Parents are a child's first teachers and for me they are my best teachers coz they gave me the best advice ever! Needless to say, when I was young I didn't like hearing their advice but am extremely thankful for all of it today. However, there are some particular pieces of advice that shaped the course of my life for good.
The first one came from my dear mother. My parents (like all good Indian parents from their generation) wanted me to either be a doctor or an engineer. And I (like all bad teenagers from my generation) didn't wanna do what they wanted me to do. In 11th standard, I chose non-medical stream but did all I could to not be an engineer like not enrolling for any preparatory classes for engineering entrance exams.
Much to my surprise, my parents were betting on their intelligent genes and not on the prep courses so much!! So they made me sit for all the entrance exams anyway and in parallel I started applying to all English and Chemistry Honors graduate courses (the only two subjects I liked). I started attending my Chemistry Honors course feeling quite confident about the failure in the other exams :) However, I passed each of the engineering entrance exams. On the day of first counseling I attended, my mother very subtly told me to select 'IT' in the counselling form for a college near our home (not ECE or CSE which were really popular but IT). I got selected to the college she suggested and in the course she suggested. Till date, I have no idea where all this confidence my parents have in their kids comes from!! But that subtle piece of advice didn't just shape my career but everything else in my life as well. I met my dear husband in that college in IT stream. :D Could a choice of graduate course 'BE ANY BETTER'? (big Chandler Bing fan ;) )
The second advice came from my superhero father. He gave me the same subtle piece of advice at two instances in my life. I was in my first job clocking endless hours in a week and was exhausted. I was feeling incompetent having to work so hard at something I am supposed to be good at. I did IT engineering and got selected on campus for this job after all. So I called my father at 2 AM one night from my office and said - 'I can't do this anymore, I am quitting'. Very calmly, he said - 'Sure, quit, come home, we are here for you'. And the next instant he asked me - 'Will you be happy sitting at home?'
He knows me too well to know that I can't be happy sitting at home all day doing nothing or doing household stuff. So he threw this curveball at me and I decided to stay and fight it out at that job. I did well thereafter, not just at the first one but at all the ones following it :) The second time, he said the same two lines to me but in a different context. I had one big fight with my husband and called my father to say - 'I can't do this, marriage is too hard, I am coming back'. Same two sentences in the same calm manner - 'Sure, quit, come home, we are here for you. Will you be happy sitting at home?' He knew I loved my husband too much to be at my father's home!! So I stayed with my husband - 'Happily ever after'. After all, sachchi advice apne hi dete hain :)
I am participating in the #SachchiAdvice Contest by MaxLife in Association with BlogAdda.
The first one came from my dear mother. My parents (like all good Indian parents from their generation) wanted me to either be a doctor or an engineer. And I (like all bad teenagers from my generation) didn't wanna do what they wanted me to do. In 11th standard, I chose non-medical stream but did all I could to not be an engineer like not enrolling for any preparatory classes for engineering entrance exams.
Much to my surprise, my parents were betting on their intelligent genes and not on the prep courses so much!! So they made me sit for all the entrance exams anyway and in parallel I started applying to all English and Chemistry Honors graduate courses (the only two subjects I liked). I started attending my Chemistry Honors course feeling quite confident about the failure in the other exams :) However, I passed each of the engineering entrance exams. On the day of first counseling I attended, my mother very subtly told me to select 'IT' in the counselling form for a college near our home (not ECE or CSE which were really popular but IT). I got selected to the college she suggested and in the course she suggested. Till date, I have no idea where all this confidence my parents have in their kids comes from!! But that subtle piece of advice didn't just shape my career but everything else in my life as well. I met my dear husband in that college in IT stream. :D Could a choice of graduate course 'BE ANY BETTER'? (big Chandler Bing fan ;) )
The second advice came from my superhero father. He gave me the same subtle piece of advice at two instances in my life. I was in my first job clocking endless hours in a week and was exhausted. I was feeling incompetent having to work so hard at something I am supposed to be good at. I did IT engineering and got selected on campus for this job after all. So I called my father at 2 AM one night from my office and said - 'I can't do this anymore, I am quitting'. Very calmly, he said - 'Sure, quit, come home, we are here for you'. And the next instant he asked me - 'Will you be happy sitting at home?'
He knows me too well to know that I can't be happy sitting at home all day doing nothing or doing household stuff. So he threw this curveball at me and I decided to stay and fight it out at that job. I did well thereafter, not just at the first one but at all the ones following it :) The second time, he said the same two lines to me but in a different context. I had one big fight with my husband and called my father to say - 'I can't do this, marriage is too hard, I am coming back'. Same two sentences in the same calm manner - 'Sure, quit, come home, we are here for you. Will you be happy sitting at home?' He knew I loved my husband too much to be at my father's home!! So I stayed with my husband - 'Happily ever after'. After all, sachchi advice apne hi dete hain :)
I am participating in the #SachchiAdvice Contest by MaxLife in Association with BlogAdda.
