Chapter 1: A Childhood of Lessons - "Work"

Have you seen those 90's kid memes?

Yep, I'm one of them.

Just one small difference - I was born in 1998 so I've technically enjoyed the 2000's childhood. One would assume that I was exposed to the internet growing up, that I followed the latest trends and had the opportunity to be a cool millennial kid.

That's not how India works.

Indian childhoods are typically a few years slower than American ones. Indian millennials grow up chasing rolling tyres, tossing frisbees and playing a lot of sports. It was the same for me. I used to be this scrawny kid with great grades, Asthma cough and a tendency to always fall into some kind of trouble.

This helped me shape myself. A dedicated student since childhood, I had an advantage over other kids - my parents are teachers. While my mother had quit her job to raise my brother and me, my father worked overtime, travelling a good 30-60 kilometres daily. My mother took tuitions and my father helped.

This childhood gave me my first major lesson in life.

Work

My family has always emphasized the pivotal role of work, even if it is at a young and tender stage in life. Sadly, I forgot this lesson soon enough. Throughout my 12th Grade and a year and a half into engineering, I took things lightly. I spend a lot of time on social media - flirting, staring at memes and goofing around with friends. My struggle with smartphone addiction began during this period, and I can credit a lot of failures to it.

I wasn't always relaxed and laid-back. I learnt a lot of skills during my childhood - cycling, roller skating, swimming, karate, handball, football, basketball, playing the drums, painting, sketching and a few more that elude my memory.

I studied daily, attended school and a class on whatever skill I was learning at the time (I always seemed to be involved in one thing or the other) and managed to beat my Asthma cough with rigorous sports.

I often wonder - is it ambition that makes us work harder or is it the habit of hard-work that enables ambition to form?

My years as a pre-teen have by far been my most hard-working and ambitious ones (save perhaps 2018) and I am grateful to my parents for the same. I think I have learnt my lesson about the importance of work for a second time now and I am not likely to forget it again.

"Why does work matter?", you may ask. Simply because it has given me purpose and direction. And it sure beats sitting around by myself and letting my anxiety or depression lash out at me again.

Purpose and Direction - the two most valuable treasures I possess. All a result of work.