I collect quotes as a hobby, so I hope you will generously bear with what many people call preaching!
Date: Sat, May 23rd, 2020
Time: 2: 16 AM
My phone beeped, and the screen lit up with a notification. In a state that I like to call 'semi-sleep', I reached out for my phone to see. It was an email from PGP Admissions - IIM Nagpur informing me about my selection for the Post-Graduation Program in Management offered by the institute.
The email woke me up both literally and metaphorically. I couldn't fall asleep after that.
I had to read through the email several times before I was able to comprehend the gravity of the tidings it carried. Standing at the threshold of vital moments like this, I find it hard not to look back and see how I arrived here. I remembered how I started, with a lot of conviction that kept fluctuating and how I disciplined myself into believing. We all must suffer one of the two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of defeat. More clearly, I remembered why I started.
My career was progressing steadily, and a long path was laid out in front of me. That I had adjusted to being in the comfort zone, lulled in the sense of complacency was evident from my growing tummy and shrinking eagerness at work. I understood back then that I could continue to sleep with my dreams or wake up and chase them.
In addition to the obvious reasons, the realization that I can contribute more to an organization substantially influenced the decision to expand my skills through an MBA Program. Finally, I adjusted my sails, decided to go against the winds, and hustled for the next several months. This email was the culmination of those struggles.
For hours, I vicariously explored the numerous possibilities that accompanied the email: the campus life at IIM-N, the vision of stepping out from mediocrity, a launchpad for a meteoric career, and so on. The opportunity to learn from and among some of the brightest minds in the country conferred a sense of privilege on me. All through the night until dawn, I thought about the implications of the email. I had no clue back then that staying up is one of the defining characteristics of a rigorous MBA program.
The next few months flashed past me in a blur. One thing that deserves enormous praise is the seamless and systematic process followed by the IIM-N Admissions Committee for student induction, particularly when held in contrast. All information came through the right channels, at the right time without any failures, technical or otherwise.
While I am writing this, as a part of the IIM-N Family, perpetually chasing deadlines, with numerous case studies, text readings, discussions, and orientations eagerly waiting for me, I can vividly see how every day since my association with IIM-N has been an opportunity to learn, grow and be better than what I was the day before.
Through my experiences in life, I have come to realize that time is the currency in our dealings with fate. The more time we have, the more blessed we are. Time is the most significant expense we can incur in any of our endeavours. In exchange for an extravagant fee of 2 years' worth of time, IIM-N bestows on us everlasting virtues of belief, hard work, erudition, perseverance, compassion, and belonging.
I have heard a lot of people say that dreams are supposed to be our wings, but I do think in order to fly, you have to wake up!
About the author - Bhaskar Vats is a PGP 2020-22 student at IIM Nagpur with 32 months of Work Experience in the IT Industry. He intends to venture into Operations and Human Resource Management in the future. Also, he is a passionate basketball player and likes to read up on history.