Today, I share with you all the moment of optimism in my
life; the first time that I felt that regardless of the challenges in my way, I’ve
got the will power and the courage to overcome every challenge and seize the
day and make the most of the opportunities that I get.
We go into the 1980’s, 1982 to be precise. It was the time
when my family was not in the best of the financial conditions and I was very
young, just 24 years old. At this young age, I had completed my education and
was pursuing a career in civil engineering. I had 3 younger brothers, who were
still studying but my father lost his job and this is the time which to this
very date I believe is the toughest phase of my life.
I could see my family breaking down in front of my eyes; my
younger brothers had to cut down on luxuries of life and all this at the
expense of a job that my father had lost, I couldn’t bear this anymore and I
decided to take a bold step. I applied for a job in Bakdat to earn foreign
current and mind you; this is the time before the economic revolution in India
and hence other currencies mattered a lot and were much more expensive than
India. So hence I applied for a job there but the condition in Bakdat during
this time wasn’t the most pleasant to go to and work.
I was newly married, just 1 year back. I was extremely
worried as to how the working conditions would be and whether I’d be able to
cope up with the pressure but I remember when all this changed and it wasn’t
until my father came to drop me at the airport, before my flight took off for
Bakdat.
My father and I were at the airport, I had my bags with me
and was just about to board my flight and my father looked at me, his eyes were
filled with pride and I could see how much it meant to him that I took this
job. He just looked at me and said “son, it’s all going to be fine, you’ll do
great there. Don’t worry about the family, we’ll all be fine. Make the most of
this experience” and all this coming from a man who was going through a lot in
his personal front was an impeccable source of inspiration for me. This is the
moment that filled me with great deal of optimism.
As my flight call up getting announced, I started to walk
off and I remember looking back and seeing my father waving at me, till the
very end that he could see me and this is the moment that gave me the greatest
of the inspiration and filled me with optimism that definitely – I can achieve
what my family wants and OVERCOME the odds and give them a suitable financial
condition to live in. That’s the power of optimism.
