When I was a child, I used to be so fascinated by the number of things you could do when you grew up.. you could become an astronaut, or become a pilot, or become a painter or become a teacher.. everything sounded so wonderful, everything seemed so wonderful.
When I was little, I used to think that I would do something not a lot of people do, that I would do a job which was unique, something that would change the world. I used to look at my elder cousins, slogging for their engineering studies and mentally vowed that I would never study what I did not like and would always listen to my heart and do exactly what it says.
But growing up was an experience in itself and it taught me a lot of things of which, as a child, I was unaware. Before I knew it, I was studying to become an engineer, grudgingly at that. Before I knew it, I could no longer listen to my heart and find out exactly what I wanted to do. Before I knew, I had lost all my answers. Before I knew, I was left only with some uncomfortable questions.
Looking back at my childhood, I feel like a owe the 9-year old me an apology that I could not become the person she envisioned me to be. But to the 30 year old that I would be someday, I would want to tell her that I am trying my best, to find my true calling. And that, I have realised, to be yourself is the biggest victory.
How many of us can claim to be ourselves? Truly,honestly ourselves and not a worldly mutation?
Some words I read recently had a deep impact on me and it would be unfair to end this post without sharing them -
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
