7 Years of Bringing Chaos to Order...

We have always heard about 'the 7 year itch' when it comes to relationships right?! Well, it ain't that different when it comes to a lot more things in life (personally speaking).

April 23, 2020 will mark the completion of my seventh year as a working professional. Now 7 years might feel like a very short timespan for our friends from the Generation X cohort, but I am certain fellow Millennials would connect to the feeling.

The fact that in these 7 years I have had the opportunity to share a professional working relationship across three generational cohorts is not just amazing, but also a learning curve that's always enabled me to think beyond my years.

It's a widely accepted theory that experience brings order to chaos, but it takes a whole lot of knowledge and a pinch of courage to bring chaos to order... confused? Let me paint a vivid picture through my professional journey.

The Introvert

I am an introvert, yet I chose a career path where all I need to do is 'communicate'. Now though that may seem counter intuitive to begin with, however I do believe that introverts are better communicators (up for a debate?) and that stems from the fact that introverts are better listeners to begin with.

Two primary factors that lead me to claim the above is: one, introverts gather their thoughts before they speak and two, they are more analytical towards addressing a topic.

The Practitioner

I love to be hands-on with anything and everything I do, and being hands-on doesn't equate to being a micromanager. I take equal pleasure to strategize, analyze and crunch numbers, but when you get tactical and have your ear closer to the ground you grow tremendous 'gut check' abilities.

When you are a practitioner, your ability to challenge the status quo stems from the intel you pick up while functioning from ground zero, and yet being able to soundly defy or challenge business objectives for carrying forth a project or task.

The knowledge and wisdom come with a few attributes that you hone and pick up along the journey. As a Journalist I was super observant of things and people around me, which led me to always over analyze and ask deep rooted questions which were probably blindly accepted by other around me. This attribute also made a lot of people uncomfortable around me whilst discussing story ideas in the brainstorming sessions.

The Risk Taker

Journalism, Business Development, Corporate Communications, Creative Audio-Visual Direction, Social Media Marketing, Product Marketing, Content Marketing and SEO are a few of the roles that I have dabbled in, across industries like: Media & Entertainment, Advertising & Marketing, Cable & DTH, OTT, VOD, Audio-Visual Technology, Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, Sports, Semiconductors, Cybersecurity, E-Learning, among others over the last 7 years.

The thirst for knowledge and the pursuit of happiness have always enabled me to keep growing from strength to strength. I am a firm believer that knowledge gives the confidence to think outside the box and go beyond your limitations. Acquiring new skills always uplifts you, and when you are on the journey going from awareness to knowledge, it ignites the fire in you to dream big!

I have always believed in taking calibrated risks in life, as without stepping into the unknown you will never know what lies on the other end of the spectrum. But, there is a difference between being a gambler and a risk taker. While the fear of losing is what both share, the risk taker is more aware and in a much better head space to deal with failure than a gambler.

The Agent of Chaos

The intellects call it playing the devil's advocate, but change makers term it as being an agent of chaos. I don't believe living in status quo will ever facilitate growth, thus you always need to introduce a little anarchy to disturb the established order and bring creative chaos to establish a new order.

John Heywood, an English playwright who lived hundreds of years ago, is still remembered for some of his popular sayings: “Out of sight out of mind”, “Better late than never”,“The more the merrier”,“Many hands make light work.” But there is one phrase from Heywood that is particularly interesting when it comes to building better habits: “Rome was not built in one day.”

Typically, people use the phrase Rome wasn’t built in a day to remind someone of the time needed to create something great. And it’s true. It takes time - sometimes years - to master a skill, craft, or habit. And while it’s good to keep perspective on your dreams, I think it’s better to remember the other side of this story: Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.

The problem is that it can be really easy to overestimate the importance of building your Roman empire (Professional Career) and underestimate the importance of laying another brick (Acquired Skills, Knowledge and Experience).

It’s just another brick. Why worry about it? Much better to think about the dream of Rome. Right?!