INWARD BOUND TO YOUR FUTURE
‘Placement’, ‘Cut‘Cut-offs’, ‘Pay Package’, ‘Percentage’, ‘Engineering’, ‘Law’, ‘Civil Services’ etc. etc. are some of the buzz words that even a little educated Indian has been circumstantially been made aware of. These buzz words have so much of charisma today that everyone wants to t o be part of the conversation where such utterances are taking place. These are some of the practical terms on which one’s life depends contemporarily to mark growth or pitfalls in life as well. ‘Aims’, ‘Dreams’ or ‘Goals’, as we may call, are different versions ve rsions of the same aspiration that each human being posseses, under the sun. sun . Every person on this earth wants to achieve something significant in life. This usually requires a ‘glacier’ of extra effort, effort, in addition to the present effort being done do ne to achieve the same. It is seen that only about 2% of each generation actually becomes what it desires to be. The rest get disorientated, maybe terminate their struggle or ch oose another target, which can be achieved easily with the present effort being done, which is usually lower than the actual one hierarchically. Mostly, this is not be owing to lack of efforts being done to achieve the mean but it’s the approach or the direction in which one has to put in his efforts. It’s the attitude that matters not the aptitude. History is also the advocate a dvocate of this point as many kings, with small but organized armies, have defeated much more powerful ones with proper planning and tactics. There There is no point in preparing a case if a lawyer does not know how to present his client’s clie nt’s case in the presence of the judge. Similarly, for target achievement, one has to plan first and then work for it doggedly. Proper scheduling, right decisions at the right time, confidence, constant hard work and full knowledge about the purpose helps us to accomplish the same smoothly yet not effortlessly. Planning has to be done well before the actual time arrives to think and put in our best.
Firstly, a clear-cut aim in mind is a pre-requisite. The intention is to directly satisfy the expectations one has from life. There has got to be in mind as to what one actually wants from life and work accordingly. For example, if the requirement is that of monetary strength, then the inclination should be towards the corporate jobs. In case one wants to have a status with power, then administrative jobs are certainly a better option. If the end does not conform to the expectations then the chance of failure and changing of aim is tremendously high. Even if one makes it till there, one will not be fulfilled with the job, moreover one’s life, and the internal conflicts will eat up from within. Having formed the idea of our peak, one should start collecting an in-depth knowledge about one’s objective and check whether it really conforms to the expectations or not. As a little knowledge is always dangerous, a full knowledge of every aspect related to the aim is essential so that decisions are made on the basis of that. Preferably this should be done till passing the matriculation exams so that the choosing the stream is not moving on a tangent- to the goal of settling down with happiness of existence. In our daily lives, when we plan to go to a place, we not only collect information about the destination but also plan the route to reach there. Similarly, we should not only have destination in our mind but we should also know the way to reach the target. Most students do have a clear picture of what actually they want in their lives, but do not know how to get there. So, one should always choose the subjects in a way which are directly related to the end goal to help achieve it appropriately. These days, students often face challenges such as peer pressure, parents, ‘status in relatives’ etc., while making a choice. Their decision is wholly or partly affected by these factors and their own preference is given very little importance. As it is said, ‘well begun is half done’, the correct picking of the stream lays the foundation for our pilgrimage towards our dream. Similarly, choose the stream that you prefer and you know is the correct path to your destination. Do not get swayed away by the contemporary trend going on or the so-called ‘status among the relatives’. Everybody is unique, due to the individual differences possessed, and has different aims and aspirations. Always choose the path, which is tailor made for you.
There are many factors to be kept in mind while choosing one’s stream- the determinant of success rate in a particular field. Some of these are: * Availability of time: This relates as to how much time is available to study the subjects of your choice thoroughly and still carve out enough time to prepare for the competitive exams and recreation too. The choice of the stream should be made keeping this in mind. Remember ‘time is inelastic, yet constant in supply’.
* Capability to work: Every individual has different capabilities and limitations. Realize your own potential and choose the work-load and also the subjects according to that. Do not live in a utopian state of mind and make false promises to your own self that you will do everything even if you realize that it is not within reach.
* Your nature and temperament: Your choice has got to depend on the idea as to what kind of work you like to do and what kind of job you are going to land up in the end. If you are an outgoing person and like to do more of field work and public dealing, then the administrative jobs are certainly a better option than the corporate ones.
* Back-up: As nobody has seen the future, it is one of the most important aspects of planning, to have a back-up or a contingency plan. Have many options in hand so that need arising for circumstances demanding change in the course of progress is met with sans whimper.
For students, dropping a year to get through competitive exams has become as common as snow in Siberia. One out of three students is dropping years to get in the colleges of their choice and they consider it to be normal and a really good option (fashionable?) as well. Personally, I do not see anything good in it, and
moreover what is the guarantee that one will get through the next year? Then will we again drop another year? Will it really make any sense? If you take your decisions in time, considering the parameters listed earlier and according to your capability, there will be no need for you to drop years and waste time and energy unnecessarily. A well-organized plan from the initial years is much better than the ‘on-the-spot’ decisions made later. If you have chosen your stream correctly and have made a well-orchestrated plan, then you are already halfway to your destination and just need to stick to your path, work hard consistently- you will be there. During the years when you are graduating, try to collect as much information as you can, about your goal and develop a clearer view of the journey to reach there. Avoid being a bookworm and just mugging up your syllabi. Put in extra labor that will help you incline more towards your goal and take you closer to it. Carve out time for the ‘extra work’ you need to do in order to reach your target. Develop opinions about the events happening in the world around you and try to take your knowledge deeper in every possible sphere of life. Your graduation and the preparations for the exams need to go hand in hand. As even Rome was not built in a day, start preparing for competitions well before the bell rings for the eligibility. Adopt the formula of ‘Read, Read and Read’, as it will always help you in one-way or the other, and moreover it has no side effects! Read whatever you come across as it will help you in developing a good language, oratory skills, concentration and a deeper conceptual knowledge. Parents are the biggest strength, support and motivation behind every person a s they have already experienced what you have to and are the best reservoirs from where you can extract gallons of true advice. Sometimes you may feel that they are not correct but you will realize later that they are actually right, always. Respect them, listen to them and you will certainly feel that you ha ve got everything under the sun. As they say, ‘Success is 99% attitude and 1% aptitude’, you have to think, plan, decide and then act. Ask yourself, whether you want to take a chance and most importantly, will you stick to your decisions and exert consistently? If the answer is ‘Yes’, then it’s surely worth giving a shot!
