What's your back-up plan?

Do you really need to have one?

Hey People!

This is second edition of Raw and Real by Nishtha, where we talk about:

1 Life Question no one Talks about
2 One Liners on Life :)
3 Gratitudes for the smallest things we ALL have

Here we go:

1 Life Question No One Talks About

The other day I was speaking to a colleague, telling them about my plans of moving out of the current job, which to everyone (including me) was something I’d never quit. Anyway, more on that later.

On speaking further, he asked a question which he wanted to ask for himself:

“What is your back up plan? What will you do after you move on from this job?”

This question, has different answers based on where you are at, in your life.

My response: I have a few job offers for now, and I am evaluating clients to work with, and signed up some work already.

However, it is very easy to depress anyone, considering there are not many people who are blessed with this choice.

I wasn't either, when I quit my first job in September 2018.
I tried different things for 3 months, without having a concrete plan or even a destination.
Within 3 months when I ran out of my savings, I went back to another similar job again in December 2018.
Once I joined that job, I started freelancing on the side, saving money (along with investing), and making sure I had a nest of financial as well as job security should I choose to leave.

So what you see where I am right now is after 8+ years of relentless work, and 11+ years of work if you count internship as well.

It might be very different for someone who quits their job at the age of 45, to take a year long sabbatical. Their situation would be much different from what I am in, right now.

So to answer the core question, yes, a back-up plan is always necessary.

• At the start of your career, a back up plan is a back-up job. As simple as this.

• In the middle of your career, a back up plan is an option to explore yourself, through trying something you truly want to do, while you have little more options than the start of your career. Where I am at, right now.

• After completing a decade or so into your career, a back-up plan might be to leave everything and start afresh.

You need to know where you are in your career, and where you are in your headspace, to figure things out.

If there is one thing I could leave you with right now, it is this:

Do not compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 18.

2 One-Liners on Life :)

• The proportion of care you have for someone is determined when they actually need it, not when you are available to give it.

• Everyone has flaws, and everyone is flawless in some way. What you look at, is what they serve you with.

3 Gratitudes on simple things in life: (what I will say might look super tiny to you, but if you look at it truly, life would be impossible without most of these :))

1. Water. What would you and I drink, eat or live without water? It is the biggest miracle of life!

2. People around you who are cranky sometimes. They make you better. 100%.

3. Your ability to navigate challenges. Think of the biggest challenges you have faced. Don’t you see how unimaginably wonderful you are, to be able to conquer them?

That’s it friends, for this week.

See you all next Sat.

Raw. Real. NG.

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