Push the envelope-take a risk!

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The year was 2011. Life was going through a lot.
I had left my job as a medical officer a year back to be with my husband at the place of his posting and as fate would have it,he moved out to a field location(non-family station for the non-faujis) within a month. My daughter wasn’t even a year old then. I came back to my parents’ place not knowing what else to do. I spent an entire year trying to work out the possibilities in my head but nothing made sense.
It was overwhelming to not have my husband around to raise our daughter and I had no idea what to do about my career.
I tried studying for PG entrance but wasn’t possible with my one year old and the stress of the unprecedented posting. My parents were very supportive but that was all they could do…be supportive. I needed to decide. I was beginning to feel that my career had ended forever. All I kept thinking the whole day was
‘I have given up a government job, my husband has gone away for three years,my daughter is just about two years old, I cannot bring myself to study.’
I was feeling as low as one possibly can.
I spent a couple of months sulking, falling prey to self-pity and despair. As everything I planned had gone haywire,I decided not to plan at all. Surrendering is oh-so-easy!

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Moreover in our society,there are so many nice people who never fail to point out how it is your duty(being born in the female gender) to concentrate on your child rather than your career…
‘You were not doing much anyway!’
Really? I never knew you were recording my career graph.
Another very concerned distant relative( ready-with-advice type) gave me a brilliant suggestion
‘Why don’t you do B.Ed meanwhile? All army wives are teachers,no?’
B.Ed after M.B.B.S? Some people will just say anything.
The useless ideas I was getting were frustrating but they jolted me out of the slumber and I realised that it was time for me to give up on the melancholy and take a decision which would decide the course of the rest of my life.
I had done a correspondence course in Healthcare Management but never took it seriously. I decided to try and tap the potential. I applied to a few hospitals not expecting to hear back. I was probably just looking to convince myself that I tried at least.
Much to my surprise,I got a call from a leading corporate hospital of the region for a post in medical operations. I was overjoyed but the joy lasted only for a couple of minutes. The hospital was in another city,some 60 kilometers away. How could I manage with a two year old? I did not call back the HR girl. My brother came home that evening and when I narrated the whole thing,he said
‘Why are you even thinking? Just go. I know it is difficult,travel to and fro if you need to but don’t give up.’
It suddenly gave me immense confidence. Sometimes when you are confused,all that is needed is someone who tells you that what you are thinking is right.
My parents were skeptical about it too but got convinced when they saw my enthusiasm.
Trust me,I was petrified inside. I promised myself that I was going to give it a sincere try no matter how hard it was going to be. I decided to give it six months,though I was doubtful I would survive even one in the corporate world.
I commuted to and fro everyday to be with my daughter,sometimes in car,sometimes in buses..I was even given a residence within the premises and stayed there on days when I got really late at work….but I did not give up and worked. Within six months,I was promoted as the Head of the administrative department.
Looking back today,I feel that it was the best decision I ever took. I took a risk of leaving clinical work and getting into a purely administrative one and it worked out great for me.
My job as a healthcare manager gives me the satisfaction of being in touch with my profession while also giving me the freedom to be able to change places to be with my husband which clinical work would never have given me.
Sometimes,our plans fail and everything seems headed downhill. It is usually when God has a better plan for us but we choose to ignore as it seems too risky. He has no option then but to give us a push….so that we spread our wings and learn to fly!

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To everyone reading this, I urge you..Go after your passion,take a risk…start a new life. You will never know what lies ahead if you choose to stop where you are.

Do check out the video below…you never know what might motivate you to…..#Start a new life!