Of Peer Pressure and More...

Quite certain, it's my privilege, but for the best part of my life, I have been carefree. There was no mental pressure to excel in life and to date, I am the last person you'd meet who's ambitious. For me, it was always 'doing what you like/love' over making money. I never craved for fancy outings or getaways, nor did I dream of collecting luxury brands. For me, all that mattered was good experiences and utility. In short, I was never made to 'impress' people. 

I think I acquired this from my parents. The only time I have seen my father splurge (since he was the only earning member of the family) was on food. Even then, there was no memories of going to fancy restaurants or trying expensive cuisines. The luxury I got to experience was a monthly biriyani. Even my mother never was into showing off (my father sometimes did) they both were content and grateful for the things they had and passed that on to me and my sibling. This is, despite being able to afford things - they chose not to, cuz only utility matters. 

But now, when I am 35+, it has slowly started hitting me. That I am an underachiever, if not a failure. All thanks to social media 🫠 On LinkedIn, everyone's an entrepreneur, on Instagram they are 'wanderlust', on Facebook, they are buying houses and cars and what not. And here I am, begging my clients to pay me for the work I have done. 😑

To be honest and fair, I don't regret any of my past experiences, but I do wish I did things differently. Instead of jumping from one job to another, doing odd random things with no focus on what they can do to me career in the future, I wish I had a career goal. I wish I knew life better. I wish I had friends who helped me focus and grow. But at the same time, I also know that everyone has their own pace. 

I still am not very ambitious, but I am learning to spend wisely, and understand the basics of investments. Which I should have explored a decade ago 🫢

Anyway, I am still in a happy place eventhough life has changed. But I am content, wherever I am. The only thing I want to tell strugglers is just one thing - have focus. Everything else will fall in place.