Sunday, June 11, 2017

Leaps.

New things are scary. Changes are scary. They are supposed to be. But the fun lies on the other side of the scary bridge. I know, it sounds so clichéd. But it seems like I've got to keep reminding myself about this repeatedly. This post is more for the future-me than any of the readers lurking around.

I didn't want to go for MIT Media Lab Design Innovation Workshop 2015. There were a couple of reasons for doing so: I didn't get the track I wanted, I did not know anyone else who might be going there, it seemed pretty long at the time, and it seemed kinda expensive at the time too. But after being confused for so long, I finally decided to go. The only problem was the banks were closed by the time I decided I want to go, and the next day was a public holiday and the deadline for the fees. Things worked out in the end, and I ended up going for what I can confidently say set me up on a path that made me who I am. I had an amazing time. We built something really frickin' cool. I met lots of interesting people. I didn't want it to end.

I had just completed my exams and would be going back to Jamnagar from Vadodara. It was January 2015, and MakerFest was being held at Ahmedabad that weekend. I wanted to visit it, but again - I was alone, didn't really know anyone there, and going to Ahmedabad and then to Jamnagar meant I had to move my luggage through one more city. But I ended up going. I stayed for the two days it was held and it felt pretty cool - knowing things like these exist not too far away from where I live. I ended up having a stall at MakerFest Vadodara that year, and another one at MakerFest Ahmedabad in January 2016.

My precious MacBook had been stolen with all my work on it, two days before exams. I had an internship after exams in Pune - a city I'd never been to. I was struggling with searching for a place to stay, studying for exams, and grieving over the loss of my laptop. It was scary. I'm not even kidding. I took a leap of faith while finalizing my stay in Pune. I ended up getting a pretty good score in the exams. I had a pretty fulfilling experience during the internship.

I start my first full-time job in ten days. I haven't figured out where I'll stay once the company-sponsored accommodation period ends. I don't want to leave the comforts of my home. I'm gonna miss my parents and my room. But I know I'm going to figure things out and things will end up falling in place. I will make them.

I just booked my tickets for a solo camping trip next month. It was through a program I've been selected for. It took me two days to decide whether or not I want to go on a trip so far, alone. But then I reminded myself about everything you've been reading so far. Nothing good comes from staying within my comfort zone, and almost all the good things that have happened seemed just as scary at first.

If you are reading this, and if there is an opportunity handed to you that scares you, you should take it. I cannot promise you that it will be worth it. But I can promise you that it will change you as a person, maybe even set you on a trajectory that lands you exactly where you have been dreaming about. Take the leap.

"If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on." 

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