Suneel Gupta, author of Everyday Dharma, discusses finding meaning through work. Topics include the difference between outer success and inner fulfillment, aligning actions with values, discovering one's true calling, and serving others to find oneself.
Aligning who you are with what you do leads to a more fulfilling life.
External achievements do not bring lasting happiness; inner fulfillment requires integrating ambition and joy.
Practical tools like identifying bright spots in work and creating space contribute to uncovering and expressing one's inner essence.
Deep dives
Discovering Inner Essence and Expressing Dharma
The podcast episode discusses the concept of Dharma, described as the sacred duty to express one's inner essence through work. The guest, Sunil Gupta, shares his personal journey of realizing that outer success does not lead to inner fulfillment. He emphasizes the importance of aligning who you are with what you do and finding ways to bring your essence into everyday life. The conversation explores practical strategies to live a life of meaning and purpose, even within the constraints of work and other responsibilities. Examples are given, such as a nurse expressing her essence through patient paperwork and the importance of curiosity and space for compassionate responses.
The Illusion of External Achievements and Inner Fulfillment
The podcast episode challenges the belief that external achievements, such as wealth and status, will bring lasting happiness. The guest draws attention to the phenomenon known as the arrival fallacy, where people constantly set new goals without experiencing lasting fulfillment. Despite achieving success in a tech startup, Sunil Gupta shares his own experience of feeling inwardly empty. The conversation explores the misperception that outer success automatically leads to inner success and highlights the importance of reversing the flow by starting with what truly matters to us. The concept of Dharma is introduced as a way to integrate ambition and joy, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life.
Practical Tools to Uncover and Express Dharma
The podcast episode provides practical tools and strategies to uncover and express one's Dharma, or inner essence. Four chisels are discussed as pathways to chiseling away the layers that hide our essence. The first chisel encourages identifying the bright spots in our work, even within a job we may not fully enjoy. The second chisel focuses on exploring the possibilities of expressing our essence beyond a single dream job. The Dharma deck chisel suggests writing down different ideas on index cards to sort and prioritize what resonates most. Finally, the Picasso chisel emphasizes the importance of creating space and responding rather than reacting, with examples of gestures or mental images that anchor us in moments of discomfort. The podcast also mentions the value of service and the spotlight switch, where focusing on serving others helps us find ourselves and live with conviction.
Discovering your purpose and making a living from it
Finding your true passion and answering the question of what you would do for free can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Instead of focusing solely on financial compensation, prioritize doing what you love and finding ways to make a living from it.
Finding comfort in discomfort and integrating your duties with your passion
Embracing discomfort and challenges can contribute to personal growth and a deeper sense of fulfillment. It is possible to integrate your passion or Dharma into your everyday duties, whether as a main source of income or as a side project. By aligning your duties and passion, you can create a more meaningful and joyous life.
What if chasing outer success still leaves us feeling empty inside? My guest Suneel Gupta can relate. After selling his startup, he realized achievements weren’t enough. Rediscovering the Hindu concept of dharma—expressing your essence through work—he found new purpose.
In our conversation, Suneel shares insights from his book Everyday Dharma to reveal practical ways we can honor our inner fire through our daily work. How can we live with more meaning and purpose? Suneel shares abundant tools to help you discover and express your calling.
