What do you think?

Have your ever wondered how easy it is to say "Believe in yourself" and not understand it's depth? How easy it is to say "I'm sorry" or "Thank you" and not mean it? Another of those cliched and overrated phrases which come as easy as breathing. 

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of those who dare to go against conventional wisdom and follow their hearts? Take the case of this IIM graduate (Now IIM's in India are as hallowed as a Kellog, Harvard,MIT or University of California at Berkeley is in the United States) who decided to give up lucrative offers  from Multinational Companies and sell vegetables. The news came as a shock to many. I wonder how how his near and dear ones must have reacted to this decision. Conventional wisdom dictates that you do what you set out to do. You slogged it out for several years to get into that hallowed an institution and destiny rewarded your efforts by giving you an offer the world would envy. At 21 you have the entire world at your feet and you earn more than you can ever spend. You are the cynosure of everyone's eyes. But you decide to chuck it all and follow your heart. Is that decision easy? You might say that the gruelling MBA sessions made the poor fellow loose his marbles. But we also know that is not true. Would you do it if you were in his shoes? Would you let your children or siblings do it if you had a say? 

In this world, and more so in India, there are very few professions which really pay. Which is why parents push their offsprings to be where it counts the most. It isn't easy to find your place in the sun hence conventional wisdom defeats the yearnings of the heart every single time. Who does not want his child to be an Engineer or a Doctor? Who does not want his/her spouse to be a highly accomplished professional? Somewhere in the process, talent looses it's voice. When you get trained under the best, you are bound to deliver. No one is that big a dimwit. It's all about opportunity and how to grab what is rightfully yours.

But if everyone were to follow what conventional wisdom and professional degrees dictate, the world would be very different from the one we know. Every profession no matter how big or small has it's importance, without which the system wouldn't function correctly. Which is why you hear of professionals in the prime of their careers give it all up to follow their heart. Which is why you hear of people give up plum bank jobs and turn to writing. Of people who give up a management job and take up singing or the fine arts. If you do what you like doing the most, you are automatically driven to better your best every single day. 

It might sound very far-fetched but if you do what you like to do the most and are happy in the true sense of the word, it really does not matter if you don't earn more than you can spend. Atleast the stress does not kill you because a "job" does not feel like a "job". Atleast at the end of the day you sleep happy. When you are driven to deliever you best, success, recognition, fame and money come on their own. At least that is what I'd like to believe!!

The IIM Graduate who chucked it all up to sell vegatables must have really believed in himself. He must have faced tremendous opposition from friends, family and peers and flak from the world around. But he didn't budge from his decision. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. It reminds me of the story of the Father, son and their donkey ( to know more click the link!)

Believe in yourself, and according to your belief it will be done unto you! (Now can you challenge it's intelligence?) 

Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking distance.  ~Author Unknown