The high-powered job and the mad rat race amongst corporate sharks have all along been an unequal contest in a man’s world. But my innings of almost four decades has not been without the strange kick that kept the adrenaline gushing as I progressed up in the corporate ladder. Yes, I continued to climb unscaled heights by the sheer dint of my hard work, combined with a heady potion of ambition and passion. But as I inched towards my 60th birthday I started to question the purpose of my existence and what lies ahead. Surely there was something beyond the comfortable trappings of the corporate corridor which now seemed to constrict and suffocate me. I was riddled with anxiety that sooner than later one day the clock will stops ticking. All that I will leave behind will be regrets of unfulfilled dreams and my picture hanging on the family wall. Time was ripe, I said to myself to unfetter myself from the tentacles of corporate slavery, that had caged my life for last 40 years. I was now in a tearing hurry to free myself from this rat race and to finally live for myself before it is too late but to regret…. And yes, finally I mustered the courage to call it quits.There was a long and tedious struggle before I was finally relieved towards end of 2018.But I was clear,my calling the day,was certainly not to hang my boots by the proverbial fireside but to begin again not to work for a living but work to live again.
Today as year 2021 closes, I share my reflections of the past 3 years or so.
What has this new journey mean to me?
- A reinforcement of faith in my own ability to explore and leverage the choices that I have on the other side.
- A reigniting of my dormant interests and passions that have been neglected when I was lost in the corporate maze.
- A reinvention of a life where I am my own master with the command-and-control buttons back in my hands.
- A reset of my time schedules to encompass the wide myriad of work, projects, that have come my way.
- A reconstruction of broken connections with friends and loved ones that got lost in the corporate jungle.
- A restoring of my confidence to pursue my dreams and what I thought was impossible when in a job.
- A rediscovery of unexplored vistas opportunities that have waited for me unravel and discover.
- A restart of life for myself, unencumbered from the baggage of past and fear of an unknown future as all that matters is Now.
- A rejoicing of connecting with myself and understanding my true calling.
- A reimagining of freedom and liberty to focus on myself.
- A regaining of my identity and what I mean to myself.
How has this journey been so far?
- Not without a vacuum while decades of my life’s computer program is being recoded.
- Not without regret when the restart button pulls you back into the forgotten chaos of everyday life.
- Not without discomfort and obstacles of moving out of your comfort zone into unexplored territories.
- Not without missing your colleagues and team who had become family to you.
- Not without nostalgia about endless meetings, the endless cups of “chai pe charcha” that followed.
- Not without the hunger pangs for the fancy trappings of designation, status, power, salary, and a full-on job that has been my life.
- Not without remorse of lost time with your children who have now stepped into their own world.
- Not when your own time is not yours alone and you have to keep readjusting to the convenience of others’ time.
- Not without discomfort of how the world and acquaintances view your “retirement” as a step down in life.
Regardless….
- It is not what has happened that is important but the direction that I have taken.
- It is never too late to reinvent yourself and do what you earnestly want to and look at the world afresh.
- It is not without rejuvenation of myself and rejoice with pride when I see who I am and can be.
- It is not without reward of the joy of small and big things of life when you finally have time which is your own.
- It is not without satisfaction as to the limitless boundaries and possibilities that emerge to recreate a new meaning to your potential
- It is not without the satisfaction of leading a life of conviction, on your terms as you become the master of your life and not at the beck and call of others.
The End Goal
- Nothing now stops me, as I keep moving ahead to see my dreams unfold.
- Nothing deters me from creating a legacy of all that I am doing now that will recreate a better version of myself in time to come.
- Nothing is a challenge as challenging yourself to excel and succeed that perhaps outweigh the kudos and accolades earned in the corporate journey.
There is no retirement and no weekdays or weekends in life as long as we live and have a purpose to live. It is the path which we choose to traverse, the courage to forgo the familiar, to explore and embrace a new path. An old building before it crumbles into dust,when upgraded and refurbished makes a new beginning. Yes, so does life past 60 to start afresh.