The other day while browsing my LinkedIn feeds, I stumbled upon a person’s list of “5 things people won’t regret doing.” It was a decent list, but I couldn’t wholly agree with it; something was missing. So, I came up with the five things that I haven’t regretted doing. Here you go:
- Quitting the job I wouldn’t say I liked: there’s no point in sticking with a job that you hate. If you can’t quit, work towards improving the circumstances and if that’s not an option, work towards an exit plan. You’re better off dying elsewhere than letting your soul rot.
- Getting fired from a job twice: I couldn’t believe that I was getting fired the first time it happened. It happened so fast. I was brand new to the world of work and had fallen asleep during a pathetically boring training session at 1 am. The trainer took it on her ego and escalated the matter. Two other newbies accompanied me as we were escorted through the company gates. An hour later, we were at McDonald’s wolfing down a Maharaja Mac! The second instance was uglier as the boss crossed the line by disrespecting my colleagues and me. I stepped up and chose to tell her that the team did not appreciate her tone, body language, and attitude. And she decided to exercise her powers by escalating the matters to HR.
- Started working early: I wanted to be a lawyer or a media professional, and when I realised my parents couldn’t afford either (though they were happy to invest in a 5-year integrated MBA program, which was ridiculously expensive), I decided to take things in my own hands. I started working as a delivery boy with one famous restaurant chain. It was probably the best decision I’d taken. I understood early what it means to be a professional and gained practical experience compared to my peers who were still in college.
- Being the bigger person: I’m a sore loser for critical things. I’ve “given up” on several occasions when I felt that my actions or intention wouldn’t serve any purpose or that other people were more desperate to get what I wanted. It doesn’t feel right to take away something that the other person truly wants. Does that mean I don’t deserve it? No, I do, but the satisfaction I get from giving away is far better than snatching it from others.
- Helping people without expecting anything in return: I grew up to be a selfish person until I realised that people don’t want to be with someone like that, let alone help them. And when I desperately needed help at one point in time, I didn’t have a single person but one who wanted to help. The incident forced me to reflect on some of my life’s choices and consider the joy of unconditional giving and sharing when I can.
These things may or may not resonate with you; that’s okay. They’ve made a significant impact on the way I look at my life, relationships, and humanity at large.