The Bucket List

First up, this is my first blog ever, so if I ramble a bit, just bear with me. Now let’s see, everything that we want should happen doesn’t actually happen. In fact most of it doesn’t happen. I wanted, in fact I still want to be a DJ, but that’ll have to wait. I’ve got my mba occupying most of my life and though it’s not a bad course and even the subjects are interesting, there’s still that tiny voice that says, what if you had taken the plunge? What if you had just followed your heart? Even if it meant disregarding some rational points of view, what if you had done what pleased you the most?

And the answer (though expected) comes, ‘stop living in the past mate’. That’s true I know, and I don’t regret any decision that I took because I’m talking here about being rational. These are 2 different things (at least for me), being rational and following your heart. That’s because these two may sometimes cross paths, but mostly what you want with all your heart often appears to be just out of reach.  So, are all those childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, doctor etc, only dreams or can we really make something out of it? True we’re too young at that age to determine where our interest really lies, getting an education would help us understand ourselves better, blah blah blah. But isn’t our childhood also the time when we are least corrupted? That’s the time when we actually think with our heart; nowadays it’s just too mechanical. Anything which the heart says is often ruled out by the brain, deeming it as irrational, non-sensical or just plain impossible.

A bit of a psychological explanation is in order I think. We’ve got three parts to our brain\consciousness – Id, Ego, and Super Ego. Id represents our innermost desires, those deepest and truest of cravings. Super Ego refers to what is societally correct or what is expected of us as a part of the civilised society that we live in. Ego is the one which tries to strike a compromise between both Id and Super Ego so as to take a middle path and satisfy both. Now, in today’s life, isn’t one’s Super Ego a bit overactive? One is so concerned about doing the right thing that she\he thinks twice before voicing their thoughts, lest they be considered out-dated or narrow minded or just plain different. What makes us want to conform so much? It’s true that humans have a need to feel accepted, be it their friends, parents or even an acquaintance. But to feel this need to such a large extent that one changes one’s own views according to the situation so as not to appear an outcast is a bit extreme. Mind you, I’m speaking from my experience of observing people and none of this is directed towards any of you who’re reading this blog. God knows we’ve all had our fights to fight and our share of troubles which have made us do things we may not once have imagined ourselves capable of.

But speaking generically, we too may slowly kill our inner self, if we keep conforming to norms, following all the rules and towing every line there may be to tow. It’s good to be an outlaw for a change. In fact, if your thinking sets you apart from others perennially\permanently, then that may just be the best thing about you. It’s not merely high fliers or over achievers that an organisation or even the world at large may get attracted to. It’s invariably people who can actually see something beyond what is already given, who actually end up successful. And by successful I’m not referring to an ‘Oh My God’ pay package or the exalted position you may hold in the eyes of the world. I refer to the position you hold in your own eyes. Whether you’re a CEO or still struggling to get where you want to be; are you satisfied at the end of the day? That satisfaction is what’ll truly make one feel alive, so what if my bank balance doesn’t meet up to my neighbour’s, my index of happiness is way way ahead of his.

What I’m trying to communicate here is that we’re all born with a purpose. And while there’re always those mundane and routine tasks to do day in and day out, there’s also something special that we’re destined to do. It’s just about finding one’s calling, though it’s easier said than done. Always be sure that there is that one thing that gives you immense satisfaction and peace of mind and that you wouldn’t mind doing that work for the rest of your life. Find that one thing and life’s better than a bed of roses and all career choices are a cakewalk. But like I mentioned, it’s this finding out that’s difficult.

At this time, we may not be able to see ahead. What lies in store for us is still shrouded in the mist of future.  Maybe we’re not able to make complete sense of where we are and what we’re doing presently, but we’ve got to remember that it’s only in retrospect that we’ll be able to join all these varied events together and see how they led us to where we always wanted to be.

In the words of Steve Jobs (the speech he gave at Stanford), “Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.”

Now, music is one thing that’s second nature to me, and I aspire to become a DJ or maybe a street dancer someday. I think that I’ve found at least one of the things to add to my bucket list. Have you?