Sonoth had not heard anyone before that day refer to him as successful,he had always thought of himself as a struggler who always worked tirelessly hard everyday so as to raise enough to live and fight another day.5 years had since gone by since he made himself the promise by which he lives by even to this today #SuccessOrNothing,in short SON!!
In the auditorium,as he awaited the announcement of how the bids for the construction of roads in his childhood neighbourhood had gone,were many business leaders he had in the past years come to know and even looked upto.Their chatter about his business being the front runner for the majority of the bids was becoming hard to avoid as he walked past to find his seat.
He had managed to get 4 of the tenders on offer that day thereby inspiring references of success from the younger and upcoming businesses in attendance.
Sonoth pondered on what he heard,parked his car,a 2006 Toyota Chaser and took a long walk in the park.The walk had initially been planned as a solitary celebratory gesture,he however found himself in deep thought,going back and forth over the years that led him to this moment.He had graduated top of his class at University,initially worked in a bank before he decided to walk away and pursue success his own way.By many accounts in comparison to the average residents of his hometown,he truly was successful,he however didnt feel successful.
Sonoth grew up at a time when socialism,communism and capitalism where still at the peak of their fight for idealogical dominance.Children went to school,memorised large texts of concepts whilst being fed on various diets of a future where once they did well in school,a desk job awaited them.And that was the dream young minds kept being moulded into pursuing.Suburban housing,white color job,a defined benefits pension and eventually you clock out!!
Sonoth was taken by this simplistic dream awaiting in his future,we worked hard in school,aced all his examinations even at University.The dream was finally his to grasp and enjoy.
In his first year at his white color job,Sonoth had been required to only add certain accounts and tally them at end of the day.At first,he went about his job very diligently and enthusiatically,after all,he was living his dream,however,as the weeks turned into months and the months into years,he performed the repetitive non brain stimulating function with less enthusiasm and often times found himself questioning the reality he was in.
Could this truly be the dream i worked so tirelessly to achieve? Why do i not feel so self actualized with the attainment of my dream? Sonoth later found that he could dull the questions in his head with first a single bottle of alcohol,then,two and eventually,more and more at the end of each work day
In his third year of employment,his supervisor,an old man in his ripe retiring age recommended him as successor for the job upon the old man's retirement.During the various hand over sessions he was having with his supervisor,he discovered that,Mr Jere,his retiring supervisor had been in that role for atleast 10 years and whilst he was leaving with a handsome pension package,he had nothing else to his name.This got Sonoth thinking,in his head,recalculating the old man's actual take home amount after the revenue authority had their share.The figure was alarmingly not dream worthy.How can a dream job do that to you?
Sonoth did not have the stomach for a beer at close of that day,haunted by the thought of retiring,some 40 or so years in the future with near nothing to his name.He thought of the school fees for the kids he planned to have,how was he to ensure they got a good education,which unfortunately also seemed to direct them into the same rat race he himself was in?
His mind wondered and thought about all those business and marketing concepts he learnt in University,realising that almost all his knowledge has yet to be used.He thought of his friend Shoja who had dropped out of school in second year of University due to inability to pay tuition fees.Shoja had gone into the buying and selling of farm produce from farmers in the rural areas and selling to merchants in the city.Using the simple education Shoja had learnt,and with his back against the wall,he has managed to grow his business to the extent of employing a great number of youths in their hometown,he built the house in which he and his new wife live.In the whole Shoja looked more happy with what he was doing.
In their next hand over session with his supervisor,Sonoth started asking the old man about how he planned to use his pension and how fulfilled he was in his role over the years.It was evident that his retiring supervisor also harboured fears about the unknown future and how he felt unable to do anything much with his pension.Sonoth asked his retirng supervisor a blunt and straight question."Why am i not happy with my job?" "You have learnt so much in school yet do so little here,you have a sharp mind but its not put to use here,you are trapped in someone else's idea of a dream job" You are a prisoner to that dream Sonoth,the old man went on.It is when you work in an environment that lets your mind pursue what it desires will you be truly happy,but like all good things,there will be something you have to sacrifice.
The old man had started sounding like some of his University lecturers who he had simply dismissed as failures who did not achieve the dream.Slowly but surely,it dawned on him that the old man was right,to do the things he wants,he will have to give up the luxury of job security and defined salary his employers bring to the fold.He questioned his willingness to let go of the near free salary he receives,the predictable job he has.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
