When I was in college studying management, I was
predicted to be one of the most successful persons in our batch. I certainly
was on the way to becoming it. I participated in organizations and events in
and outside college and felt superb about it. One day when I was showing my
American friend around the city she asked me if my ambition is to work in one
of these corporates and I said, "No, I have bigger
ambitions". Then I got a highly coveted job with one of the
world's best employers and I started working in one of those buildings.
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| Inside Raheja Mindspace, Hitech City, Hyderabad |
So let’s go back two years. When my final year
began and I was enrolling for placements, I took a systematic path to it. I sat
with my uncle who’s a career counselor and drew a timeline. He asked “Where do
you see yourself at 30?” and I said, “I’m running my own business.” And then
back-tracked from there, put down where I see myself at 27 yrs, at 25 yrs, at
23 yrs, and so forth. I took it a little further and told myself where I saw
myself at 50 yrs!
Now a year later I was at my first employer. Since our office culture doesn't take very
kindly to formal wear I put all those new, tailor-made formal pants and
skirts in the back of my cupboard and brought out all my casuals. The first day
I entered office I was ready to take on the world. I was ready to be one of the
most successful people of my batch. I knew that I studied in an average college
and even though I was one of the best students, I was still an average person.
The point is, I was average and I knew it. So I gave myself some time to soak
in the changes, understand the mentality and get into that groove. It’s human
nature to take some time to adapt. And then I made the biggest mistake.
I told myself that I wasn’t as smart as everybody
else.
Trust me when I say that it’s the worst mistake one can ever make.
Nobody’s words hit you as hard as your own. So because I wasn’t as smart as others I wouldn’t actively participate in
discussions, just be a passive observer. The irony is that one of my top five
strengths is ‘Command’. Add my personal problems to this and you get a mess.
Months went by and in December I was dying. My mind
was blank. I couldn’t concentrate on work; I couldn’t understand anything. I
was dying to just get away and I decided to go to Singapore. My company was
kind enough to give me that time off and Singapore changed it all. After ten
days in Singapore I said to myself, “I can’t leave like this. I didn’t work
hard in college to leave things mid-way. I will go back and I will give myself
six months. I have to go a step further in the next six months.” So I came back
and threw myself into work. And the three things I’ve lived by since January
are a Constantly ticking internal
clock, Gain knowledge and expertise and Do. Everyday I would go work with a sense of urgency
telling myself that I don’t have much time left. On my calendars at home and
work everyday I strike out the date at the end of the day to reinforce the time
limitation. I placed a white board next to me, on outlook started noting down
what I do everyday, wrote down important points on post-its and sticking them
on my monitor. My work became my competition and my escape so much so that
there were times I left office only around midnight to come back at 7 am the
next morning. And my favorite part was acquiring new skills. Since I came back,
coding and excel have become my pet. Figuring out logic became my drug. Soon
you will a Facebook app made by me!
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sunayana Sen
2 comments:
Good one.. All the very best!
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha
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