Follow your own path!
With the advancement of technology, development of infrastructure and resources there are diverse options available to us. It is easy to get distracted! Following someone else’s dream can lead to an unhappy personal and professional life. Mistakes are inevitable, nonetheless, determination will keep you intact down the road. Jeff Bezos, for example started Amazon.com in his garage in 1994 and was driven by what he describes as his ‘regret minimization framework’. Even if Amazon failed, he said, he wouldn’t regret anything since he followed his passion. Let’s see how can you follow our own path!
- Self-awareness is the key: To set goals that match your personal and professional aspirations, it is important to first know yourself well. Understand your values, interests, aptitude, strengths and development areas. Meditate and introspect to understand yourself at a deeper level. Work on building the areas that interest you most. For instance, you can enrol yourself into skill-building or diploma courses to develop your soft and hard skills. Participate in varied activities such as sports and explore your passions to further develop different facets of your personality.
- Plan your time ahead: Segregate your personal and professional goals. Create your own to-do list and prioritize the tasks according to the highest level of urgency and importance. Create a roadmap to your dream. List down all the required steps to achieve that goal. For example, if you wish for an MBA degree from IIM, spend your time building necessary skills and scores. Prepare well for the interview and research on the institute. Make a 5 year plan and work towards it.
- Face challenges: There will be setbacks along the way; do not let them stumble you. Face the challenges that come. Go back to the first step and remind yourself of your values and strengths. Visualize yourself achieving your dream and continue to pursue it. Thinking about each step as a part of your journey is critical. Use the roadblocks to overcome any personal or professional challenge. For instance, if you are unable to crack an interview for your dream college or company, get help from your mentor to coach you onto the right path. Watch Ted talks and spend quality time with friends and family to rejuvenate yourself. Do not let such challenges distract you from your goal!
Social media and hearing what someone else has done can often throw you off. It is important to be aware of the world around you to gain exposure and knowledge. However, do not compare yourself to others and allow yourself to deviate from your dream. No matter how hard it seems to follow your path without getting distracted, do not forget to dream. Because if you dare to dream you dare to achieve! For example, Walt Disney developed a love for drawing and followed his passion to start Walt Disney Company! When Walt was at his lowest point, he drew a mouse famously known as the Mickey Mouse! So dream big and persevere because everyone has their own path awaiting them!
