I called her to wish her.

She picked up the phone and said Thanks!…but then, just a moment later, followed it up with “What’s there to celebrate?”

This is not the first time I had heard someone say this. I have retorted similarly in the past myself. I was almost in tears when I turned 30.

For the first time in my life though, I had more to offer than an awkward nod of agreement.

With 40 peeping around the corner, and grey hair peppering my crown with much less discretion, I maybe even had an answer to her question.

It went something like this.

When we are young, birthday celebration are all about commemorating the day we were born.

As we get older, arriving on the planet seems a day long lost in history. Birthdays soon become markers of aging.

The body gets weaker every year, and the mind does not relish the prospect of weakening bones and lost energy. It’s easy to feel that celebrations are out of order.

But this comes from ignoring the purpose of our life.

And the way I see it, the purpose of life is to grow.

Think about it. In this life full of impermanence, have you in true terms gained anything besides growth? Anything else that you gained through the good times and the bad times alike? Anything else that you once gained, always stayed with you, while everything else – success, fame, money, love – came and went?

Isn’t growth then the only meaning of life?

Seen in this context, how bad does the sixtieth birthday sound? How bad is it to celebrate 60 years of growth? How bad is it to celebrate a lifetime of being polished by life’s many forces?

Every year on this treadmill called earth, our eyes may lose a bit of their glint, but our soul shines brighter –  gaining perspective and getting rid of its karmic dross.

The day we came on earth isn’t important – the journey we have covered is.

And that, mom, is certainly worth celebrating.

Happy birthday!

Your son,

Shikhar Mohan

Maglev technology itself isn’t new, and this isn’t the first hoverboard to use it. American startup Arx Pax raised over half a million dollars last year through a Kickstarter campaign to fund its Hendo Hoverboard. But Pax’s board is dependent on batteries that last just 10 to 15 minutes and take an hour or two to charge. The technology is also being used in mass rapid transportation systems such as the Shanghai Maglev Train. In Japan, the SCMaglev test train recently reached a top speed of 375 miles per hour.

Riding the hoverboard however is not a walk in the park. “A skateboard has got resistance. Even with a surfboard, you’ve got the resistance of water,” says David Nordstrom, a general manager for global branding at Lexus International in Tokyo. “This is essentially floating on air. If you’ve ever tried to stand on a board, or something on water without any momentum, that’s what this kind of feels like.”

Even though Lexus and Evico were able to pull off the project, don’t expect to ride one soon. Lexus says it has no plans to mass-produce the hoverboard. What’s also a dampener is that maglev technology that makes this hoverboard work would need a magnetic metal track – normal concrete pavements won’t do. 

Lexus solved this issue by converting a skate park in Barcelona into a temporary hoverboard skate park. On an existing track composed of cement and wood, the Lexus and Evico teams swooped in to lay down hundreds of small magnets. (Source – Bloomberg)

To help, Glassdoor, the leading jobs and career community, has identified 20 of the highest rated jobs for work-life balance. This list was compiled based entirely on employee feedback shared on Glassdoor over the past year*.

Be aware that you may be overqualified for some of them in case you head for a MBA!

Data Scientist (4.4 work-life balance rating), Tour Guide (4.3) and Investment Analyst (4.0) are among the top jobs for providing a great work-life balance. What other jobs are highly rated to help you live a healthy life in and out of work? Check out the complete results (Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied):

“Not only is everyone incredibly sharp and very good at their jobs, but also, almost without exception, everyone is a pleasure to work and associate with. I’m given an incredible work/life balance.” – Facebook Data Scientist (Menlo Park, CA)

“Great company culture, opportunity for growth, fun co-workers, work hard play hard mentality. We often have company outings, video game breaks, catered lunches.” – Geek Powered Studios SEO Specialist (Austin, TX)

“You learn a lot about Customer Service, you get to take different workshops and classes, and managers work with you and have your best interest at heart. You meet a lot of new people and it is a great environment to work in.” – The Fox Theatre – Atlanta Tour Guide (Atlanta, GA)

“Easy to get time off, shifts traded around, the management was nice most of the time.  The members were friendly and there were lots of free workout perks.” – YMCA Lifeguard(location, n/a)

“I feel that the work I do is important, both to Abstrakt and our clients but also to my professional development as well. Although I am kept busy, I also have a lot of fun at work and feel like I have a good work-life balance.” – Abstrakt Social Media Manager (Saint Louis, MO)

“Flexible schedule, free membership to workout, nice group of fitness instructors who are generally very knowledgeable about their particular classes- i.e. Zumba, yoga, spinning, clean and reasonably well maintained gym, very nice aerobics studio- large, mirrors and good sound system.” – LA Fitness Group Fitness Instructor (Montgomeryville, PA)

