"I was 12, an only child of my parents, dreams in my eyes, thoughts rushing through my mind, not many friends to share, when a pen and a paper became my closest mates and I started to write poems, stories, articles and I went on & on & on. This is how I discovered my love for an unconventional interest that gave me nothing but immense pleasure. 7 years after I jotted down my first poem, my first article got published in one of India's popular woman's magazine, Woman's Era. The feeling was ecstatic to get recognition for my talent and actually hold my first pay cheque of 500 bucks while I was still in college pursuing my B.tech. Sounds a little strange I know, what does a software engineer has to do with literature and poetry? But, fortunately this became the journey of my self discovery that made me realize that my job is to earn a living and "writing" was a passion that I was born with. I call it "fortunate" because even though I am not a full time writer but yet the hobby acts as a healing therapy for me, whenever I get bugged up with my monotonous day to day routine."
There are lakhs of young minds brimming with ideas, questions, dreams, undiscovered & unexplored. Most of them are aged between 12-16 and each one of them is striving hard to know themselves and to know what they really want to do in life. Unfortunately, most of them, when not able to find clear answers to their questions, end up jumping blindly into the mad rat race of fields and areas which are just not meant to be their cup of tea. So inspired by my own journey and a few years older than you, let me just help you find answers to those unanswered questions and guide you to the path of self discovery.
# Look inside to find what really interests you: Every now and then we hear that talent is something you are born with. Conceded BUT "interests" are something that all of us have. And in today's competitive time, it has almost become mandatory for every young child to polish that interest and convert it into a hobby. An all round development is something you can't do away with. Interests could vary from music, dance, painting, writing, sports, photography, social work, cooking, quizzing, public speaking and trekking, just to name a few. Interests when pursued regularly become hobbies and hobbies when polished and glorified become a passion, and there are numerous examples where successful people have pursued their passions as careers. It is for you to look inside and clearly know what is it that interests you, is it GK, Literature, sports, organizing events, techno-gadgets. Prepare a questionnaire and ask yourself, given an opportunity, what you would prefer, preparing for a mathematics quiz or writing a summary. Such questions will definitely help you to be aware of yourself, about what you enjoy doing. And eventually it will help you take up fields that you would enjoy working in. The kind of time you have when you are in your teens still in school or may be in college, is something you would never get in your life. It is the time when you can take the liberty of pursuing your passions along with studies. It is the time when you don’t really have the worldly responsibilities to cater to. There is exactly what you call "ample" time. It might sound way too idealistic but utilizing this time in a well planned manner will definitely help you groom as a better individual, professionally as well personally. It’s your overall persona that will matter in the end, and not just good grades. As the world is changing, there is globalization, there is a need for a global citizen who knows more than what is mentioned in books. And this self discovery will take you a step closer to becoming an aware global citizen. So what are you waiting for just put on your thinking caps and explore inside your mind and heart to know what gives you happiness and what makes you work endlessly without feeling a hint of boredom or tiredness.
#Weigh the feasibility of your newly discovered passion: Though, if a passion is followed regularly and polished through professional trainers and courses while one's growing years, it can earn you a living as well. But, it isn't really feasible to transform every passion into a full time career. You need to weigh its pros and cons. Nevertheless, any extracurricular achievement adds value to your personality and your resume to be. Not to neglect the pleasure and peace you get after an hour of your dance or music lesson. It can actually work as a stress buster after hectic study hours or years later in between the high profile board meetings that you would become part of.
#Guide your siblings/offspring: A child as young as 12-13 would definitely need guidance from someone who is more experience. Expose your younger brother/sister/friends or your child to various opportunities available. Unfortunately, there are times adolescents and teens do not understand the crucial role of extracurricular activities and their impact on personality development and they end up living in the illusion that only getting 'A' grades in academics will secure a bright future for them. Academics are imperative in shaping a successful career but it is in no way the be all and end all f life. Thus, it is the responsibility of every educated parent and an elder sibling to give their young ones required exposure and introduce them to the world of arts, culture, sports, society. Take them to watch plays, enroll them for PDP classes, encourage them to use social networking for a cause, take them for swimming tennis classes, inspire them to read, jot down their thoughts. And finally when they know, if they truly enjoy any of these, encourage them to be a regular follower.
# Present generation is lucky to have been born in the age of the cool concept called "freelancing": While the present generation of women in their late 20’s was growing up there were fewer sources and medias to support unconventional interests. Luckily, now days teenagers have access to a great platform called freelancing, where in they can do a lot of hit and trial without putting anything at state. If you love to write, then there are plenty of sites where you can showcase your talent, if you love photography, then there are numerous workshops and contests happening online as well offline, if you enjoy quizzing you have contests in schools, colleges, at state level, national level, if you enjoy dance, go attend a dance workshop this vacation, or you could even form your own band in school. And once you have polished your talent, just freelance your way to glory to pursue things that might not be feasible to pursue as a career initially. You never know that after a while it starts fetching you enough moolah and you could make freelancing your profession. How great it would be, if you can work on your own terms, in your own pace and place away from the hassles of corporate rules, and most importantly without a boss. Freelancing can give you all this and much more.
#Are you in the "right" age when you can experiment: I say this by my own experience, that when you are in school or undergraduate college, you have "ample" amount of time, options and also platforms to experiment. And it can lead to some amazing self discoveries and reveal hidden aspects f your personality. Fr instance, I have friends who while organizing cultural events in schools and colleges discovered their unconventional skill sets and walked away with the glory of becoming extremely successful event managers.
Have a curiosity to question, question your mind, your random ideas, your thoughts, and your day to day activities. The answer to these unending questions lies within you. Just know that these years of your youth especially between 13-21 are extremely crucial in deciding the path you will tread your entire life. And these are the years to find answers to all your queries about yourself, about life. Once you will become a part of the mad crowd, you will land in your routine 9-5 job and other responsibilities will overburden you. So before, life becomes that hectic, start your journey to self discovery. Take help from peers, siblings, parents and teachers but explore yourself now because it will either be now or never.
Search your soul and stay smiling till I login again:-)
