Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I'm learning that living means saying yes to all of it—the good days and the bad ones too. I can't bubble-wrap myself or the people I care about against life's harder moments. Like when my friend lost his dad last year—I couldn't fix it for her, but I could listen to her when she was going through it.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking I can solve all the world's problems if I just try hard enough. Ha! Talk about putting pressure on myself!

What I'm realizing is that my job is simpler (but not easier): to find balance in the tug-of-war of daily life. Yesterday I was torn between staying late at work to finish a project (responsibility) and making it to my kid's soccer game (love). I managed to do both by shifting some meetings around. I'm trying not to let any one thing—work, relationships, fun, obligations—completely take over.

One thing that helps me keep perspective is humor. When I spilled coffee all over my white shirt right before an important presentation, I could have melted down. Instead, I laughed and joked that I was starting a new fashion trend. It didn't change the situation, but it sure made it easier to handle.

I'm just one small thread in this massive tapestry of life. That thought helps me when I'm stressing about something that feels huge in the moment—like that argument I had with Shobana  about loading the dishwasher "the right way." In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?

When I keep this balance, the wins don't make me too cocky, and the losses don't crush me.  Last year, after that rejection letter from the job I really wanted, I allowed myself one day to feel disappointed, then moved forward. Same with that recognition I got last spring—I celebrated, but didn't let it define me.

I need to remind myself daily: my main job isn't to fix everything or be perfect—it's simply to live.