Over the past 2 months, I’ve regularly been on a 2 hour commute to work. And yes, that’s 2 hours one way. And no, it’s not exactly 2 hours. It’s probably around 1 hour 45 minutes but 2 hours sounds a tad more heroic.
It isn’t a long term thing of course. If it was, I would have shifted closer to my new temporary place of work. But I’ve had a few meaningful lessons through this experience.
The first lesson is an understanding of the effect something can have on your mind. It took about two weeks before the commute stopped becoming a big deal in my head. Two whole weeks! The learning here was to ignore stuff my mind blows out of proportion.
The second lesson is that this is a truly wonderful time to be alive. Thanks to technology, I have enough and more to do during this time – listen to audio books, clear out my email, catch up on my google reader, make phone calls among others. Spoilt for choice really.
The third lesson is that choices are not good for happiness. They make us unhappy. This was evident in my first couple of weeks when I was toying with the idea of finding a place close to the new workplace temporarily. Every day, the debate raged – should I? should I not? There wasn’t a clear answer. So, I was wisely advised to shut down the other option and get on with it. And of course, revisit it if necessary.
The fourth lesson is the the amazing thing about making decisions. Decisions close doors. And if there’s a problem, you can make another decision to change things anyway.
The fifth lesson is the power of context. In 1 hour 45 minutes, you can take a round trip around Singapore (more or less). But, 1 hour 45 minutes only gets you from the centre to one end of London. Thanks to the average commute in London being 1 hour 15 minutes, this doesn’t feel all that bad. However, in Singapore, this would be madness.
I remember a similar experience in the middle east where driving 2 hours every day was seen as no big deal.
It’s all relative.
This final lesson is the most important one. It’s the magic of perspective. My mom told me a story in the early days when I was still struggling with the idea of the commute.
There was a monk who decided to climb a peak so he could meditate right on top. It took him 1 painful week to climb up but the experience on top was incredible. So, he did it again. And again and again until climbing up the peak was no big deal. Whether something is a mountain or molehill depends your perspective.
I think she made the story up to suit the situation. But, it turned out to be one hell of a story. Our perspective does indeed make all the difference in the world.
Oh, and finally, I also find myself smiling at the amazing story value this experience would have. Imagine telling my grandkids ‘When I was your age, I used to commute 2 hours and never complain..’
Now THAT would be fun..
A Learning a Day 