Why You Shouldn't Be Scared Of Disappointing Anyone?

One lazy afternoon during my last semester in college, we were all chilling in the college canteen over samosas and coffee, wondering out loud how life would be after a few months. Some were sad that we won't see each other every day. Others were worried about the uncertainty of future. None of us were placed anywhere yet.

One of the guys, to lift up our mind, started making funny predictions about what each of us would be doing two years down the line.

"Murph would be found in front of the Town Hall," he said when came my turn.

"Placard in his hand, yelling at the top of his voice. He would become a full-time activist."

Every one, including myself, laughed.

Two years later, when I look at myself and think of that day, I cannot help but get amazed by the change in me.

What a different person I was back in those days - politically-aware, always updated on development (or the lack of it) in political discourse of the days, highly opinionated, always ready to get into a debate, even confrontation, on socio-political issues. My juniors used to call me anti-establishment.

While other students in my batch were sending their resumes to PR firms and advertising agencies, my teachers, especially, the Marx reading Jesuit priests, were sure that I would become a journalist, one who would ask difficult questions to corrupt bureaucrats and politicians. They were happy with me and had a lot of expectations from me.

And why wouldn't they? Didn't I quit my secure engineering career to pursue my dream course of Journalism and Mass Communication because my heart beat for writing? Didn't I leave my family behind for they never supported my decision to quit engineering?

Unfortunately, I couldn't bag a job in the news media. I was desperate for a job and I took up a marketing job, content marketing to be precise. I thought it would be something temporary and that I would quit it the moment I get a job in some news organisation.

Although I didn't expect it, eventually I started enjoying it, probably because the job demands, among other things, writing.

Since it was entirely different than the kind of writing I was used to, I realised there was ample opportunities to learn, experiment, and tell stories at the same time. This piqued my interest and I started spending more time at work.

Over the next two years, I got a promotion and two appraisals.

I had joined the organisation as an intern, became a full time content writer after that, and a year and a half later, I was promoted to editor. Right now, I am leading a team of seven content writers.

I also work closely with the dedicated teams for branding and video production.

And yes, my current salary is double the amount my engineer friends are drawing.

I have complete freedom at work and since it is an AI-powered edu-tech, fortunately, I never have to compromise with my core beliefs and principles. If anything, the job gives me the opportunity to do everything I am interested at - reading, writing, drawing.

I am not just at peace with my profession, I am happy and proud too.

So, do I regret my metamorphosis, my transition from activism to marketing? Do I feel bad about being a disappointment to the people who gave so much of their time and energy to me, dealt with my mood swings during the worst two years of my life?

Nope.

What matters in the end is whether or not you have been a disappointment to yourself. I have learned it the hard way.

It feels great when at the end of a hectic I see myself in the mirror and I do not feel uncomfortable.