Issue #7: Embracing Zig-Zags
Growth is rarely a straight line.
In This Issue:
Twenty to Thirty
Five Lessons: Career Edition
Reflection: Days after The 3-0
[Image created using DALL·E by OpenAI]
Twenty to Thirty
On my 20th birthday, I stood in front of the full-length mirror glued to the lime painted wall of my studio apartment, giddy with excitement. I was seven months away from graduating from the university, and turning 20 felt like an appetiser for the ‘amazing adventure’ ahead.
I stepped into the premises of my first job at 22, utterly confused and nervous. I tried to make one of those 3-,5- and 10-year plans, but no matter what I typed onto the laptop screen, nothing seemed honest. I now realise that I’d been placing too much pressure on myself to have things figured out. I know that now, but then, I felt like a silly failure. Answering the basic question, “who do you want to be?” should be simple. But, I had no answer. Rather, I had no honest answer.
On my 30th birthday, I roamed around my uncle’s house under the guise of visiting my cousin and her baby – truthfully, I drove myself there because I needed a distraction. Alhamdulillah for the privacy of our thoughts, too many voices were clashing in my head. My uncle’s house is filled with medical practitioners, if the voices had escaped, at least I’d be in the best place possible.
At home, three of my younger siblings were gearing up to start their own careers. Frightening, to watch them wondering about their own plans, and fretting over making mistakes. At 22, I assumed that growth (all types) was traditional and horizontal, at 30, I now know that growth for a lot of people is a squiggly mess, and honestly, that’s okay. Still, I’ve found myself tongue-tied and nervous for my siblings, wondering if I’m qualified to give anyone advise. But that’s the point of life – making a step is more important than having certainty about the outcome.
For starters, writing publicly was something I never thought I had the guts to do. But here we are. Life changes, our minds change and so do our plans. We’ll be fine, as long as we keep trying, we’ll be fine.
Five Lessons: Career Edition
1. Making plans and having a vision for what you want to achieve is important, but the only way to turn plans into actionable steps is to avoid over planning and focus on taking small steps to build a momentum.
2. Being silent about mistreatment will never get you anywhere.
3. Titles aren’t important.
4. It’s okay to pivot, experimentation and taking breaks (if you can afford it) doesn’t mean you’re lazy or visionless.
5. Be proactive, and initiate projects, don’t always wait for assignments.
Reflection: Days after The 3-0
Turning 30, especially when you’ve been nervous is okay. But a few days afterwards, a veil lifts and suddenly what you’ve been nervous for turns to, “okay, I’m 30, and so?” It’s unreal how empowering it is.