out huge theatres and have millions of views on their online videos.
Unlike many of them, I have very little content online & most of my work in India now is corporate work. While industry & corporates know me, the broader public does not. In fact, I sometimes joke that I’m the most famous comedian who nobody knows!
I’m sometimes asked why I don’t have more content or views online. Here’s my answer:
I love performing LIVE stand-up comedy. I don’t enjoy being in front of a camera & I don’t enjoy editing or sitting in an edit room & working on cutting clips, creating thumbnails, or managing SEO.
I feel very happy for my colleagues in the industry who are famous, talented, doing financially well & getting lots of engagement online. However, I don’t feel the need to measure my work or worth by comparing it to any of them.
In my mind, it’s a bit silly to leave the corporate world to be in a rat race in a creative field!
That being said, there is no reason to be in a rat race even if you are in the corporate world. Figure out what works for you & chase your own definition of happiness & success. Just like there is no limit to the number of views or likes that can be gotten, there is also no limit to the amount of money that can be earned. Figure out what is ENOUGH for YOU.
I could be sitting in Los Angles shooting a sitcom or spending 300 days on the road doing shows. However every morning I get to have a coffee with my parents. That is more meaningful to me than any amount of money or fame. So ask yourself what drives you. And then invest your time accordingly.
Question:
Have you ever fallen into the trap of the rat race?
Are you still being enticed by it? I know I am every now & then.
What did or will you do to snap out of it? And most importantly, I’d love to know where YOU get MEANING in your life.
* I didn’t entirely leave the corporate world because I still do a whole bunch of corporate training & executive coaching, and I consult companies on their branding, marketing, content & communication strategies. I love doing it!
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