By Ruchika Sharma
YES! YOU CAN!
These three words at the end of the video were motivational enough for me to share with you the beginning of the much-needed struggle I have endured in my life. The words that I heard, the emotions that I felt while watching the video took me back to those glimpses of my past life, where at some point in time I considered myself useless and unworthy of any kind of happiness. My story may not be the most inspiring one and might not be a saga of an exceptionally successful person, but still, I believe, it is something that has taught me a lot and triggered me to be a person that I am today.
I used to be an average student during my school years and didn’t use to interact with people much. The problem with that was you were invisible to most of the people around you because you know, you were just average. This was the reason my parents were on cloud nine when they got to know that I scored 95% in my 12th. My dad was of the opinion that if I can score such good marks in 12th, then cracking a couple of Chartered Accountancy exams would be a cup of tea for me. I thought the same and willingly sacrificed my college life so that I could concentrate 100% on my professional course.
I think life had some other plans for me. I was at home for 3 years, giving attempt after attempt for the CA exams and was not even close to clearing them, my life had become totally monotonous, my parents were disappointed in me, my relatives used to ask about my progress on a daily basis and this especially used to upset my parents a lot. On top of all this, seeing my friends enjoying their lives, or doing something that they love or something they are good at making me feel horrible and dead inside.
Then after feeling useless and dejected for quite some time, I thought to take that U-turn in my life, wherein irrespective of the hurdles I promised myself that I wouldn’t deter and stay strong. Enrolling myself in BA Hons (German) was one of the big steps I took including leaving the toxicity and negativity that my previous life was bringing me. I participated infests, department functions, competitions, did various internships, volunteered in many NGOs, and by the grace of God, I stood first in my class for 2 consecutive years.
This year I got an opportunity to teach some students German language at a place far away from mine. I used to travel 2 hours to reach there and simultaneously manage my college as well. But unfortunately, this much stress resulted in damage to my left eye, causing a squint. Life was not quite normal for me after that and this pandemic just added more to my miseries. My dad lost his job and therefore I had to teach students online in order to sustain our living. Going online with my teaching helped me a lot as I had a farther reach and was adding value to many people’s lives at the same time, which meant more income.
Although the condition of my eye is still the same I am happy and consider myself fortunate that I am able to be a breadwinner of the family in the time of need. I might be in pain for most of the day but at least we are not going to our beds hungry and I think in the end this is what matters. Life had not been that kind to me, sometimes unfair but if you would think that “Today is the first day of the rest of my life”, you definitely would go a long way.
