There are a few things in life that continually drive us, which makes us believe in some purpose and make us realize that we are the part of a scheme of things probably greater than all of us, individually. I, for one am driven by a sense of responsibility towards family, society which has been ingrained in me by my family ever since I remember being conscious.
We had a maid working in our house whose entire family, establishment had been disturbed by his alcoholic husband. While we did our part in trying to get her back onto her feet, major help came from ABG who under their sustainable livelihood and social change program managed to get her up and running gain. Such deeds of kindness and the innate desire to selflessly work for the welfare of somebody other than oneself resonates with my own moral fiber. This was one such instance that had increased my affinity towards ABG.
My very first point of contact with ABG was through Idea. For most of my adult life, Idea helped me in one way or another. Be it, teaching my mom to be tech savvy and using the internet to being able to stream and download video lectures, songs, games seamlessly. Idea helped to develop a sense of inquisitiveness in me and at the same time left me craving to learn and experience more, while never having to worry about trivial concerns like network availability.
Now, why has ABG been BIG in my life? Is it due to its sheer size? Or its global presence? No. It’s because of the importance it places on the values. On how much it gives back to society in terms to education, healthcare, infrastructure. On how much driven it is to bring about social change and enabling people to live with pride. That’s what makes it BIG, in my life.
We face-off with odd, challenging situations on an almost regular basis in our lives. Some might be small, while others might prove to be a tough nut to crack. Although I have seen my fair share, I consider myself fortunate enough to be able to say that I've never had to face as many challenges as people generally are faced with. However, the most prominent challenge which I faced was the most recent one. Stuck between a job I didn’t want to continue with and my desire to opt out and pursue MBA from a good B school, I felt restless and impatient. In this seemingly small problem, there were numerous sub-challenges at every step of the way.
To begin with, there was uncertainty. “Am I right in doing this?” “Is it too soon to quit?” “Am I that easy to break?” These were some of the questions which pricked my subconscious. Then there is pressure of expectations, of course. Expectations of my family, social expectations, etc. Also, certain events in the private sphere of my life had added on to my agony and it was tough to be in the right head space. Battling all of that along with the confusion in my head threatened to cloud my judgement. Taking time out to prepare for CAT and other entrance exams also proved to be a challenge as my work Life balance was taken for a toss.
What did I do eventually? I took a chance. For once I believed in myself and just went ahead and decided to quit my job. While some might regard as the wrong choice, I for one felt liberated, confident and ultimately sure of what I wanted to do. There aren’t any secret ways to overcome challenges, there’s just one way- Take a deep breath in, believe in yourself AND JUST DO IT! I took a giant leap, and I’m happy to say that it ended well. I ended up in a good B-school and now am trying my level best to inculcate new skills and become a better version of myself over the next 2 years.
