Article: Learning and growing on this journey..

Leaving something midway for something else is not a sign of weakness, defeat or indecision.

I started 2021 sitting alone in a cafe, with a laptop, a notebook and some colored pens. Wrapped in the bustle of the cafe, I dug into my coursework, writing answers, watching videos, downloading material, doing practical exercises, going through websites, talking to mentors- all in an attempt to dive into this exciting world of design.

I didn’t have a job back then, I had just left my UPSC preparation of two years. I gave up midway, and I felt this self-perceived, acute pressure of succeeding in life as a result of guilt. As if I had cheated on my ‘plan’.

I was trying to prove a point about my decision to leave the prep.

Just like I left filmmaking in the past to appear for govt exams.

Just like I left my graduation subjects behind to make some films.

Just like I left my high school subjects in science behind for a degree in arts.

And so the list goes on..

I have enjoyed doing everything I’ve done till now, but I always had an imaginary standard of success in my head that robbed me of the joy of simply experiencing life. And this self-limiting belief was formed by what I thought others might feel about me or my career.

It was only this year that I finally understood I actually had nothing and no one to prove myself to, no one to make happy except myself.

After jumping so many different ships, having doubts about my abilities, feeling a fear of failure and of being perceived as finicky by people, I’ve realised it’s absolutely okay to be adaptable, take risks and love and value a lot of different ideas and disciplines.. choose directions that excite you!

No matter how much we try to convince ourselves that this thing right now is all that we need to be happy in future, things change.

ALL THE TIME!

Nobody knows what interesting thing might come up today or tomorrow or day after! Closing yourself off to the unlimited possibilities of this world is like living in a box. You can only imagine what’s outside, no way of experiencing, isn’t it?

You Only Live Once, and #2021year was the year that made me realize the importance of being true to myself.

If you don’t do what you want to right now, who knows, maybe you never will!

And you know what I’d like to do the most right now?

I’d love to start writing interesting, inspiring stuff for people to read!

#article #writing #words #self #journal #diary