Change is inevitable. It will happen with your permission or without your permission. But if you are more accepting of the change, you can plan and #StartANewLife. A life that you want rather than the life that has just happens.
Change is hard. Leaving everything that you have worked for years and taking on something new is much harder. But our dreams and desires are the invisible force that let us draw from this unending reserve of strength and propel us toward a new life. I grew up in a small village in Maharashtra and lived at the same place all my life. Luckily, I could go to a good college in the adjoining town, a college town. The town wasn’t much bigger than ours, but the college meant students coming in from across the country and a very vibrant, young environment.
Those were the days of carefree and sometimes careless misadventures and fun. But all good things must end and we were graduating in a blink of an eye. My friends from Mumbai were always gung-ho about Mumbai being this and Mumbai being that. And in absence of knowledge about Mumbai other than in the news and movies, I accepted their views of the maximum city without any doubts and questions.
I was naturally attracted to the urban life. It is hard not to be attracted to the hustle and bustle of local trains when all you have seen is a few of trains passing by in a day. To be drawn to the bright lights on Marine Drive, when you are used to a single lamp about to be unhinged in the village square. To the glitzy Bollywood stars and studios, when all you have ever seen is a travelling troupe perform once in a year. I can go on with the list, but I think you get the idea.
Mumbai is infamous for lack of affordable housing and until I could get a job, it was impossible to get a place. So I crashed with my friends who had landed campus jobs and were already settled and on their way to be Mumbaikars. Moving was a huge change.
The sheer amount of people at the station, on the streets, and everywhere I looked were overwhelming. But they were also the most helpful lot. Leaving people I knew all my life, the streets that I knew inside-out, the familiar sights and sounds, and #StartANewLife in a place where I didn’t know anyone was a big challenge.
And so began my training. I was getting advice from everyone who visited the shared apartment where I had found place for a short time, until I could afford to pay for my own. Advice about how to find a job, advice about what to wear and what not to wear, advice about spotting the Alpha and getting in their circle. The list was endless!
But it was exciting and I would do it all over again if I had to. Because I strongly believe,
“What I cannot do now is the sign of what I shall do hereafter . . . ” ~ Sri Aurobindo