Getting down to business

Long hours, loads of work, no social life... that’s how I pictured my life to be after I joined work. Well, I wasn’t entirely wrong. There are long hours, there is a truckload of work everyday, and my social life is now restricted to weekends. But along with all of that, it’s FUN! To wake up and go to work every morning not knowing, when I’ll be let off, but with the certainty of learning something new, something extraordinary each day.

I remember the zillions of butterflies I had in my tummy on my first day of work. My mind was abuzz with innumerable thoughts on how my first day was going to be like. I had to be there on time no matter what. Everything had to be just perfect.

I was ten minutes late.

I remember being stuck in traffic and feeling the tears of frustration welling up in my eyes. I’d so wanted to make a good first impression. But to my relief, when I reached the office, my seniors didn’t say a word and were as warm with me as they were with the others. That’s when I knew, this journey wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought.

After the initial exchange of courtesies and introductions, we were asked to make a presentation on a random topic. In the days that followed, we conducted surveys and a bunch of more presentations along with lectures from our seniors. It was then that it dawned upon me that this place means business… period.

My office is a not a factory. It’s a place to learn, to acquire new skills and to hone the existing ones. In the little time that I’ve spent here, I’ve got to learn a lot. And I don’t mean just PR. Of course, being surrounded by professionals, some of their expertise does rub off on you. I’ve learnt the importance of discipline in life. Doing something at a particular time may sound like a very mundane activity, but it really makes a lot of difference.

Another aspect that I learnt was the significance of building relationships. I’d never given a serious thought to what a valuable role our relations play in our lives. The people we relate to reflect on us. It’s through our relationships that people form an opinion about us. Thus the need to understand people and their requirements is of prime importance in my job.

It’s quite remarkable how in such a short period, I have been able to learn so much. My office seems more like a close-knit family to me, and I feel privileged to be a part of this unit. I know how much they believe in imparting knowledge, and I’m glad to be at the receiving end of it all.

And so...

It’s quite odd how fast 10 months have ended. Was it really just 10? Months? But on reflection, it really was a long time. Or maybe a lot of things happened in this short period. Mumbai really changed my life. It’s the kind of city, that when you try and hug, won’t hug you back. But at least I’m thankful it made a little space for me in its crowded womb.

It’s been a long, harrowing session at college. The days ended so soon, and the nights disappeared into darkness. The only thing constant, was stress. Everyone was always running for something. Everyone was always in a hurry. Everyone only cared about themselves.

I can’t say I’m not sorry to leave this place. Some people show surprise that I didn’t ‘fall in love’ with the place. I couldn’t. I didn’t have the time. Of course there are some parts I’m going to miss. Like coming back late. Making my own decisions. Living on my own conditions. But I still wanted to be back home, after a long day. And Mumbai was not home. No way.

So now that college’s over, it feels good to back home, chilling in my room without a care in the world. I know this feeling probably ain’t gonna last long… but hey, as long as I have my people around me, I think I’m going to be just fine. I’m just glad I realized my priorities, and the importance of having a loving family and supportive friends. I realized how much I love them. And for that, I’m grateful to Mumbai for being the way it is.