Let some stories end

Some time ago, my friend asked me why the industry I was in was fraught with so much drama. Back-stabbing politics and and tricky circus-like maneuvering of processes were part and parcel of a day's work. Needless to say, it was a drain emotionally, mentally and physically to constantly be on my guard to outwit, outsmart and outlast. I cannot even begin to imagine how much worse it is for others in other sectors like finance whereby it is manifold times worse. I shrugged at her question. I've been in there so long and my resume was built up on surviving these dramas. Where else can I go? There is no retreat option. While it took a toll on me in many areas, I generally enjoyed a job well done and a product well-launched. I lived for the thrill of successes translated into healthy profit margins. It was all I understood work to be and I could not imagine doing anything else for work.

However, with the years getting on, it is increasingly difficult to sustain this kind of work lifestyle and I was forced to look at other options which left me completely lost in a vacuum. I did not know what else I was qualified for and the thought of starting afresh in an unfamiliar (but perhaps friendlier) environment was daunting. I did not know normal. It did not exist in my work vocabulary all these years. I wondered how dysfunctional (me) and normal could co-exist. I might even upset others' work equilibrium.

After taking a long hiatus from work, I started thinking that maybe, just maybe it's ok to let that story of my life end completely. That I need not return to it. That I might actually be able to do something else. Entertained this thought for two days and counting and I started looking around different tabs on job portals to discover other avenues. Maybe I can decide that it will not be just the end of another chapter but a complete end to the story. Maybe after so many years of living on a roller-coaster, I can head for the "tea cup ride" of life and enjoy it.

That said, after a few applications for jobs outside the industry, NONE got back. Instead, I got yet another unsolicited proposition for a full-time role in a company based in Shanghai but extending its reach to SE Asia.

The jury is still out on whether the story will end or if it can take a sharp abrupt turn in direction and settle for a slower, less strenuous pace. Or perhaps, maybe after the grueling training, I can lie low and let the arrows fly swiftly over my head, unscathed.

We'll see.