It was not too long ago, when I pursued my career in the Human Resources department, navigating the processes, business and people to bring about wellness, fairness and a sense of equity within the organizations. I loved helping other people, solving their problems; solving business issues around people and performance. It was like a puzzle to me. Although most of the problems looked similar on the surface, there was an element of enigma around each of them – the uniqueness of every individual. It was like peeling the onion through questioning, data gathering and evidence-seeking. I found myself thriving within the world of people data and analytics.
Then one day, my job was made redundant.
Instead of complaining, I don’t know why but I heard myself saying, I have “faith”. I did not understand then, what I was saying, but it felt right.
Then started the journey of “rejection” with a rose. I was not getting selected for the jobs that I was applying for; but the interviewers without their knowledge were giving me the constant kind feedback – that I did some solid stuff in HR and have very rich experience, but they just don’t have the right fit for me within their organizations. My father asked me, “now what are you going to do?”.
I told him, ” I have faith, and I believe that I have just got started”.
I began writing. I drowned myself into learning – from agile thinking and project management, critical thinking, communication, piano, yoga, novels, non-fiction books on the brain to meditation.
When my children went to school, I started my home schooling. I did not want to waste a single minute of the day.
With the learning each day, I found that my thoughts were getting clearer as if the clouds were parting from the blazing sun. My writing got crisper and voila, my first book, “Have a THINK” germinated. I experienced when all the doors close on you, there’s a door waiting for you to open to realize your soul purpose. All the rejections in the interviews broke my heart but “faith” kept me afloat.
To all discouraged souls, have faith.
Faith is trusting what you don’t know and still going for it, believing that you can make a difference.
Here are 3 simple practices which are helping me to move blindfolded:
– One step at a time; I do whatever I can do today. One day at a time – living moment by moment with compassion for self and others.
– Gratitude diary – a daily practice of feeling the immense gratitude to God for giving me everything I need, today.
– Mindfulness meditation and getting myself out of my way. I am practicing to hear the constant chatter in my head, the destructive self-talk but not listening to it; merely recognizing and laughing at the fictitious imp.
Now when I look back, I know I had more things in my heart and mind to express, than what could be fitted on a 2-pages resume’.
I had to express my understanding, knowledge, experience and the vision for the future of “how we work”.
Dalai Lama once said, ” Sometimes a wish not answered is a wonderful stroke of luck”.
This is the story of my faith – what is yours?