MAKING SACRIFICES
Nirankar Object in the Sound of Ek, 2019, Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu.I had been counting down to this night for weeks. Dinner was booked, outfit sorted, and after drowning in work for what felt like forever, I was ready – ready to switch off, have a laugh, and eat something that didn’t come from a sad Tupperware box. Then, just as I was about to savour delicious freedom, a request popped up in my inbox: There was a talk at a university in London about maintaining balance in your personal and professional life, and they needed a speaker. Specifically, me.
I’d love to say I immediately leapt at the opportunity. But honestly, my first thought was: Really? Tonight of all nights? I weighed my options. I mean, on any other night, I would’ve been all in. But this was my one evening of escape. And I was being asked to trade all that for a deep-dive into life’s pressures.
My friends would understand. But I couldn’t shake that feeling of missing out – the food, the laughter, the easy conversations. And yet, I knew. I knew what the right thing to do was.
So I went. And somewhere between sharing stories, answering questions, and hearing students open up about their own struggles, something shifted. I saw how much they needed to hear that they weren’t alone in feeling overwhelmed. That balance wasn’t about having it all figured out.
I remembered how useful I found conversations like these when I was in their shoes. And that the sacrifice I was making was as good for me as it was for them. The idea that selflessness isn’t always about physical action is something I heard a lot about growing up as a Sikh. Sometimes, it’s about offering time, knowledge, or simply being present when it would be easier to say no. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. But the more I practice it, the more I see that sacrifice isn’t just about what we give up – it’s about what we choose.
That night, I may have missed out on a fancy dinner. But I left the university feeling something even better – connected, grounded and strangely at peace. And I still managed to meet up with my friends for dessert afterwards. Balance, right?
Other Pause for Thought
