A tale of a late bloomer
Lessons in Self-awareness.
For as long as I can remember; I have always been a late bloomer.
Nothing comes naturally to me (except for overthinking). I always learn late. I am not quick on my feet, at all.
I learned how to ride a motorbike in my early twenties. I learned car driving at 28. I started drawing kid-like sketches at 29. I just started writing and I am just writing my thoughts. Strangely enough, I have always been very strong academically but I struggled to get a career-oriented job too initially.
If you leave my academic life out then I am the most late person on the planet. Aren’t I?
I take comfort in the stories of late bloomers (I think every normal person takes solace in these stories) like KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders at the age of 62. Vera Wang, the renowned fashion designer, didn’t enter the fashion industry until she was 40. And then there’s the famous writer, J.K. Rowling, who was 32 when she published her first Harry Potter book. Taikichiro Mori was a Japanese real estate tycoon who didn’t enter the real estate business until he was 55 years old. He went on to become one of Japan’s wealthiest individuals and a significant player in the real estate industry.
These are a few examples I tell myself in my moments of doubt but there is an underlying threat dangling in my subconscious and that is these are the exceptions; they are not the rule. The majority of people keep sitting on the skills, and talents that might be worth a lot; these skills remain underdeveloped due to the lack of time, a conducive environment, or just pure apathy and they remain unremarkable.
Maybe that is why I had so much empathy for the character of Pete Campbell from Mad Men who was otherwise a universally hated character.
He was a late bloomer who learned car driving along with teenagers, was not a people person at all, and strangely enough he was an Account Manager for an advertising firm. He also lacked basic skills like fixing the sink or car maintenance fence.
He was a hard worker who was never given his due credit for his work. He had an unpleasant aura and unlikeable personality which he was surprisingly aware of.
He navigated his professional life with tenacity and hard work, compensating for the people skills he lacked.
He often found himself grappling with a sense of unease, aware of his shortcomings, and struggling to fit into a world that seemed to favor those who bloomed early (Don Draper).
He was still given a happy ending along with the other principal characters of the show (with one exception, Betty Draper). In the end, he had a successful career and a happy family, and viewers, especially the female audience were not happy at all. They hated this scumbag and he got a happy ending.
Why and how Pete Campbell got the happy ending?
A character that was treated like a punching bag for all the seasons was treated so kindly by the writers in the last season because he possessed one trait, that can make all the difference ‘ Self-awareness’.
In fiction and in real life ‘Self-awareness’ is the trait that can save us from the shock after failure, it can manage our expectations for victory, humbles us when we win, and saves us from depression when we do not.
It also saves us from cynicism dressed as realism and leads us toward productivity.
It could have saved Icarus from flying too close to the Sun; it can get a regular sinner to leave the evil path and become a man of God. It has the potential to save you (the reader) from a miserable life and I hope it saves me too.
I would end this article with a famous quote.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” — Aristotle
If you like my work and want to support it, then please support my work by giving me a few claps below; I would also love to hear your thoughts on this topic so leave a comment, and let’s continue the conversation.
