Young people, with stars and dreams in their eyes… what happens as they grow older, life happens, and one day, find themselves middle-aged?
I am young, and have stars in my eyes I need to work hard, and that’s no surprise I know academic excellence shall pave the way For a better future that I strive towards every day
I should have my life figured out- I am seventeen My admission essay should spell out what I have not yet seen- I should have a clear vision of my future, that’s expected Being competitive is a trait I have perfected
An Ivy league education followed by a six-figure salary Are prerequisites to being successful and happy Ambition and drive I think I have in plenty A prosperous life for me they should guarantee…
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My fortieth birthday I celebrate today That ambitious adolescent has come a long way That driven girl of yester-years did achieve Her professional goals– what is generally perceived As success, I think I can claim I have in hand
Yet the parameters of happiness, I now understand Are very different from what I thought they would be As a seventeen year old aspiring for a college degree The competitive streak that I had in me Was not conducive for happiness, I now see To excel at everything I had been striving for throughout Be it work, or being a supermom- even at the risk of burnout..
Turning forty, however, has made me evaluate What I really want from my life, on my plate I have stopped competing with others around me I’m trying to focus on my passions, what makes me happy…
By the way, the girl who at the age of seventeen believed Her life was figured out, at forty, is still trying to figure out her life indeed!
Published here earlier.
Header image is a composite of stills from the movies Darr and Gulab Gang
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