As I write this, I haven’t slept for thirty hours and my bank balance is lesser than it was when I passed out of college a year ago.
For the last fifteen months, I had been working in a small village, far far away from any civilization, in the middle of Bellary District, Northern Karnataka. It was a place so different that it went on to inspire me into writing a book on it called ‘I’m Not Twenty Four..’
But then the itch would just not die. I had to be back among books as soon as I could. In life, there are paths that you choose to take. Like you choose your education. And then there are paths which just happen. The way books happened in my case. And hence, I decided to start my own venture in book publishing.
A random conversation with a friend, four years ago led us both into taking a plunge into writing our first books. And today, I leave behind 7 years of formal education to tread a path many have tried with little success, publishing stories.
All I want to say to you is, today is the first day of the rest of your life. And it’s also a very good day to review what you are doing. Imagine yourself at the age of sixty and look at yourself backwards. Would you regret having made the decision you would make today? Or are you just setting yourself up for a bunch of regrets?
I know we all need to make money. We need to feed ourselves and the pets we might have. But all I am saying is, I haven’t heard of a man who has struggled diligently, believed in himself, persevered and not succeeded. All you have to do is to tell yourself that you will stick through the turmoil for long enough, possibly for three to five years in some cases.
So if you can do that, go follow your dream.
Durjoy and I will be launching our venture Grapevine India Publishers in September, 2011. Through Grapevine, we will be creating a community of authors, who bring out stories which truly stimulate the imagination of the Indian masses. We will be launching the following four novels in September, 2011:
The Extra Class – The Backbenchers series (by Sidharth Oberoi) -
Accidentally in Love… With him? Again?!? (by Nikita Singh) -
You Were My Crush.. Till you said you love me! (by Durjoy Datta) -
It’s First Love.. Just like the last one! (by Sachin Garg)
It is hard enough working on one book at a time. Working on these four books simultaneously for the last six months is a feeling I doubt would come back in my life. Since I have shifted to Delhi, I have been running around at 45 degree Celsius, getting tanned, meeting people.
I’d like to share the following points about it:
- There is no better kick than being intellectually challenged and be emotionally thrilled at the same time. And there is no better way to experience it than pursuing your dream.
- If you think you are lazy, incapable, not smart enough or don’t have an idea, then you, especially, should take the plunge. You need it more than the others. If you will make an unusual decision, you will hold the responsibility of making yourself not look like an idiot. You will stay up for thirty hours straight and stretch in a way you had never imagined. Trust me, I am saying this one from personal experience.
- I meet around three to eight new people every day. And the spectrum of people I meet is broader than it could ever have been in the traditional career. I don’t have to laugh at their unfunny jokes and don’t pretend to enjoy what I don’t. It makes me hate myself lesser and helps me sleep better. And to be honest, their stories are much more fun.
- All day long, I am in deep concentration. I might be writing, in a meeting, reading, talking on the phone, playing football or even pumping metal in the gym. I am focused on what I am doing. What is the value of that?
Mostly people stay on their toes for the first few weeks of their work life. And then you are expected to do it over and over again. It’s not doing justice to your capability - I talk to many new writers almost on daily basis. I discuss their writing routines, how they became writers and what their aspirations are. It excites me. And it’s an excitement you can’t really replace with any other feeling in the world.
- The luxury of not having to pretend that you are busy, like you have to, in every office in this world, makes you five times more efficient in life.
- There is no Admin department to take care of the housekeeping. There are no travel desk guys, IT support guys, Income Tax return guys. I do it all myself. Accounts is not that arcane thing which happens in the other end of the company. And there is no guarantee that things will turn around.
Evaluate your options. Whether you do or do not follow your dream, I would be happy to hear your story.
find more @http://sachingarg.me/
