Like Father, Like Son

My dad is kind of like me. Or rather, I'm like him.

And to this day, I haven't met anyone who believes in taking every opportunity quite like he does. Throughout his life, he's constantly worked towards improving himself. Even now, after a full day at work, he attends online MBA classes. A grown man pursuing another degree, driven purely by curiosity and the desire to keep learning.

I don't really look up to anybody. Ig I'm selfish that way. But whenever I think about him, I can't help but feel motivated. Being the eldest of his siblings, everything he's achieved has come through sheer perseverance and hard work.

The reason I spent my childhood in Africa goes back to a decision he made before I was even born. He came across a job advertisement in the classifieds of a newspaper. Despite already having a job, he decided to apply and travelled from Dehradun to Delhi on a random weekend. Back then, the journey took nearly an entire day.

One opportunity he could've easily ignored ended up changing the course of our lives and significantly improving our financial position.

That's the thing about my dad. He doesn't let an opportunity pass without giving it a shot.

And I think I've inherited that from him, although I have my own way of looking at it. Whatever I put out into the world should be the absolute best I can produce with the knowledge and skills I have at that point in my life, no matter how insignificant the task. Not perfection, just the satisfaction of knowing I couldn't have done it any better with what I knew then.

It's this inherent desire for more, despite already having enough. Not at someone else's expense, but through sheer competence and the desire to see how far you can go.

As I'm growing older, all of this is starting to make more sense. The decisions I make today will directly influence where I end up in the coming years, especially when it's time for college placements and entering the professional world.

Pardon me if I sound sexist, but I believe one of the brutal realities of being a man is the responsibility to provide. Be it for your cats, your girlfriend or wife, and eventually, your children. Of course, our parents will support us for as long as they can. But if you're 18, have received a decent education, and aren't working towards becoming self-sufficient, I think that's concerning.

There are billions of people on this planet, each pursuing something of their own. Nobody owes you the outcome you desire. You've got to work for it, compete for it, and persevere until you get there.

Putting myself out there on the internet has been THE best decision I've made. (And I'm not even famous!)

But lately, I've realised something. I've been so focused on making every shot count that I've probably stopped taking as many as I should. Somewhere along the way, I became so concerned about missing a few shots that I ended up missing even more by not taking them.

And that's something I intend to change.

If you're reading this and wondering whether you have what it takes to get what you want, I genuinely believe you do. After all, if my dad could change the course of our lives by taking a chance on a random weekend, who's to say you can't do the same?

And as for me, I've still got a long way to go. But if there's one thing I want to carry forward from my dad, it's the courage to keep trying, no matter how many shots I miss.

Like father, like son.

:)