Beware: If you don’t live the Life that you want to live,
you may not get a second chance!
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| Mishra: the tea leaf plucker in Assam |
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| Mishra: the "sevak" at the Golden Temple |
This morning’s ‘The Indian Express’ (TNIE)
has a fascinating story. The headline screams: “In
pursuit of happiness former techie does 28 jobs in 28 states in 28 weeks”.
Alexina Correya reports from Kochi that Jubanashwa Mishra, 29, a former
engineer with Tata Consultancy Services in Chennai, decided to “seek what gave
him joy”. So, he quit his “stable, paying job” and set up a website ( www.oneweekjob.com/india )
announcing his plan to travel all over India, across the 28 states, working at
a new job each week, over 28 weeks between May and December 2013. He invited prospective
employers to donate the wages due to him to an NGO he supports, Goonj ( www.goonj.org ). He actually pulled off this
incredible idea! He says he was inspired by Vancouver-based Sean Aiken who did
52 jobs over 52 weeks across North America in 2008. Mishra says Sean’s struggle
to answer the question “What should I do with my Life?” got him (Mishra)
thinking too. He told TNIE’s Correya
that he has worked as a tea leaf plucker in Assam, as an emotional support
consultant in Karnataka, as a hardware store assistant in Nagaland, as a
photographer in Haryana, as a river rafting guide in Kashmir, as a groundnut/sundal seller in (Chennai) Tamil Nadu, as
a cremation assistant in (Varanasi) Uttar Pradesh, as a contraception
campaigner in rural Bihar, as a mountain garbage remover in Himachal Pradesh, as
a pre-school teacher in Andhra Pradesh, as a film executive in a Bollywood
production in (Mumbai) Maharashtra, as a TRP analyst in Odhisha, as a house
boat driver in Kerala, as a strategist at a construction firm in Madhya Pradesh
and as a sevak (volunteer) at the
Golden Temple (Amritsar) in Punjab, among many other jobs! (See some great
pictures in UK’s Daily Mail here Daily Mail Jubanashwa Mishra Story)
Mishra says parents put undue pressure on their children to follow the beaten
path of securing an engineering or medicine degree. He says he too was “living
someone’s else’s dream” until he decided to follow his own. Mishra says he has
discovered that people who live their passion are the happiest. He told TNIE that he found his stint as a
pre-school teacher in Andhra Pradesh the most “fulfilling” and plans to take it
up full-time. He is currently writing a book on his 28-week experience and is
also a motivational speaker.
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| Mishra: the "verkadalai-sundal" seller in Chennai |
Mishra’s story and experience is as engaging as
it is inspiring. Surely several of us would like to experience Life to the
fullest – trying out different things like Mishra did and then choosing what
gives us joy. But parental pressures, financial considerations, the responsibility
of raising a family or societal influences prevent us from taking the first
step. But if you, like Sean, ask yourself “What do I want to do with my Life?” –
the answer can have a profound impact on what you “really” want to do. It is a
Life-changing question.
There are no compulsions to live Life the
Mishra way though. Or even live it any one way. It’s a free Life. You can even choose
to ignore this opportunity called Life and be content with “earning a wage
while doing a job”. But please be content and be happy. Don’t complain then
that you had to make sacrifices for your family. Or that you are not happy in
your career. To find fulfilment in whatever you do you must either love what
you do or do what you love. It’s as simple as that. Hope you
make an intelligent choice. Because you live only once – and remember, the
offer of this lifetime is closing fast, faster than you can even imagine!
Pictures Courtesy: Jubanashwa Mishra/Internet
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