On Introduction - My Introduction
15thDec'24
“Tell me more about yourself” has always felt like a difficult question. Mainly because, the first instinct after hearing that is to ask myself - What should I share? And more importantly, what should I not? Two situations call for a response - job interviews and meeting people in social settings.
In a job interview, you are expected to have an answer ready before stepping in - present a summary of your professional life, while indirectly hinting at qualities that will make you a good fit for the role XYZ. Maybe throw a short story in there to help you connect with the interviewer. If you are applying for a consulting role, you should definitely talk about your love for problem solving. You must have rationale and conviction for your career decisions because you are likely to be quizzed for that.
In social settings, you are expected to talk about anything but professional stuff. Tell me, what do you do in your free time? There is subtle (but not so subtle) pressure to present your best foot forward. Talk about a hobby and mix it with a small accomplishment and you have a Wow, that’s awesome in the bag. Add a few more and BAM! Congratulations, you have a cool personality.
For obvious reasons, a lot of life ends up becoming a constant attempt to portray competency. For a change, here is a relatively candid attempt at my introduction –
I am Zohaib. I am a 23-year-old man, currently living in Gurgaon. I was raised in a small town in eastern India by an absent dad and a heavily invested mother (Aren’t we all? ). My parents are religious while I have struggled with matters of faith. A lot of this young life so far has been a struggle to chart a path which is deemed unconventional in the house. It doesn’t take a lot to be labelled a rebel in my family - the act of not becoming a doctor is the biggest sin imaginable. In this prolonged but silent resistance, I have often found myself alone.
I don’t care about unsolicited advice. I make my own decisions. I feel like the world would be a better place if people stopped taking advice from people who have no real context of their lives.
I also do not care for authority. I like to put myself in environments where I can be completely honest about my opinions. However, my candor should not come at the cost of empathy. And I desire for this empathy to be at the highest level for everyone I interact with - regardless of their rank and status. I will admit, it's hard being entirely honest and kind at the same time, and I have struggled with this. But I aspire to keep getting better.
I am grateful for the upbringing I had. Unlike most people, I don’t miss my childhood. I certainly do not miss my school days (It was jail) but being born in a relatively resource constrained environment has provided with perspective that I find invaluable. (Also, it is important to note that I have been blessed with resources at the same time - having access to a quality education is a huge privilege in itself.) I have also been extremely lucky to be born a man, from what I observe, unfortunately life would have been so much more difficult anyway else.
Money was tight growing up, naturally all my ambitions got tied to money and achieving financial independence. I successfully met that goal last year. Only to realize, I had forgotten to think through what the point was of the money to begin with. In that quest, I had forgotten to dream.
I am starting to realize a lot of great moments in my life have been centered around human beings. I love people. I love meeting new people and connecting with them. Any opportunity to serve anyone is a blessing.
I am quite driven on good days. Anxiety has been a part of my life, which makes it hard but also keeps me on my toes. As a consequence, I am usually quick to take action. I am not a huge fan of structure and process. I believe in just getting it done.
These days my time has been spent rebuilding idea of things to look forward to. Like most people at this age, I am confused. But I am confidently winging it and trying to live a little more. I reflect a lot but have been trying to contain it at the same time. They say an unexamined life is not worth living, but if you spend too much time examining - when are you going to live? Cheers to dreaming.