So How Did I Quit The Cubicle For The Road?
It’s been over a year now since I bade a very heart-wrenching goodbye to my cubicle. Quitting the 9-5 job and switching to freelancing was not on my mind at that time (not that I loved what I was doing). Although I was a professional writer, I never really got my due. I always felt suffocated and miserable. Until last year, I was giving my blog only the leftover time. I used to stay up late to do what I really wanted to do, and I had to rush in the morning to a place that I hated.
 |
| Now I work from places like these… 🙂 |
I think I just got too lucky fortunate to have come to a point where I was left with no option but to follow my dream. I was kicked out to do what I enjoyed doing the most. My heart wants to say a million thanks to the nasty manager I got in Mumbai. Yes, the revelation happened when I moved to Mumbai. The job I was doing in Delhi sucked. Actually, not the job but everything about the office, the system and the management sucked. So, it just happened that when I got a new job in Mumbai, I took it as an opportunity to escape what I was doing in Delhi. However, somewhere deep down in my heart, I knew that what I had taken up was not going to last. I knew that I didn’t want to do even what I had accepted in Mumbai. But, I was still happy, because I wanted to take this ‘new change’ like a traveller. Mumbai has always been my favourite city, so when I got a chance to live there as a local, I couldn’t let it go.
Even though I landed in a much worse place in Mumbai, it was a change in my life, which I really needed at that point of time. So yes, I was unhappy, but still happy. The day I joined that new office in Mumbai I started looking for new jobs. It was a point in my life when I couldn’t think of quitting even if I didn’t like what I was doing. Thus, I tried my level best to find a work that would please me and also pay me well. My family was moving to Hyderabad at the same time. So, it was a wrong time to tell my people at home that I wanted to quit. I just couldn’t do it. I had to stand by them and besides, I too wanted to earn well to fulfil my own personal goals.
 |
| My cubicles keep changing 🙂 |
But, God (I wouldn’t like to use the word destiny) had some other plans for me. While I was madly, diligently and ferociously hunting for a new job in Mumbai, He was secretly devising something else for me. I had already lost the job that I was doing. It was a foregone conclusion of what had been happening at that crappy workplace. I wasn’t surprised. But, I couldn’t deny the fact that I needed work. So the hunt continued for a while.
 |
| The voyager in me continued to sail despite the rough winds… |
Even though I was in terrible pain, I enjoyed my sojourn in Mumbai.Just after I lost my job, I took a solo expedition to Matheran, a hill station near Mumbai. I was short on money, but full of enthusiasm. I didn’t let the sudden financial upheaval deter the ‘voyager’ in me. I also went to Pune with a friend.
 |
| The change of heart happened here… |
Then one fine day, everything changed. I went for an interview in South Mumbai near Churchgate station. While I was being interviewed, I had a slight fear in my heart – fear of getting the offer letter. Yes, I was scared to get the job. Although I performed well and did my best to convince the interviewer that I fit the bill completely, my heart had taken a new turn already. I was called again the following day for another round. Obviously, I was double-minded about it. But I still went for it anyway. I took my camera along, as I had also planned to explore South Mumbai that day. So, quickly after the interview, I set out on my jaunt.
I remember the exact moment when I knew that I didn’t want to go for any more interviews – it was when I was at National Gallery Of Modern Art and I got a call from a job consultant. While talking to him, I was totally convinced in my heart that I didn’t want to do it, but I still assured him that I would show up for the interview. My heart was clear about what it really wanted, but my mind was still a slave to the usual ‘safe and secure’ life syndrome.
 |
| South Mumbai – Wandering the streets, clicking pictures, meeting random people…this is what I truly enjoy! |
After that particular call, my heart was overjoyed with its new found freedom. As I walked the streets of South Mumbai, I had a strong feeling that this was what I wanted. I loved my freedom. It was a fabulous day! I walked so much that day that I had painful feet at the end of it, but my heart rejoiced.
As days passed by, my belief to switch to full time travel blogging and freelance writing got firmer. Finally, I left Mumbai and came to Hyderabad where my family and a new home were waiting for me.
 |
| Dandeli – On my first press trip as a travel blogger |
But the freelance writing thing didn’t happen so easily. I had to wait for months. In the meantime, I worked hard on my blog. And then gradually, I began to see some fruits on the tree that I had planted. I was invited to visit Dandeli (a place in North Karnataka) by Dandeli Official Travel Partners. It was a big pat on my back. Quite soon after that, I got my first freelance writing project also.
Well, I wouldn’t say that all has been rosy since, but I am on my way to where I want to be.
I just want to sum up with a verse from the Bible – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”
Did my story inspire you? Do you have any questions? Ask away in the comments section!
If you enjoyed this post, you can –
Subscribe to receive ‘new post’ updates through Email.
Become a fan on Voyager For Life Facebook page.
