We are at the brink of our teenage years and have to start making decisions that will lead into careers. This is a life changing decision, and sadly, many of us don’t know what to do. Many of us are motivated by the prospect of earning a good salary, while the rest are being pressured by others to enter a particular stream.
Does this ring a bell?
If you are in a situation like this, I want you to do something for me. It’s rather insubstantial, really. Sit at a quiet place, and breathe. Don’t concentrate on anything, but yourself and your breath. Feel the air cleansing your system of all impurities, terrible memories, expectations, that one quiz you didn’t do well in. Now think- what do you see yourself as? It can be anything- freelance photographer, traveler, chef, social worker, etc. That vision you see is what you truly want to do. It is untainted by the expectations of those around you.
The rest is dependent upon you- if you are courageous enough to chase your dream. There will be people along the way who will try to stop you and misguide you. Sometimes, those people are the ones who are very close to you and are the ones whom you trust with your life. Listen to yourself before listening to anyone else. Do what you really want to do. Because seventy years down the line, when you are on your deathbed, you shouldn’t regret not taking the untrodden path in fear of being rejected by the society.
This pursuit will not be easy. You will have to persevere and work for it. But the end result will be worth it, trust me.
“You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”
-Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
The second issue rises- how will you make a lot of money? Just think about this- is life really all about the money you make? Try taking all the money to your grave. As said in a great movie, “Money is like the dirt in one’s palms. One day or the others, it is bound to get away. So why not spend it now?”. Tell me, how many excessively rich people are truly happy? They may surround themselves with expensive things, but inside their minds, there is a craving for something more to live for. It is more important to excel first, and you excel at what you really want to do.
Look around you, there are small moments waiting to be explored. Don’t just be alive, but live. Live in the moment, for you may never know when that moment will be snatched away from you, never to be seen again. Follow your heart, and do what YOU want to do, not what others want you to do. It still isn’t late. We would be much happier as a society if everyone followed the desires of their heart rather than societal obligations and/or monetary gains.
This reminds me of a beautiful poem I had come across. This is a rough translation, as the original poem, from the movie ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'(You Don’t Get to Live Life a Second Time), is called ‘Toh Zinda Ho Tum'(You’re Living)-
“If you carry eagerness/restlessness in your heart, then you are living
If you are moving forward with the fire(passion) of your dreams in your eyes, then you are living
Learn to flow freely like the wind
Learn to flow like a river(Go with the flow)
Meet every new moment with open arms
Let your eyes see new moments every day
If you carry wonder in your heart, then you’re living
If you carry eagerness in your heart, then you are living”
Remember this-
“It takes nothing to blend in. It takes everything to stand out”
