Someday Syndrome

Teacher : What do you aspire to become when you get old?

Me : (little, wearing shorts… some 3^rd grade or so) Be the first human to touch Mars, I say that and I look around the class with a smile beaming on my face.

Seven years later..

Appa: Time to choose your stream man, choose a proper one… think about what you want to become.

Me: I still want to become an astronaut.. what do I do pa..

Appa: Choose what you feel is best for u, you are old enough.. If u ask me, Science Stream ..

Me: Yeah ok, Science it is..

The dream is still on…

Two years later..

Every person I meet on the road: What are you planning to do?

Me: Still thinking, no idea. Not sure if I have any chance of getting aeronautics.

3^rd Person: Aeronautics, U have the course at so and so college, but am not sure about placements and future. Think twice.

Me: Yeah, I got to know about the placements. I am thinking Computers. I was good at it in my 12^th grade.

3^rd Person: hmm.. hmmm..

1 year later..

Next door dude: Movie?

Me: Yeah, Yeah .. these

common courses, a pain in the a$$ …

2 and a half years later..

Every person I meet on the road: What are you planning to do?

Me: Still thinking, no idea. It’s either got to be an M.B.A or M.S. I don’t think I will do an M.S though, enough of this technical crap… hmm.. let’s see.. first let me get placed someplace.

3^rd Person: Yeah, a good start for career is important, always better to work for a year or two and then do an M.B.A.

6 months later..

Appa: Dei, Good good, heard u

made a good job at placements.

Me: Yes pa, finally, happy ..

really happy..

Appa: What about future plans..

Me: Not right now, let me work for some time, then let’s think about it later.

2 Months later:

Me: Hello Ma’am.. Got a new job, have got sweets.

Teacher: Oh, good good.. U lived your dream of landing on mars? A chuckle ..

Me: Smiled dismissing her comments, No ma’am, knew that was a little too far-fetched, was a kid then.

6 Months later..

Colleague: Dude, fed up with this job.. wanna go out for lunch? We can spend atleast two hours or so outside.

Me: Yeah sure, for the work that we do here….. We guys should be doing something innovative, something more interesting machi..

Colleague: Yeah.. hmm.. no point grumbling now..

Someday Syndrome: not doing what you want to because you don’t know what it is, because you’re procrastinating about it, or because you have too much stuff getting in your way.( Got the definition from http://zenhabits.net/2008/12/11-ways-to-cure-someday-syndrome/)

Each one of us are doing this to some degree, like, Someday I will learn guitar and play an Iron Maiden Song, Someday I will join a football club. Someday I will be this, Someday I will do that ….. The day never comes ….

We wait, we wait for the fruit to fall.. Little do we know that by the time the fruits fall, all you have is squirrel-bitten, rotten-on-one-side piece… No point waiting, no point waiting for that dawn … Time we took our chance and Chased our dreams, aspirations….

In an Indian Society, a place where only engineers and doctors are pretty much considered literates, the fight is intense, not just the fight against laziness, fight for opportunities.. fight for bread..

Time has come to change this, this mentality, break the rules… We need a revolution… Enough of unfulfilled dreams and lost chances.. These are wounds that just won’t heal..

I am a software engineer (yet another one) working in one of those MNC’s.