The future is very bright

To escape what is commonly called “the Rat Race”, you will need the following: permanently assured accommodation that doesn’t depend on high, regular payments to maintain; for example a small house that is fully paid for and where you could always stay and wait out periods between jobs; savings, so that you aren’t under pressure to bring in money every month in order to survive; get rid of all debts;

A profession that is versatile and in demand, so that you can find work wherever, whenever, change jobs when you feel like it, and negotiate part time work arrangements; things like nursing, programming, or security might always work; low bills. Drive an old, but reliable car that never needs fixing, don’t smoke or drink, learn to cook properly and to budget and plan, and do it, and generally avoid an expensive lifestyle.

Always remain flexible and open minded about what it is you might be doing professionally. Driving forklifts this year, teaching CAD next year, writing ad copy after that… these kinds of hops should not scare you. Never give up career thinking. If you are serious about moving up, that kind of lifestyle is unattainable. Relegate yourself to letting someone else be boss, and just do your bit. Ambition is the thing that causes us the most suffering.

Decide that you will be happy within that little world you are creating for yourself, and that any adversity you encounter in it will be dealt with, not evaded by giving up and moving away. A little oasis of peace is still something situated in the hostile context of life on this planet, so you need to have a will and the means to maintain and defend it. I have organised my life in this way a few years ago, and the effects are remarkable. My stress levels have gone down noticeably, various health issues have disappeared, and I am generally a much happier person now.

A life like that doesn’t need to look small and grey, either. No matter who you're, when you get the self discipline to follow your dreams then nobody can deprive you from a bright future. You can learn something from the story of my childhood friend, who was an average student throughout her school life. It was another thing that once in a while, under social pressure (read- Board Exams) she has done well. Even when she was in college, she used to get free lectures from me, specially in first year. After that, I noticed a sudden change in her attitude and approach in life.

I would honestly tell you that the girl did implemented many of the things I've learned the hard way. She not only did what I used to tell her. In-fact, she outdid my expectations. She was a changed girl. She was not the girl who has no focus in life. She became the person I've always wanted to became. As she was very close to me, hence I was tracking the progress she was making with each passing day.

What is self-discipline? The art of doing the things that will help you become a better person in absence of external pressure. I would like to put it like, "Doing the things that truly matter without worrying about the result". Highlights: She was rock solid to focus on her career. When she got jobs in MNCs, she was stilled focused on getting placed in the dream companies. She was reluctant to sit for the Mass Recruiter but on my advice sat for the same and got couple of jobs.

She had her share of failures on her way but she has gracefully overcame every hurdle that came on her way. She made a group of study buddies who supported each other. She sacrificed her long vacations. This has earned her ire of her loving Mom, who was missing her. On being asked to come home rather that waiting for the dream companies. She replied, "I've worked hard for all these semesters. Please let me keep the momentum going. It doesn't matter if I don't get selected, I just want to put my best. I'm not worried about the result".

What was the outcome? She kept doing projects that set her apart from the rest. She did well academically and was in top 5% of her class. She made the most of the Free wifi of the college. Learned many things which were not in the syllabus.Her Project works helped her get a break through. She got an internship offer from a startup which is trying to transform the healthcare industry. Got the opportunity to work on the website of that startup. Got an excellent feedback from the Founders which boasted her confidence.

Got offer from the startup to join them. Got selected in two MNCs. After that, people start losing focus but she maintained her self discipline. She was selected in"Talent Development Program conducted by Ericsson. Got Internship for 6 months from Intel Corporation, Bangalore. Also got the job offer from Intel Corporation Bangalore. She is as calm as ever and I've seen that success has never gone into her head, neither I've seen her losing her mind over failure. You must have known that I am someone very close to her. Maybe her brother. It feels awesome when your little sister shows you the way.

How it feels? You feel awesome, after all you get some bragging rights. When I told my Dad that my sister has made all of us so proud. I could see his eyes that were glowing with pride. He dove in the moment to feel grateful for his daughter and within a few seconds came back with a reply that, "We're also proud on you."So, practice self-discipline and chase your dreams. And, don't stop learning. Set goals that cause greater good to you as well as others. And, the most important thing is to be humble and down to earth when you achieve something in life.

I can not disclose her future goals here but I can just tell you that she is a rock star. It's not because of her grades, half a dozen projects, various internships and/or a number of good job offers. It's all about her attitude. Whenever, she fails, she never blames luck but when we flooded her with admiration, she downplayed her achievements and told that it all happened because of fair amount of Luck. If that is so then I'm convinced that Luck favors Brave. Cheers!