There’s a dog walker in my apartment complex named Ravi. He shows up early every day, greets each dog with genuine excitement, talks to them, plays with them, and carries a lightness that’s hard to miss. But what stands out isn’t what he does – it’s how he seems. When I watch him, I see ease, calmness, and a quiet joy that doesn’t feel forced. He doesn’t earn much and lives simply, but his work doesn’t drain him. It suits him.

When I see him, I feel envy. I want what he has – peace, joy, energy. I want to wake up every day with a smile on my face and not the dread I wake up with.

But what can I do? I can’t leave my well-paying work and become a dog walker (metaphorically speaking). I have bills to pay, mortgages, insurance, I need money to afford a certain lifestyle I am accustomed to. And when you want to grow in life, you have to make certain choices. I have made mine – traded my happiness for a house, my peace for a fancy car, my freedom for a corner office. And at the rate I am working, I might be able to retire early, buy a villa in Spain, and enjoy the rest of my life.

But sleep eludes me now. I am stressed and burnt out. The exhaustion I carry into the night doesn’t let my mind rest. I am taking pills – I take a few before bed and sleep like a baby. When I wake up, the body recovers, but something inside still feels unresolved.

The story above is just an analogy, but every part of it is true. Many of us live with this internal monologue every day. We ask ourselves – why does the life I am living not feel fulfilling? Why do I feel my life is getting drained every passing day? We try to find answers everywhere, but do we ever wonder if the answer is much closer to home a than we imagine?

We spend most of our lives working – whatever our jobs are, we spend more time at our workplace than with family and friends or pursuing hobbies and interests. But we think that work is something we do to support our lives. What we miss is that work doesn’t sit outside our inner world; it shapes it. It quietly becomes one of the most defining parts of our lives.

The quality of our work-life determines how well we live. The joy or strain we carry home from work is what we carry into the night. If we collected joy, we sleep happy and if stress, we sleep restless.

I have learned this the hard way. I chose a career that made the most money. I networked with businesses, raised venture money, built businesses, but in the end, it burnt me out. I was driving a fancy car, sunbathing on exotic holidays, and enjoying the view from my penthouse; still I was dissatisfied.

When I finally paused, spent time in self-discovery, and built self-awareness, I understood myself – Who I am. Who I wanted to be. I realised that I am a learner, a teacher, a writer, a dad and these roles make me complete.

I don’t feel envious of Ravi anymore. I understand him. I relate to him. I know how it feels to love your work. I know how it feels to wake up everyday with joy in your veins; looking forward to living life at its fullest.