What Do You Want To Be?

I have grown up hearing this one question 'What do you want to be?' since I was an infant and I bet this question really gives me goosebumps even today! It has been so intimidating for the child within me that I used to ponder for hours blindly searching in an uncertain future trying to figure out the mystery that it beholds. But lo! The child seldom received any satisfactory answers. Till I reached my 30s, I never knew what I want to be! A quest of over 30 years answered the longing and unleashed the mysteries finally satisfying the longing of my soul.

When I was a child, I used to hear people say some good words about a profession or person and I used to think, Oh! being in this profession or being famous like this person makes you important. Maybe one day I will also be like this person working in this profession. And, another day I was thinking the same for some other person being in some other profession. One day I was a singer, the other day an artist, and yet another day a sports person or a TV anchor. But none of these professions had anything to do what we were being taught in our school. I never knew how to proceed for any of those professions. What I knew is that something within me always enjoyed being indulged in creative endeavors be it creative writing, painting, poetry, craft making, DIY projects or dancing.

As I grew up I found peers and pals around me choosing high paying professions to work out their career paths. I was never sure what I want to do or where I want to be in next 5 years. What I knew is that like everybody else I have to choose a career path to find a good profession. I joined my Bachelor in Computer Application and afterward my Masters. But still holding many confusions, deterring from the question of what I want to be, I started my career a little late, when all my peers and pals were already halfway ahead onto their chosen career paths. But ironically, I started my first job as a Technical Writer, writing for academics and engineering books in a publishing house. After a year I switched to another job as a software developer. And eventually, I got married. Switching to another firm where I also worked as a web developer for some time, although I enjoyed initial success and I liked my work as well but something within me was not satisfied. The longing was not yet quenched. The child who imagined success as fame, appreciation, and admiration, was constantly coming my way reminding this is not what you wanted to do. After working as a developer and web designer for almost three and a half years I quit my job after having my first child. Although, in the mean time I also associated with my first company to work now and then as a freelance writer.

For almost a year I was completely immersed in taking care of my little one. After more than a year, I realized that I cannot take it for long not working anymore. I need to do something that would satisfy my inner calling. Something indulging. Something creative. Yes! this is what I want to do. Something creative. As a child, I wanted to be an animator but couldn't as there were neither many institutes nor much exposure to the industry at the time I was choosing my career path. But now, I really wanted to do something that will challenge and satisfy my creative side every other day. But what could I do even after being a full-time mother? Gathering a lot of courage, and believing in my inner calling, I started my career again as a freelance writer. After getting an appreciation for my first few projects from my initial clients and writing on new genre every other day, experimenting with my writing styles; somewhere inside I knew that the child within me is happy for the very first time. I was doing something creative I always wanted to do. My writings were being appreciated and loved and I knew now What I Want To Be! And the child within me, contented, happy, and satisfied also knew that now there will be no looking back!