Of Careers and Cowherds

Pichwai-inspired Herd of Cows

I recently undertook one of the most procrastinated and staunchly resisted tasks of my career, I created a website with my work profile and portfolio. Through the process of working on that introspective, cathartic and surprisingly energizing exercise, I was rewarded with an insight that will shape the rest of my working life. 

In a moment of profound clarity, I saw my career as a herd of cows, and myself as the cowherd. Each job, initiative, project, experiment - a cow and part of this herd. My herd, to nurture, and be nourished by in return. That I get to enjoy the milk, butter, curd and ghee, is just an outcome. But more than money, titles, laurels or better prospects, I seek to deepen my practice as a designer. That is my Ikigai. That’s what makes the experience meaningful.

There’s much I can't control - the herd has a mind of its own, I can’t monitor every cow all the time, the weather can be unpredictable, some cows fall sick, others go rogue. The cows cannot be restrained in pens or sheds, neither can they wander fetterless and unprotected. 

My role is to guide the herd to the best pastures and help it thrive. I am alert to the needs of the herd and foster knowledge about how best to care for it. I am invested in its well-being and all my activities are anchored towards that goal. I show up everyday, rain or shine, not because I have to, but because I want to. 

I choose the pastures carefully, and get better at it with experience. Courses, conferences, coaches, coworkers, conversations, collaborations, workshops, books, skills, creative pursuits, mindfulness practices, sabbaticals - all pastures that nourish the herd.

Much as the pastures nourish the cows, I must remember that they are also for me to explore, to draw joy and nourishment from as well. I must remember to lay back and look at the sky, have a picnic lunch, take a walk, meditate, plan for the future or learn a new skill while they graze. I must remember to never let my cows overgraze, to ensure they enrich the pasture, and that I always leave the pasture better than I found it. I must remember to trust my cows to lead me to new pastures from time to time.

Over time my herd has grown and thrived. Some cows needed more attention than others, special skills to coax or heal. Some others knocked me about a bit, kicking and head-butting. Some were winners and clear favourites from day one, others I look back upon fondly, even long after they’re gone. Some I’ve focussed on or obsessed over way too much, losing sight of the herd, until the herd reminded me to let go for the greater good. And much as I cherish the cows, I must remember the bull, who carries the seed of that audacious idea, that disruptive career move or simply the quiet courage to take that all-important next step. They’ve each taught me something valuable and left their imprint on the herd and the cowherd.

How do I sustain the level of commitment required for me to be authentically invested in this role for the long haul? How do I shift my context between cow and herd and pasture through the changing seasons? How do I deal with the apparent monotony and relentless discipline? - By channeling the spirit of the cowherd - patience, curiosity, empathy, gratitude, resilience, authenticity, a spirit of adventure and a renewed faith with each new dawn. There’s always a reminder of the boundless beauty surrounding me from the intricate detail on the petal of a flower to the excitement over a new-born calf. 

This essay is like a new-born calf, wobbly and knock-kneed, born into the unfamiliar pastures of my sabbatical in the midst of a pandemic - a symbol of hope, peering with untarnished eyes at the new world it will grow into.

Indian mythology tells the tale of  Satyakama Jaabaali whose guru gave him the task of tending to four hundred sickly cows until the herd grew to a thousand. He performed his role as cowherd so mindfully that he attained enlightenment along the way! Ikigai, then, doesn't seem like such a tall order, from a cowherd metaphor. And as metaphors go, this one is particularly symbolic for me.

My Ikigai is a herd of cows and my Seeker, the cowherd.