“The team is incredible, there are plenty of people to learn from, there are many perks, and I always get the support I need to continually advance in my career. I also like maintaining a good work-life balance, and I can definitely do this at LinkedIn.” – LinkedIn User Experience Designer (Mountain View, CA)

“The culture feels like a college campus where you get to work with lots of smart people who also happen to be nice. Work/life balance is good.” – Intuit Corporate Communications(Mountain View, CA)

“Flexibility of your work schedule. Good salary. Your co-workers become a second family.” –FDNY Firefighter (New York, NY)

“The compensation is outstanding and there really is great work-life balance. Everyone you work with is highly intelligent. Leadership encourages innovation.” – Tradebot Equity Trader(Kansas City, MO)

“Judges are friendly and approachable, salaries are competitive, IT support is outstanding, you can be an attorney here and still maintain a good work/life balance.” – US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Law Clerk (Washington, D.C.)

“Collaboration, culture, benefits, diversity, openness to new ideas, great work-life balance. Great place to gain experience.” – Wells Fargo Investment Analyst (location, n/a)

“Incredible, lively, fun work culture. Very conscious about work-life balance (which is rare in DC).” – One Medical Group Administrative Assistant (Washington, D.C.)

“Employees are passionate about their work and enthusiastic about coming to work each day, striking an appropriate work-life balance.” – NPR Office Assistant (Washington, D.C.)

“Work/life balance is likely the best thing about this company. Training is excellent. Opportunities to do and try new things are always available.” – Rackspace Sales Representative (San Antonio, TX)

“Excellent work/life balance with flexible scheduling. Fun, easy going environment.” –Lawrence Technological University Help Desk Technician (Southfield, MI)

“The flexibility, hours, and off on weekends with family are good for me. I do not have pay for day care because of the hours. I don’t have to work if I do not want to. I can pick and choose if I want to work that day or go to that school.” – Killeen Independent School District Substitute Teacher (Killeen, TX)

“Lots of chances to move up or lateral moves if you don’t like what you are doing. Environment values family and having a life outside of work.” – Fluor Carpenter (Boulder, CO)

“Flexible schedule, unlimited income, great work environment.” – Century 21 Real Estate Broker (location, n/a)

“Nice people with a high team spirit, a great work life balance, countless events, activities and benefits and low hierarchies.” – Wooga Game Designer (Berlin, Germany)

*Report based on at least 20 work-life balance ratings per job title shared on Glassdoor between 7/3/13-7/2/14. Work-life balance satisfaction ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0= very dissatisfied; 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied.

While considerably fewer Indians predict football world cup winner will be Germany (10%), Argentina (8%), Spain (7%), Italy (4%), United States and Australia (both 3%), England/ Portugal/ Russia/ Belgium/ France all at 2%, and 1% who chose each of Mexico/ South Korea/ Croatia/ Switzerland/ Colombia and Japan.

As for the runner-up, Indians choose Brazil (13%), Spain (12%), Germany (12%), Argentina (10%), France (6%), Italy (6%), England (4%), Portugal (3%), Australia (3%), United States/ Belgium/ Mexico/ Chile at 2% and Uruguay/ Netherlands/ Colombia/ Japan/ Russia and South Korea all at 1%.

“Football fever has gripped India with 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer event underway in Brazil. Ipsos study indicates that more than 65 percent Indians have heard the buzz around the global mega sporting event,” said Biswarup Banerjee, Head Marketing Communications, Ipsos India.

A large majority (78%) of global respondents have heard at least something about the upcoming World Cup in Brazil with 46% indicating they’ve heard something ( “a great deal” (22%), “a fair amount” (24%)) compared with 54% who have not heard much or anything (“a little bit” (32%) and “not heard anything at all” (22%)).

Those from Brazil (69%), the host country, are most likely to say they have heard “a great deal,” followed by those from Mexico (53%), Argentina (44%), Indonesia (43%), Belgium (34%), Saudi Arabia (32%), France (30%) and India (29%). One quarter or fewer are aware of the games from these countries: South Africa (26%), South Korea (23%), China (21%), Spain (19%), Poland (17%), Turkey (17%), Italy (15%), Japan (15%), Great Britain (13%), Egypt (12%), Germany (9%), Romania (8%), the United States (7%), Hungary (7%), Australia (6%), Sweden (6%), Canada (6%) and Russia (5%).

The Ipsos poll was conducted in May among 19,032 respondents in 26 countries, including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

Research Methodology

These findings are the result of the research conducted by global research company Ipsos. The research data output is derived from a balanced online sample in 24 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system.

For the results of the survey presented herein, an international sample of 19,032 respondents (15,064 who have seen, read or heard of the FIFA World Cup) in 26 countries were interviewed. Approximately 1000+ individuals were surveyed in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States of America. Approximately 500+ individuals were surveyed in Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey.