💭 365 Days of Stories – Day 48 - Are We Chasing Fulfillment or Just Fulfilling Responsibilities?
When I look back after 20+ years in the corporate world, a strange realization hits me:
👉 We were never really taught to chase fulfillment. We were taught to chase a job.
👨👩👦 “If you study well, you’ll get a good job.” That was the golden mantra passed down from our parents.
Especially in the ’90s, if you didn’t crack engineering or medicine, you were told: ❌ “Your life will be miserable.”
I wasn’t a great student. Didn’t know why I was studying—just that I had to.
📚 I landed in a private college. Not because I was passionate about civil engineering, but because I had limited options.
Then reality hit. There were no jobs.
That’s when I finally understood what “study well” was supposed to mean.
💻 Luckily, I discovered computers. And that changed everything.
💡 I loved coding. I found joy in it. But even then, the goal wasn’t joy. It was still: “How do I get a job?”
So I pursued a course at NCST. It was tough, but I had one clear motivation: 👉 “If I clear this, I’ll get a job.”
And it worked. I got into software. Life slowly started improving.
💼 In the early years? You’re chasing needs. Your salary is always less than what life demands.
Mid-career? You earn more. You buy the house. The car. You travel abroad. ✅ Tick. ✅ Tick. ✅ Tick.
And then… something shifts.
You pause and ask: 🔍 “Now what?”
I was growing in my career too— Worked with seasoned leaders. Held senior roles.
But even those stopped feeling exciting.
Why?
Because the drive had changed. ☸️ From survival → success → significance. ⚛️ From chasing salary → to chasing meaning.
So I took bold calls. Quit safe jobs. Started up. Failed. Tried again.
Now, I’m in my second startup. Still struggling. Still figuring it out. But at least… I feel alive.
🌱 Here’s what I see around me—and why I’m sharing this:
Most people I talk to—especially in their early to mid-40s—feel stuck.
When I ask, “What next?” The response is usually:
💬 “Another 10-15 years to go. Let’s make some money. Focus on kids. Our time is done.” 💬 “If I was meant to be a CEO or do something big, it would’ve happened by now.” 💬 “Now it’s just about managing the rest of the journey.”
So… that’s it?
Is this the life we were meant to live?
Just fulfilling responsibilities—paying EMIs, saving for college, waiting for retirement?
Where is the joy? Where is the fulfillment?
And more importantly…
📌 Do we realize that living unhappily slowly eats away at our life?
While living happily—feeling energized and alive—might just extend it?
We say we want to give the best to our kids. But one of the greatest gifts we can give them is: 👨👩👧👦 A happy, healthy parent who stays around longer. Not just money.
💡 I’m not here to preach. I don’t have all the answers. I’m still figuring it out—every day.
But I’ve started asking questions.
And maybe… that’s where change begins.
👣 Are you?