Pausing the travelogue for a straight-from-the-heart post.
Date: 01/26/21, Tuesday
Venue: Chandler, AZ
Mood: Meh!
Song on my mind: I love my India from the movie ‘Pardes’ (unconventional for me, some would say!)
OOTD: Pajamas
7:30 AM: The husband and I woke up. We are digging the Arizona winter storm.
7:45 AM: *Looks at the mess* (read: in the sink. Not life). *Loads the dishwasher*
8:10 AM: *Makes tea*
8:30 AM: *Serves the tea, sits on the couch, and turns on CNN*
Somewhere between checking emails and sipping tea, I started talking to Fire. We spoke about life. We spoke about how misleading social media is – none can be that glamorous, beautiful, pretty, and thin! A trip to Seattle has been on the cards for a long time. I promised her that I’ll get on a flight the moment I receive an offer (finally). And she said the golden words. She said she was proud of my struggle and motivation regarding the job hunt. I thought it was great that she recognized it. Not many people do.
2:00 PM: Post lunch, the job hunt restarted. It’s been tough. My career has gone down different paths and domains for the past decade. I apply for roles that would allow me to apply 4/10 of my transferable skills. The way the world operated has changed during the pandemic. Your skillset will be obsolete if you don’t upskill yourself. I wonder if I could have shaped my career differently to remain more relevant in the industry at the moment. I wonder if I would have shaped my life differently had I trusted my instincts more. The past 6 years have been formative, to say the least. I wonder what I would advise my younger self for a smoother sail than I already experienced. Probably the following –
- Learn to let go – failures, people, situations, trash, unnecessary clothes, etc.
- Trust your intuition. You know what’s best for you.
- Steer clear of toxic people. Right now.
- Stay away from drama. You don’t have the brainpower for that.
- You will fail. Situations/entities/people will let you down. Move on. Forgive.
- Nobody/Nothing deserves those tears.
- Find the faith you lost. You will need it.
- Listen to the universe. Be strong enough to walk away.
- Do not quit.
- Believe that you have a beautiful life and extraordinary career ahead of you. You did not come this far to only come this far.
- Make the most of all opportunities.
- Relationships are hard. Nobody said it was easy.
- You are a warrior. Do not lay your sword. You picked it up for a reason.
- Don’t think about the past. It will be painful. Think about the future. It will be brighter than you can imagine.
4:15 PM: Ninad finally caught a break! We went and picked up the new desk from the holding room.
6:30 PM: *Starts writing this post from the new desk* While Ninad attends a meeting, I wonder if I would have done things differently had I known the tips before. Maybe I would have taken up the alternate job offer, taken some interview opportunities seriously, suffered lesser heartbreaks, not moved around the globe, and would have been more stable. Or not. I cannot decide if my life would have changed for the better/worse. The formative years have been splendid. UDub, Nike, Starbucks, and Visa with the cherry of international exposure on top? I have lived a life I could never imagine! It was meant to be. Who knows what the bigger picture is! I believe life has only begun. The beautiful bigger picture is not even half done yet. With this thought in mind, I will open LinkedIn tomorrow morning. For the rest of the evening, it’s Transformers time.
Having said that, I want to hear about your struggles and how you keep yourself motivated. Please leave your thoughts in the comment section. Gracias.
Of Sun and Sand 