This was the question I was reflecting upon this morning. Who am I? What am I doing here? Am I being truly honest to myself? Should I be trusting my intuition? Or should I continue living and reacting to the state of affairs around me? Is this what I am meant for? Is this my calling? Should I continue living a life of mediocrity? The world around me rejoiced when I was born. I was crying then. On my deathbed will I be content with how I have served? Or will I still be crying and regretting then?

The underlying message that was revealed while I was contemplating on these questions is Take charge of your life. Live it as you wish to before it’s too late! Realize your calling and your mission before life slips out of your hands. When we are born there is a general order of things that sets in – something that the society puts in place for us by default – go to school, get a degree, get a respectable job, get married, have children, educate them, secure their future and so on. There are standard roles that are entrusted with every person – the role of a son or daughter, brother or sister, spouse, father or mother, professional or businessperson, etc. And while playing these roles, knowingly or unknowingly we become one with the crowd. We get stuck in a rut. We are purely motivated by money, power, and status. All of the cultural and sociological environment around us starts to dictate how we should live.

When I was young, I thought that the family I was born to defines who I am. So I took up engineering looking at all the great engineers in our family starting with my grandfather. I traveled the world and secured the best jobs I could. My job became by identity and apparently still is. And that’s where I am still struggling, I must admit. But there is one thing that I have come to terms with – how I am living right now is not in alignment with my true self. It is not what I am meant for. And being someone else is challenging, exhausting and purely unsustainable.

The more we listen to others and dance to their tunes and advises, the more we betray ourselves. The more we listen and follow the societal chatter, the less we hear ourselves. Stop living your life without a purpose. Stop being mediocre. Stop living a life that others wish you for. Live a life that’s conscious, deliberate and intentional. Constantly aim at being better versions of yourself. Leave the safety nets of your comfort zones. Face your fears and pass through them. Explore and indulge in things that make you happy. The answers to all questions I asked above lie within us. Don’t quell the innate whispers from within. We are all meant for greatness. And when all of this is set within you, your future will automatically take care of itself.