Character Development
Hey.
So I turned 25. A lot of us did this year. The celebrations have been fun.
Over the last year I’ve seen the people around me grow. It isn’t very evident in the moment, but roll back 365 days and the difference is striking. And while I can confidently say that for those near me, with every new person I meet the trend seems to uphold. The official term I believe is adulting.
A good way to track growth, I was told, is to observe the difference in yourselves over 3 month periods. And any 3 month period I pick since the start of 2021 has been a ride in itself. The same seems true for everyone around.
And while all stories go on simultaneously, my character is the only one I control. Here’s a breakdown of he’s developed over the last year or so
Where I was
Just out of lockdowns and post a fun few months at Gurgaon I had shifted into a job I rather liked. Life had gotten better, more interesting in the past few months. Yet I felt like an awkward spectator in my own life at many a points. I wanted to do a 100 things, planned for 10 of them, and never took the first step on any. Something was missing.
Bo Burnham’s Left brain-Right brain sequence just clicked. I had reached a comfortable place professionally, and accepted that. The next year, I dedicate solely and solely to building myself. Personal, social, emotional life is what I would focus on. Right brain needed to be let loose, rewired. Left brain could spectate, and enable.
I set no specific goals for the next year. I wasn’t looking to plan things this time, but to enable myself to explore and experience everything well. “Be whatever you wanna be, but don’t be a wanna be”, I wrote to myself. I promised to prioritise myself, and be grateful for the people around, be a better friend.
Above all, I was optimistic for the year ahead.
I’ll take a moment here to highlight that most of what I’ve written above, is paraphrased from writings a year ago. I did not remember these writings until I went exploring back in time to write this blog. I feel happy to see how well I’ve stuck to them, that too rather subconsciously.
How it evolved
Before I underplay it any further, work went well. From going through crazy amounts of pressure to deliver, to learning how to take failures. Nuclei has been absolutely amazing in teaching me how to take initiatives and ownership of work. That in turn has instilled a confidence that reflects personally too.
Personal life was a roller coaster that I just could not have predicted. From reaching highs like never before, to hitting absolute rock bottom. And while that happened for me, almost everyone went through a roller coaster ride of their own. People across the board grew closer through the journey. Glad to have people that make “who’s your best friend” a tough question.
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Amidst all of this I started prioritising myself, taking decisions basis what I want to do instead of just following a herd. Explored a bunch of habits that sit well with me, and created an identity intrinsic to myself that I’m comfortable about. Made mistakes along the way, and course-corrected soon enough.
The most important upgrade has been this sense of being in control. Of taking active decisions to shape my life in ways I want to. I turned from a mere spectator in life, to being in the driving seat. At the same time it has been humbling to know that whatever I do, I can never control or predict what’s beyond the next turn.
What’s next
While watching movies, we mid-way attempt to predict the climax. It seems but obvious that the story would evolve a certain way. And yet what comes next remains a suspense I cannot know.
Rather, I don’t want to. I can fix an aim and row towards it upstream. But I’d prefer going downstream with the flow, steer the boat and see where it lands (steer being the keyword)
Here’s a few rough pointers that I may follow. Won’t explain them, they’re for me not for you
- Go with the flow
- Make mistakes, but course-correct
- Explore, evaluate, expand
- Prioritise
- Commit to the bit (which is why I decided to publish this publicly :P)
- Efficiency and productivity in whatever you do
- Keep a check on yourself — arrogance helps no one
- People above everything else
Didn’t want this to be another look back memoir — we’ve done far too many of those. I feel like I’ve been living too much in past stories. Wouldn’t want to act too smart basis those, but create new ones. Hopefully the last of the kind.
