Brands the cause of rat race?

Ultimatum year signals the dawn of the working life which inevitably means the beginning of the rat race. From consumer goods such as shoes, watches, cars and...the company one works in, the norm of society judges one by all these. What does one look for in a career? Is it the brand name of the company? The standard set by society is that one is deemed to be successful if one is offered a job in an MNC.

Advancements in career, flexible hours and overseas assignments outweighs that of the "glory" of being employed in an MNC. True enough, working in an MNC would most probably guarantee a high starting salary. The immense pressure to succeed among a large pool of 'talents' can take its toll on the quality of life. Of course one can say competition brings improvement and can only be for the better. But what about the insatiable drive to succeed regardless of the presence of competition?

Many people get lost in the wilderness of the rat race world. Many place financial gains as the top priority of achieving success in life. Money, money, money. Everything is about money. Either one has it, or doesn't have it.

The most important thing in life is to be able to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. It is easy to come up with a list of strengths, but to name your own weaknesses and think of how to overcome them is a challenge to some people. Through this understanding of oneself and the ability to come to terms with your own weaknesses and strengths will one be able to look beyond the superficial world. To be the rat constantly running the endless race or to be the rat who is comfortable with itself, able to stop and look at the flowers and be allowed to explore its own abilities?