In my 20s, I visited my one of the childhood friends far from my residence. When I headed back to my home after meeting him, I happened to encounter my childhood friend named Sanjaya Paudel on the way. We had a brief chat. He said to me at the first glance-”You look really upset”. He further added-because he is heading to the office, he doesn’t have enough time to discuss. He offered me to walk with him. I agreed. I walked with him towards his office for one and half hours. He discussed with me about the philosophy of life. He told me that we all die one day. We must embrace death and it is inevitable. There are no absolute things in life. Everything is temporary in one or another way. It is obvious that we encounter hardships, struggles, hurdles, scarcity, drawbacks and so on. He further added- “so what my friend?” we gonna die one day. Why not to face it. We have got only one life. He advised me to think every day that we will die one day and so that we need to face every obstacle and hurdles in a courageous manner. That was the best advice I have ever got.
On March 27, 2015 I happened to visit Eastern part of Nepal. There I met a man who was glamorous like a clown. He is very much famous in his locality. He shared with me about his bitter experience that happened a decade ago, he along with his friends was taken to India by an agent. The agent persuaded them that they would earn handsome salary. It was too late to realize that they ended as a bonded labor in a huge company. The escape and trace out were impossible for them due to huge area and security system in the company. One day, he met a man from Nepali origin who lives in India for a long time and owning a hotel. He talked with him. He occasionally used to go to his hotel and meet his family as well. There what he could do was make others laugh by his joke. He was famous among the family of Nepali origin. One day, a wife of the business person requested her husband to rescue him for his generosity and innocence. He couldn’t refuse her repetitive request. The business person rescued him by putting him in the empty cylinder of an oil tanker vehicle. Humorously, he said-”I spent the entire 3 hours in this slippery cylinder escaping the territory of the company. ” He was rescued in such vehicle so that nobody could guess, someone is inside in the oil-cylinder vehicle. I asked him what made him to escape? He replied-”It is because of my skills to make other laugh. ” He was being rescued after 3 years of bonded labor. He further added, his other friends came back to village after spending the 13 years. I realized that time was the most valuable treasure in one’s life is skills. In other words, Life Skills. When I met him, he didn’t have any job. He said people would invite him in hotels and certain functions to get entertainment and in return he got paid. That’s how he used to live.
Nowadays, I realize that the talent and skills are two different and important things. We are inherently talent in some ways. But Talent is nothing without the skills. We must sharp our skills to revive the talent. As famous author and clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson says, we don’t suffer due to outer influences and circumstances, as we are born as humans the sufferings are inevitable.
I genuinely do understand when clients say they’re looking for a change, but don’t know what it is yet or how to achieve it. Because I have been there, done that and thankfully was lucky enough to walk away to now be doing a job where I never have to think “Thank God it’s Friday (TGIF).”
