The up and downside of an “ageing” late-bloomer
I never thought that I would be able to pen this article. Simply because — some years back, when I saw my friends go to offices, start or join businesses, and me sitting at home still totally aloof of my purpose — I just thought I won’t bloom to any extent whatsoever (I still think I haven’t totally though!)
However, as of this moment when I feel I have been able to grasp some sort of direction for myself, I am realising certain aspects of being a late-bloomer. Let me start with the negatives and end it on a positive note.
THE DOWNSIDE
Ageing at 28
I am currently noticing that in my conversations with people, I am openly talking about feeling tired and aged at 28. Not because I believe in age as being a barometer for success but because of a constant nibbling feeling of falling behind in the race. Yes, I am plagued by the rat race mentality and I realise that this is here to stay for sometime until I reach some personal goals in life. I understand that as I formed these goals relatively later in my professional life, I am now in a bit of a hurry to achieve them.
I “HAVE” to see that interview
Now how do I reach my goals? By constantly taking in knowledge from different sources (podcasts, articles etc). In my hurry to come up with the next big idea (which in the larger sense will forward my career), I am at times forcing feeding myself information which is affecting my in life balance. I have a personal to-do list where I list down knowledge sources I have to listen, see or read which is not a bad practice in itself. The problem lies when I feel overwhelmingly irritated about not ticking those checklists and then end up seeing an interview because I “HAVE” to at 1:30am.
THE UPSIDE
There’s a personal to-do list also?
The mere fact that I could muster up a personal to-do list apart from my job related one is a sign that I have begun to understand my own capabilities and shortcomings. As a late bloomer, I feel I am understanding these gaps very distinctly and taking the exact steps to fill them just because, some years back I was down in the very same trenches and did nothing to pull myself out. This realisation has helped me carve out a space for myself professionally but has also boosted my confidence towards taking new challenges and express myself better.
The Recall
What does a pug and a late-bloomer have in common? Recall. Seeing the first you recall the brand, Vodafone while in the latter case, the recall is not so cute. Whenever I see myself procrastinating too much, or not doing a certain task in the manner it needs to be done, I quickly recall the “good” old days. In my mind, there is always a constant motivation (not fear!) to not go back to the times of my blissful unawareness. Therefore, this recall always serves as an effective check to keep myself on track and positively look in front and not backwards.
It’s a constant effort to lessen the negatives while augmenting the positives. But the fact that I can now realise these particulars means that there is at least a chance of me reaching somewhere, a bit closer to that destination.
A shout out to all the late-bloomers out there. I congratulate you on breaking out from the clutter and shining on ahead!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
