Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. This is Murphy’s law, in case you didn’t know or you haven’t watched Interstellar. I learnt this the hard way. This was my first takeaway from work.
The second thing was that a lot of terms like ‘takeaway’ would become permanently etched in my mind. These are words I will use for the rest of my life. Also, your daily routine gets shaped around your job. Those practices start seeping into your personal work and you start thinking the same way with regards to life.
There have been days when it was hard, and some, not so much. But I’ve learnt that it is possible to get through it all, because we’re built to take so much more than we think we are. I’ve spent sleepless nights pondering the meaning of life and I’ve spent them working, with the latter being more productive.
I’ve seen people whose passion burns bright in their eyes, and it has taught me how important it is to be in love with your work. And I’ve been in love with it since day one. Yes, this relationship has had its ups and downs but at the end of the day, I know I’ve got it good. So be in love with what you do or go do what you love.
Is this what I love? Well, I didn’t think I would before I started. But the truth now is that my work inspires me and it makes me want to do more. It’s not really work but more like me solving problems for a living. But that’s probably because I like math.
But yes, I like what I do and I’ve learnt how important that is. I don’t know if this is it for me because it’s too soon to say that but right now, there’s passion in what I do.
I realised that it is important to be eager to learn and that there is so much to, in fact. There are always new things to look forward to, if you’re willing to look for them. And no matter what position you are in, you never know everything. I could really see how what I was learning was helping me grow and that it would help me reach my goals some day. There’s a leader in everyone, but you need to find your voice. That’s crucial to succeed. If you think you haven’t, maybe you aren’t doing the right thing.
Another major thing I learnt was with respect to people. I have always been able to relate to everyone I have met, in one or the other way. But when you’re in a team where the second youngest person is five years older than you, it’s different. They have different perspectives on life, and more often than not, different priorities. And after a while, you get confused. I’m going to call this an ‘age crisis’. You get confused about where you stand because you fit in an odd way with them yet there are things where you’re radically different. In the end, you realise that you can no longer relate with people from your age group and you never really fit with the older ones anyway. It leaves you stuck in between two worlds, looming awkwardly in every situation. But, this crisis has also led me to discover perspectives, experiences and myself. I’m still learning, but I somehow now belong in my team, crisis and all.
I’ve learnt that people can surprise you, in good and bad ways and that not everyone trusts everyone. I’ve learnt that sometimes it’s okay to be guarded and that many people are. I’ve learnt that no matter how old, everyone has a child in them. I’ve learnt that people don’t always connect and don’t necessarily want to. I’ve learnt that trust can be misplaced and it can be misused. At the end of the day, I’ve learnt that trust is important and so is being yourself. I am not perfect but being true to who you are will ultimately make or break you.
There is one thing which bothers me though. On an average, I use the lift about 5 times a day. And 4 out of 5 times, most days, I am the only woman on the lift. I’ve been to meetings where I was the only woman. I’m not blaming anyone for this nor am I complaining. But it baffles me because there’s so much opportunities today and so many women are in the workforce now. So it is a mystery to me as to why I don’t see more women at work. This is not just specific to my workplace given that there are other companies in my building and I’ve spoken to friends who’ve shared similar experiences. I know this is not a thing to learn about, but it’s something I would like to find an answer to.
Okay, I think this is starting to get too long so I’ll stop now. But hopefully, the learning and the fun doesn’t stop. And to those who are reading this, please do something that inspires you to grow and teaches you. That’s the only thing I realised from my quest for the meaning of life.
And if you have interesting experiences from your work, I’m all ears 🙂
Kate's Corner 