Personal vs. Professional

The so-called professional and personal are, to use a common phrase, two sides of the same coin. They might stick to each others' backs, but they're as different as, pun intended, head and tail.  

The professional is what we project... It's like a magic trick. You climb up a stage, show your audience your little trick. The catch is that the audience already knows it. They know what you're there for. They know what you're going to do. What they don't know is how. That is where your real test begins. If you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and that's your reward. The wonder.

We're all show-mans at the end of the day. Shakespeare knew it when he said "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players". So, where does the personal come in? And how do we separate the two? I would say we don't. But that doesn't mean we let the lines blur. That would be stupidity, suicide. A great professional, like a great magician, does not show his trick. He lives it. 

So, at the end of the day, you can only choose 'heads' or 'tails' to play your gamble, to take you shot at winning. There's no guarantee you will, but this great gamble requires a great sacrifice. That of the other. 

And here, Sirs and Madames, must I rest this discourse.

*****

Yes, this is quite random, I know. I was discussing the matter with this gentleman when I realised that I would like to take this discourse further. So I've brought it to all of you:


How many of us try to keep the professional and personal separate? Some succeed too. But does that constitute a success really? Living two lives, dissecting yourself and everything you know in two halves so you can have the best of both worlds. But can you really? For those who strive to achieve a balance it might be true. But for others who aim to excel, a balance might just be one stepping stone.
Indeed, it IS like a balance. Think of an old two-pan balance. The kind that vegetable vendors still use here in India. The professional rests on one pan, the personal on the other. A balance can be achieved, almost perfectly at that but that is just half the journey accomplished. For someone who aims at success, one who wants to climb the highest pinnacle, must destroy that balance. For one pan to rise the other has to go down.

                      

This is my personal belief. I would love to hear your takes on it. 

*****

P.S: For a change, we don't have a depressing or morbid post on this blog. :P