I have always learned from my mistakes. Right from childhood every mistake I made would either result in some sort of punishment, or people would make fun of me. It would embarrass me to the extent that I would never repeat it again. At the same time, I would find a way to correct myself. This is probably true of most children. The slight difference is that I would rarely blame the other person for anything that I did wrong. I consider this single aspect of my behavior a blessing, which has helped me over the years.
I managed to secure a degree from a good college and consequently, obtained a promising career. Life progressed nicely for about 15 years. My hardworking nature, teamwork mentality and relationships with customers helped me receive awards, rewards and career growth with increases in salary.
As I started to move up in the organization, the environment changed. Business became more competitive and more challenging. Many of my peers changed too by playing smart and projecting themselves in the right places to the right people. They moved away from the hard task of managing customers and teams to managing their bosses and super bosses. They would push the responsibilities onto others and blame them in case it failed but take credit when it succeeded. As long as they could manage the boss’s perception, they considered the job done. Because of this approach, they attained success in their careers.
I could not do this. I kept a simple and straight approach to my career as before, focusing on work and being true to the customers and the organization. It was visible to all my peers and customers. But I became less visible to upper management. I started to lag behind in my career. Many well-wishers advised me to do what the others were doing to make myself visible. I knew that it was a big mistake; to not be visible to them. To be successful, I had to follow my peer’s path. But I just couldn’t.
One could call it a failed career because I was making the mistake of not following my peer’s approach. My frustration and stress levels were constantly increasing. My self-esteem took a severe beating. My health started to deteriorate. I pretended to be cheerful on the outside but was a wreck inside. Obviously, I hated my job now. I started to withdraw, making it worse for myself.
At the peak of this decline, I lost weight and could not digest anything. I ended up in a major surgery from which I came out reasonably well.
During this time, I began a complete introspection. I took responsibility for my life. I realized that all through my life I have been extremely good at coaching and helping people with their problems. My best times in life have been when I have helped people. I could see everything very clearly from an objective point of view. I could see that at every point in my career I had chosen my family as the most important. I had gotten what I desired but could not understand it then.
So I got trained and certified in life coaching, hypnotherapy and a host of other stuff. I also got deep into spirituality. My life became better. My relationships improved. My health was good. I quit my job and became a full-time life coach. I even became a wellness coach and now a motivational speaker.
I am so glad that I made this career mistake (or so it seemed at the time). I am grateful that I stuck to my career values, which was to work hard and stay true to customers and the organization, even though it made me feel miserable. This all helped me to find myself, and now I am helping so many people find themselves. I feel truly blessed now for everything that happened in my life.
About the Author
Rajan Samapth is a life and wellness coach as well as a motivational speaker. His expertise developed by what he has learned as part of a global organization for over 18 years and overall work experience of over 26 years. He has a unique blend of corporate experience, personal life experience as well as training and certifications in life coaching and wellness. He also has an understanding of spirituality, which forms the foundation of life. To learn more, visit Rajan Samapth’s website.
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