A Rickshaw ride that changed the way I thought about my life
It was the last day of my work at Accenture, a place that had given me the first opportunity to work as an Engineer and kick off my career. It was sunset on a journey that I had greater expectations from. The worst was, I didn’t know where do I go from there. I felt lost in a job I couldn’t connect to despite getting good pay, and there was always a disconnect.
The frustration had built over a year because I wasn’t able to do what I loved the most, i.e coding. Corporate has its own rule and many times, it requires you to be patient longer than you expect. But I guess at 23, I was not in the mood to wait. And thus began a journey to continuously find a path that I would want to take.
While working it took a lot of mental space and toll. So, without knowing what to do, I thought of quitting the job. A job that gave everyone happy but me, and made me miserable.
On the last day of my workday at Accenture, I sat down with 3–4 friends I had made over there, to have breakfast. We shared great conversation and reflected on our journey together and how far we had come, from college to corporate. I left office post that, having a last glance at the bay I sat regularly, with a bit of emotion attached to the place, I felt I didn’t even like earlier.
I left eventually and hired a rickshaw to go home. As the ride started, I felt a big void. Many emotions rushing through, many thoughts having a conversation with me. One of them said, “If I died today, will I be happy with what I did in my life up till now? Have created anything that has meaning, anything that is beyond me and has greater value?”
That thought, among all the negativity during that time stayed with me, and I converted it from a question to a quest to find the answer.
It took me another 2 years and 3 setbacks to figure out what I truly enjoyed and where I truly belong, but I am happy today I have scratched the surface. The journey will continue, and the quest is on.
If you’re lost today, remember, it’s not because something is wrong with you, but it is because you’re looking to find your quest. Listen to yourself, your heart, because somehow they always know what you want, and what you want to do.
