You have to be the Outcast

We live in a world where everything is programmed. Take schools for example, from the very beginning we are conditioned to believe that good grades are the only criteria that defines our success or failure. At least in my schooling days no one gave it a thought whether the system was accurate to gauge a student’s performance, all I was told was to get good grades. As I grew older I realized it was not about how talented or capable you were that defined your success in school, It was about cracking the system to make sure your marks sheet looks good regardless if you really learnt anything in its true essence or added value to your personality so that’s what everybody including me did. The purpose was not to learn but to get golden numbers on your marks sheet. As a result we students were becoming as hollow as the system that was producing us was.

You get a real eye opener as soon as you enter the professional field, there you realize that the schooling did not prepare you for any of the real life challenges that you were to face. Aspects like emotional intelligence, people skills, conflict management, stress management and other soft skills are not even touched in schools. We learnt all the technical jargon but not their proper use in specific situations. That so important marks sheet became so irrelevant in the blink of any eye. All this demanded a paradigm shift for all the learnings and trainings of the schooling was not taking us anywhere. I realized that you need not to crack the system to succeed but to crack out of it. But the moment you decide to do so, you become the outcast. For the system’s programming is so strong that not only do people find it hard to break out of it, they don’t let any opportunity to discourage, demotivate and ridicule anyone trying to do so.

From here starts your journey of redemption but being an outcast is not easy, the loneliness creates doubts, uncertainty and most importantly the fear of failure. You start asking yourself questions like what if I am wrong, what if comfort zone was indeed a very beautiful place and what if that’s not how it’s supposed to work. All of this can really take a toll on you but the good news is that even though you are rare you are not alone, there are other outcasts like you so seek them, take guidance from them, learn from them and most importantly never give up being who you truly are. Whenever you have doubts remember these words of great actor Jim Carrey “You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” So be the outcast, I can guarantee you in the end it will all be worthwhile. This is to all those who are daring to be different, you are doing a great job!