Are You Planning to Relocate?

Today, situations demanding relocation have become very common — especially relocations based on career.

Let’s see what our wise elders have to say about this:

यस्मिन् देशे न सम्मानो न वृत्तिः न च बान्धवाः
न च विद्यागमोऽप्यस्ति न तत्र दिवसं वसेत

Don’t stay at a place that doesn’t give any of these four:
Respect, livelihood, proximity to relatives, learning.

These are the four factors you should consider while deciding whether to continue staying at a place or not.

In today’s scenario, we should look at this the other way round.
You need not force yourself to do this analysis.
You need not keep on monitoring these — because you will be considering a relocation mostly when you are not satisfied or frustrated with the place where you presently are.

These four factors — you should consider about the place where you are relocating to, not where you presently are.

1. Respect

Is your destination going to give you respect?

One point to be highlighted here — this shloka is not talking about money at all.
It is not a factor.

It means that if you are moving for money, better prospects in terms of earning, it may soon become irrelevant.
Say, your CTC is X amount today. Someone offers you X + 30% at another location.
It may look great. But suppose you go there and the boss is rude — really unbearably rude — this excitement of 30% hike will disappear in a matter of days.

This is why the acharyas have also not considered the monetary side in this.
That part will not give you satisfaction. It is a general feature of money.
Even if the boss is not rude, the excitement is only till the next appraisal.
If you don’t get a raise or increment as per your expectation in the next appraisal, you are back to your frustration.

That’s why money is left behind in the shloka.

But respect — make sure that there is respect for you where you are going.
Make sure that you will not be a second-class citizen where you are going.

This is not just about going abroad — even within the place or city where you are, localities matter.
Give this a serious thought — not just the culture of the organisation where you are going, also the place, locality where you are going to stay.

Because if you have to face disrespect, then it will really hurt.
The wounds of racial or community insults, discrimination based on your nationality are very painful and very difficult to heal.

Don’t subject yourself to this out of your own choice.
Where you relocate should be a place where you will be respected — because if respect is not there, then after some time self-respect will also go.
You will end up in a miserable living with a heavy bank balance.

2. Livelihood

It should give you livelihood — this is essential.
When you visit Ladakh, it will look like heaven on earth. If you visit Switzerland, it will look like heaven on earth.

But if you go there, what will you do for a living?

Your education, your skill set, your experience — can it be put to use there?
Working and earning, working to earn is important in life.
You won’t be able to live without work. Even if you have enough money accumulated, you will need something to do.

Will the new place provide you with this?

If you are at the prime of your career, see whether the new place will give you growth — continued growth.

Your prospective employer may be pulling you because he may be badly in need of someone like you.
He will give you whatever you ask for now.
But after going there — will there be sustained growth? This you have to see.

Acharyas have taken this into consideration even at a time when jobs were not a market — the job market did not exist — they gave so much importance to livelihood.

Make sure that your decision to relocate — if it is for any other reason than career — that decision will not affect your career and livelihood adversely.

3. Proximity to Family

The third reason could be for proximity with relatives, parents, family.
This may be very important for many.
They are the ones whom you are living for.
They may be longing for your presence.
You may be longing to be with them.

This situation applies if you are already away from them and want to come back to them — or you will be moving away from them.

In the first case, there is a catch — when you make your annual visit to your hometown, meet your relatives — the kind of treatment that you get, it may not be the same when you actually start living with them on a full-time basis.

So don’t be over-impressed with the love and affection of your uncles and aunts when you visit them once in two years or once in three years and make such decisions.

Even your parents — the first choice is to be with them — but check for yourself.
You may be feeling bad that you are not by their side to support them physically — but be sure that you will not take your frustration out on them, saying:

Look, I compromised on my career and came back for you people — and this is what I get?

Be careful and double-check the compatibility factor on a long-term basis if you are deciding to rejoin with your family.

4. Learning

The fourth factor — learning — you can relocate if the purpose is learning.

Learning is not about getting a degree. This is not the learning intended here.
Learning in the real sense — learning that will enhance the quality of your life.
Learning that will make your life better.

From the intellectual level that you are in — are you going to a place where you will get to see only people who are mundane?

Imagine a situation where you are relocating to a country where tribes are killing each other for power.
This is what you get to see on the streets.
This is what you would read in the newspaper and watch on television.
Money is good. But is it worth it?

Every day in life, you should learn something which can enhance the value of your life.

This quality of life is not the one that reflects in your income tax return, the size of your residence, or the brand of your car.

Quality of life is what you feel internally.
That — you can understand yourself.
Whether you are feeling better.
Feeling better than ten years back.
Feeling better than one year back.
Feeling better than yesterday.

The rest are for others.
Your income tax return is for the government.
The size of your residence is for your people to brag about.
The brand of your car is for your child to show off in the school.

The only thing that really belongs to you is how you feel internally.

Are you feeling peaceful?
Are you feeling comfortable?
Are you feeling happy?
Are you feeling contented?

Nothing else matters.

This is your only real achievement.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi