“Am I doing the right thing?”

What is the next step? What plans are ahead? What next?

Newly qualified professionals/freshers are faced with these questions the moment they leave their ‘student’ tag. But is it only the freshers who face these questions? I believe these questions are faced by us throughout our life. After the honeymoon phase of the first job is over, after the end of every project, after you think you have learnt all the job had to offer, after you decide to move on, after you decide to stop the rut – the questions rise again.

The world is again full of possibilities. There is so much to choose from, so many opportunities. But what to pursue? Where to go? Will I make the right decision? Will I leave something better? The “Am I doing the right thing?” conundrum is born.

That’s where I feel there is great comfort in schools. Not only because of a set curriculum and pre-defined goals but also because schools have a structured, accepted way of validating if what we are doing is the right thing – EXAMS. If you score well and are enjoying the curriculum, you probably are on the right track; If you are not, maybe this is not for you. Either case, you get an answer.

This is one reason that I believe, often takes many people back to school. The comfort of validation. Maybe that is why academically inclined students find themselves going back to schools – garnering multiple certifications, degrees and diplomas, but not always sure how the additional qualification would help in career progression. A good score validates their decision to pursue the course.

Once the formal schooling is over, and you enter the “life school”, the navigation is tedious. There is no formal way of validating what you are doing. And that is when you need the HR department. People who tell you – “You are excellent at what you are doing”, “Keep it up”, and “Way to go”. The awards and recognitions validate your efforts. But what about entrepreneurs? Is the inner passion to do something sufficient to lead them on the right path?

There is no denying that entrepreneurs have this innate drive and initiative which pushes them to pursue their dreams, but isn’t it true that 90% start-ups fail? Entrepreneurs have the ability to work relentlessly, but how will they know what to work on? This is where mentors come in. Who is a mentor? Someone who tells you, “Don’t worry. You are doing the right thing. Keep at it.”, and closes with, “let me know if you get into trouble again, we will sort it together.”. Successful founders find successful companies later, they find (or stumble upon) mentors first. They tell you what you want to hear, and times, what you need to.

This makes me appreciate the role of guides, mentors and god-fathers – the unseen people who keep expressly validating (and correcting) the efforts of founders until the world bestows its consent.

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