Achievable Dreams- A Vision towards Metamorphosis
‘Two roads diverged in the woods, and I, I took the one less travelled by.’- Robert Frost.
A story which had begun five years ago, but was conceptualised on December 16th, 2019. I am the protagonist of the story writing my biography of my being and the beginning.
The Beginning
A lot can change in a day, a week and a year; here I am talking about five years. I remember it was November 12th,2019 it was 7:00 pm, I was waiting for my turn for the interview at a consultancy company. It was my very first interview and I came across the question- Where do you see yourself In five years? I answered it with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of professional plans back then. I viewed the corporate world as the stairs which will take me to my ultimate goals. The harsh reality happened; I got rejected in the interview not because of the answer but of the fact that I was in denial. I was in denial of what I wanted to be and what I am. I thrived for a job and surely I did secure a job. Life always has some unexpected plans and this unexpected things makes the journey so worthwhile.
The Dilemma
The journey began when I started with my new job. I know you must be wondering how does this coherent with how I started? Everyone studies then sits for placement, gets a job and works, if not everyone most does. That’s the convention we all grow up with.
Well, it started because it took me a wrong job and the urge to be in the rat race to realise I was running the wrong race. I left it without a plan, without a mind map. It was a rush decision, wasn’t it? It was the best decision I made, I chose responsibility + career over career, and it did make a lot of difference.
Living the Reality
June 17th, 2026 when I look back I see a girl who decided to forgo of the baggage everyone forced her to carry instead she chose to shoulder responsibilities and dreamed to make it big. As I sit with a cup of coffee eagerly waiting for my clock to strike 9 am (I can claim I love what I do) to speak to my colleagues over a video conference, I smile proudly at my past self and thank her that she decided discipline and passion over the rat race. I am building my dreams brick-by-brick, the base of which was laid exactly five years back. This is a Déjà vu moment for me now, as it was a dream which I worked to achieve.
I am a Creative Director by profession, my job is what makes me wake up every day to thrive, connect and learn, while I grow in the process. I teach during my free time. I believe sharing my knowledge is far more important than bottling it up. I have 200 mentees, 100 young adults and 50 evergreen adults to interact with this month through my channel (The Retrospective Girl) where I interact with them through storytelling session about designing, marketing and implementation. The pandemic made this necessary unconventional shift from theories to practical backed with theories happen and I hoped into the bandwagon to be part of the change. The most interesting day on my productive days are Sundays, (no not because it is a holiday) but because I see a lot of people in my share- center now. A dream turned reality to bring together like-minded people who are going through their tough days — to share thoughts, dreams and positive energies. Cancer patients meet cancer survivors, old meets new, job seekers meet job achievers and I meet my dream. This is my Ikigai.
The Journey
It unfolded with a freelancing journey of creating content and designs. It took a sharp turn when I landed at a job as a marketing associate. The experience factor created a lot of hurdles but skills won the battle. Hard work did create value, but balancing work-life made a difference in the journey. The work over the years didn’t just stay confined to a vertical, but my growth was T-shaped. I kept upskilling myself by learning new skills every three months. The overpowering work load never got into the promised me time though- 60 minutes a day for reading and creating. The car changed its gear after I landed on a milestone to be promoted to a Creative Director and that’s where I am today. The journey did had few punctures and maintenance but it was worth it all.
The Eureka Moment
The thing that stopped me from becoming the new me was me. We all have a barrier, a hurdle and we stop because we stop trying. Life happens every day but we don’t make our dreams happen because it seems too far-fetched, too difficult. The only hurdle that I found was beginning, taking the leap and when I took my leap of faith, I didn’t give up. It was difficult, harsh and frustrating but those days of the incremental building led to the mansion I have for me today. The difference that made it all happen was a change of choice of words- from I will, to I can to I have to; “And it… It did make all the difference.”l
The Design Brief Of My Life- 4W-1H
Who? — I was always one of those people who had the urge to score well and believed degrees and scores made us. But, I changed my lens to focus more to get a depth of field into my life and realised I am my skills, my passion and my values. I am the culmination of my now which consists of my knowledge, my learning, my experiences and the people I am around.
Where? — I am in a journey where I don’t just want to be another human going through their “Seven Stages” I want to be someone who lives on through their work- designs, stories and writing after death. If “All the world’s a stage” I will play my part well.
What? The metamorphosis of being a cocoon to “The wings of fire”- I used to be a sloth, lazy, procrastinating individual. I was an introvert curled up in my cocoon. It was when I took a step to be part of a mastermind group, bustling with energy and positivity with people who dreamed to achieve. It disrupted my cocoon state, it made me uncomfortable, anxious but in a good way. I then made a mind map, a timeline with deadlines.
How? A Disciple of Discipline- Forgoing of distraction and having a single minded focus at one thing at a time. I made a routine, chalked out my productivity and planned out my day. I shifted my focus from instant gratification to gestation. I worked on balancing work, career, family and health. Prioritising yet not berefting my day of any of these elements. Meditating freed my mind, while writing and designing opened it up. Dedicating an hour for both religiously, worshiping mine and my mother’s inner self through regular exercise and healthy diet. I tracked, measured and valued every activity with the opportunity cost.
Why? To make life a bed of roses I needed to pass the thrones. The thrones were and are difficult but yet again, I have to do it. Every day was an opportunity and I wanted to en-cash it, I wanted to be rich in thoughts and in experience.
All this came with acceptance- accepting people for who they are, viewing things for what they are. We judge people by seeing just the tip of the iceberg and not the underlying values, culture and beliefs behind it. To accept people for who they are first, I started accepting myself for who I am. The way we think reflect in our actions. I change my internal locus of control- I can’t change what I can’t measure. In a world where success is measured by money, opportunities and property, I chose learning, discipline and passion and that led me to a number of experiences, lessons and memories. I did come a long way but yet “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
