Price of that extra hour…
Staying late in office? Perfect!
You know it is well past six, then you look towards your boss’s cabin & you see him sitting there. Your heart instantly declares a strike against your mind about sticking any longer in office. You pack your bag & leave for the day.
Next morning you find yourself part of a light-hearted discussion with your colleagues where your boss makes an indirect comment about non-seriousness of employees who leave office ‘on time’. It is quite normal for you to take that into your stride. From that day on, you diligently stick your ass on the seat till your boss feels you are ‘serious’ enough about the job. Gradually, you get into the habit of replying to official emails during odd hours, as weird as 3 A.M! Well, that is definitely being prudent enough for the ‘kind-of-growth’ you are aspiring.
I do not have a single issue in accepting the fact that I might not be an expert of working conditions outside India, but the above stated points are a cumulative result of talking to more that 1,000 young MNC professionals across cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, Banglore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Chennai.
If given a chance, I would like to arrange a national debate on the interpretation of the word ‘growth’. Is it moving from i20 to Skoda Fabia ? Or is it getting a hike of straight 175% on your present salary? This question is purely subjective but what is objective is the price you pay for all of this! Staying up late in the office is a completely voluntary decision, & if you find that the impetus is EXTERNAL, you must think on the path to catch it on the other side of the road.
If it is about your bread & butter, earn enough to just have ‘bread & butter’. There always exists a job in this world that would grant you that much. What lies ahead & what should matter to you — are you getting enough time to follow your PASSION?
Not everyone under the sun is lucky enough to fall in love with their work. Some eventually give in because they have wasted long enough to think about an alternative, others keep struggling to achieve ‘happiness’ till eternity.
But do you fall under any of these categories?
If no, make use of time to follow what you love doing, even if it is doing nothing! It is like a relation that matures only with time & with sustained efforts you discover the real ‘you’. Do not be disappointed if you end up having nothing; that ‘nothing’ is only mass-stupidity to cover up the uniqueness of an individual. Trust me, you will discover some precious gems!
Get back to reading your favorite Batman comics, or taking your bike to unexplored places of the city, or joining knitting classes in the vicinity. From the point I see it, you might end up starting your online comics rental, or starting a viral travel blog or launching a winter-ware range! Else you become famous enough to carry a reputation in the like-minded community. None of them seems bad to me as you would have cherished every moment of walking up to that point. And that for sure matters more than owning up a 3BHK flat in suburbs or a swanky car(of course on EMI!).
I can literally go on for (p)ages on this, but my motive is to just give you a ‘push’ for yourself. You will always find people who will enjoy walking with you, that is far better than amassing a lavishness of herd-mentality crowd. So for now, close this browser(not without sharing it with one you care for!) & get back to what your heart says. The first step is always small, what matters is that you started!
