The present belongs to those who conquer themselves and aren’t afraid of failing. That’s what makes champions.
With this big a yardstick to measure up to, who sets these standards?
Well, that’s the biggest question in life, isn’t it?
We could listen to the views of great men before our time who believed that we must attach ourselves to big goals or invest our lives in the service of others and noble deeds of similar nature.
But, I think all measures fail before happiness. Happiness is a fruitful endeavour — irrespective of being found in the journey or the final destination (or) result. If happiness could be quantified, there’d surely be no standard for it — and since there’s no scale for happiness, what makes people happy is the biggest mystery of all. People have various experiences, and happiness can mean multiple things for a person — professional success, love, travel, and sometimes it’s an accumulation of all experiences in life.
The best way to know for yourself is to turn back pages of your life!
Life in retrospection!
It is always good to pause, turn back and observe the path we have traveled. We recollect fond memories, realise new things about our past, feel the sudden urge to catch up with old friends etc. A visit to the past every now and then is a refreshing experience — and it helps us appreciate the value of people in our life and our value in others’.
When I look back, I feel most fortunate to have a childhood where I traveled from one city in India to another — all the way from Gwalior to Leh to Ahmednagar to Jammu and then back to Bangalore. I feel the richness of these experiences — having met with and made friends with people from different places of the country. I would feel it to be loss if I didn’t spend time in my hometown Hyderabad. But, as luck would have it, I completed my education in Hyderabad and became fully aware of my own roots.
Education is one thing that moulds a person — what is more rewarding to a person is education when it comes in the form of experiences through people from various walks of life, from every phase of life, and from more than one place.
- Be it teachers, relatives, friends or my family, I’ve gained a lot more than I have given back.
- “Past is prelude” is a popular saying with me. You can look it up if you like. I for one favor this saying.
- Life is all about evolution if you pay close attention. And it keeps us fascinated with each change.
Entropy in life!! How can the present be valued?
To crown my life until now, I went to study abroad. It was as spontaneous action as I have ever taken — and yet most rewarding. I met people from every country in the world — and a new level of understanding was formed. My thoughts have transformed through shared experience — now it’s impossible to go back.
It’s remarkable that people unknowingly, and in a most amusing way carry their culture with them — this was true for me, while I displayed Indian values — I came to respect the views of others. Being yourself is the best thing you’ll ever do!!
Men travel to the moon to gain perspective of things while I already could perceive depth on earth, and realized how tiny men really are.
To make life more interesting, a string of events led me back to India — already used to change, I quickly adapted to a change in circumstances more than just geography. And here it was that I met with Edwisely, or frndzzy as it was known then. This was the first company I chose to work.
The Vision of the company was an instant yes for me. I hesitated at the thought of the scope of work it entailed, but the inspiration in Kashyap, one of the amazing founders of Edwisely, is contagious — I could run all I wanted, but could never outrun it.
It’s a funny story actually — I was looking to begin working and I had no work experience. I thought it was a good idea to begin interning at a company and then take up a full-time job according to the work I like. So, I started with Content work at a marketing firm in Hyderabad. But only after one week I realized that I was not cut out for it.
I was selected by Kashyap through Internshala when I applied for an internship at Edwisely. It was the first time I met with the team. I interviewed with him and he accepted me for the role of Technical content writer.
I joined within weeks as a Content writer — at the time I knew little of my role but was given room to learn. I kept going back and forth on my decision about working there and I remember a time when Kashyap and I were discussing how I could help out at the company. I was constantly underestimating my work, while he continued to encourage me. In the end, I chose to listen to him. The internship was a success — it felt great! The amount of knowledge in science and technology research, personalities, and a number of other topics I gained is immense.
It was like a fast-track course on world events — nothing is out of bounds when it comes to knowledge.
I spent many months here. I will call this the start of my career and what good fortune it is to start work in such a wonderful environment. It set the standards for all future work that I will do.
It was my plan to spend some years of my life in Delhi, the capital city. And so I chose to move from Hyderabad. I parted ways with incredible support from everyone I know. I’ve now spent a year in New Delhi and I can’t have enough of it.
The rewards of persistence!!
My first work experience enabled me to understand the core focus of an organization — and to treat ordinary companies as teams of people working toward a common goal.
The simple act of being true to a cause allowed me to create a very positive and productive environment around me.
I now sit in a role with great responsibility and more than this — accountability. I’m responsible and accountable for the safety and future profession of a large and growing group of people.
I should tell you that I’m an Aeronautical Engineer and still in my twenties.
If you still believe that maturity or responsibility manifest only with age and potential can be quantified with mere eyesight — then you’re bound to underestimate yourself and others in turn.
I dare you to think about the unthinkable. And when you’re unsure of things — you can always look back at your life to see that there’s much to see in it.
The future is by design!!
If you like it, then you should do it. If you want it, then you should buy it. And if you have it, then you should value it. For in these acts, you will inspire others to be their happiest self while you pursue your own happy self. That’s an algorithm for the success of all who participate in the same activity — think that we are all partakers of the same planet, in the same time, and in this article, we’re in search of the same answer.
Look to create your future self. What you value will become valuable; what you discard will become a memory.
In this article, I mention only my education, and my work — while I continue pursuits in love and friendship and family.
I for one wouldn’t mind a quick look at how the future will be, but who’s to say that the journey through time will not feel more perfect.
Concluding remarks
I’m not sure how often I’ll blog, so I must make the most of what I do — with this in mind; there’s just one sentence that sums life for me — that, “one who does not travel, does not know the value of men”.
