The right attitude towards work and its result

Life is a series of transactions each of which commences with certain motivations,
that change during different stages of our lives.
Adi Sankara has referred to this aspect of our life in Bhaja Govindam, sloka-7:,

baalastaavat kriidaasaktaH taruNastaavat taruNii saktaH
vruddhastaavat chintaasaktaH parame bramhaNi ko.pi na saktaH

बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः तरुणस्तावत् तरुणी सक्तः
वृद्धस्तावत् चिन्ता सक्तः परमे ब्रम्हणि कोऽपि न सक्तः

In boyhood one is obsessed with play;
in youth one is obsessed with young women and
in old age one is immersed in worries;
yet no one is ever devoted to the supreme Lord.

It is normal human behaviour to want to succeed in all transactions
and be saddened, disappointed by failures.
The worries due to failures accumulate to form a great burden in old age;
People die disappointed with their lives.

Our lives need not necessarily be like this,
if we remember Purandara Dasar's advise
about the source of such sadness, namely - expectation.
In one of his kritis, he states:
aasaigal eshto / niraasaigal inneshto
The more your expectation, much more will be your disappointments!
Work without expectations and receive the results as His prasadam.

Ramana Maharishi too advises us similarly
to change our attitude towards work and its results.
"Let us work sincerely and efficiently, not merely for our sake
but for the sake of others too with this mental attitude:

i) Ishvararpitam na icchayaa krutam citta shodhakam mukti daayakam
ii) jagataIshadhI yukta sevanam"

His prescription for perennial happiness is simple:
Consider all work as ordained by Him, not by your desires.
Let the end-result be for the benefit of all, not just for yourself.
If you undertake any task with this attitude
and work efficiently with devotion to the Master,
where then is cause for dissatisfaction?

sarvam sri krishnarpanamastu.