Aim high.

As working professionals, all of us have a fixed routine. Wake up, get ready, work for 9 hours, come home tired, set an alarm for tomorrow’s rat race, wait for weekends, have fun… Oh wait, are we really enjoying our profession?

 

Most of us chose a profession that might pay us well but are we really happy? While some of us are lucky enough to just know what we want to do and ended up in satisfying careers without giving it much thought. How about a story of an IT graduate who is now on the mountains?  I really gave a thought on what might have motivated him all of a sudden, the only answer I could come up with was this – May be it was the Windows desktop picture that he used to see at work, that inspired him to leave his job and live a dream life….who knows. 

Somehow, he completed his graduation in Information Technology, not because he really wanted to but because everyone around him was either an engineer or an architect. When asked to comment on his college life he says,” I knew I was nowhere close to clearing the exams. Despite knowing, this wasn't for me and having infinite backlogs, I stayed and somehow cleared it. College life was not bad. Everything was a self-learning experience. I got out of my comfort zone and realized I'm good in extracurricular activities. I put my childhood interest of arts by joining the college cultural event committee. That indeed shaped me to become more confident in life. “

After his graduation, unlike many others he wasn’t really excited about getting a job offer. Maybe because he had started his professional life at an early age (hats off). Being not so privileged, his work life started ever since the age of 16. He has worked at a lot of irrelevant places too. Working late night to pay college fees resulted in not so great scores. Due to circumstances, he had to undertake responsibilities more than a teenager could bear. Maintaining between work life and studies might have been one of the reasons that he couldn’t enjoy his life. Having responsibilities put on his shoulders, made him more resilient.

Even after graduating with bad grades, his experience backed up in securing a good IT job in in Reliance Jio - one of India's largest startups back then.  Being faithful towards all the deals of work, he was in a committed relationship with his current job. He says,” I surely felt happy. Or so did I think.”

Like the most travelling was in his bucket list. He expressed,” The responsibilities of life seemed perpetually stacked against me. Thus, the dreams of uninhibited travel remained just that – A DREAM”.

The story is about him who chased his DREAM

He was all set to chase his dream. No, it wasn’t that easy for him to do it. (It might be still easy for you to chase your dream. Don’t leave that opportunity if it is knocking your door.) The biggest setback was his finances. He had grown so used to minting and spending money. He had to always draw a fine line between his wants and needs. He had no support to start his own travel company. Even though he tried to, he failed. Disappointed and depressed he knew he didn't want to get back to the corporate world. But after a lot of struggle, he made it.

So how did he land up in his current profession? What might have inspired him? Was he happy with the corporate job or did he swim against the tide to follow his dreams? To answer these questions, he says, “Now for years I fed my impending wanderlust through weekend warrior trips in the mountains. But anytime I would entertain the idea of taking one of these grand life adventures, I would come up with dozens of reasons and excuses for why it couldn’t happen. Until one day, when my friends convinced me to do something on my own. So, in December 2017, I quit my well settled stable job and left home for a couple of months to pursue one of my dream. An epic backpacking trip across India was all I wanted to do. From experiencing sunrise from the highest peaks in the world, hitchhiking some gorgeous trails, cliff jumping in the bluest of waters, surviving blood freezing cold, hurting my neck from staring at the stars for too long, getting lost in the unexplored forests, I grew. I grew my love for the daunting green. I got back home being more travel sick and the will to make everyone aware about how beautiful our country is expanded.”

It is true that Indian parents are bit more concerned about their kids. And like any other Indian family his family too was concerned about his stability and wellbeing. But they never demotivated him. Even though, he had major self-doubt and insecurities his friends could see high amount of potential and always motivated to aim higher. And they were not wrong I must say.  He is a trek leader in the Himalayas. His job is to take trekkers to high altitude regions and bring them back safe. Not just that he also focuses on bringing behavioral change in the people who come on a trek, by giving them an experience they had no idea about. Bringing them out of their comfort zones and teaching them some life skills. (Wonderful! Isn’t it?)

So, the backstory goes like this:

He had signed up for his first Himalayan trek to Roopkund. And that trek seems to have changed his life forever, because, for the first time, he knew what he really wanted. He believed that he was destined to be there to find his sweet little purpose in life.

A year ago, he wasn't aware about the social problems our mountains are facing. But after he got introduced to Green trails, the whole perspective towards life changed. He started feeling strongly about saving the world. So strong, that on his return, he quit his job and started organizing clean up drives in the mountains. That's how it all began. He added,” I applied for Green trails at Indiahikes. And the next thing I know is that I'm living in some remote village trying to bring change. Teaching in schools, creating awareness amongst the locals, segregating waste and finding ways to solve the whole problem. With every passing day, I grew. I grew my love for the daunting green. And at Indiahikes, I always got better. In no time I got promoted as a trek leader.”

Reaching goals after his struggle...beautiful indeed.

When asked whether he is happy, he replied,” Yes, I'm happier.” This time without any doubt for sure. The important thing about life to him right now is to never stop learning and giving back to the community.

Did you follow your dream or was it accidental?

"I think I knew what I wanted and how badly I wanted it. That helped me get there."

About his childhood dream he says,” As a child, I never had one dream. It was always different at different age groups. The youngest dream was to be a doctor. Because that was the most sound and logical thing to do as a career. Then it slowly moved to be a painter. Just because I learned how to draw decently. In high school I was fascinated of joining Merchant Navy. Again, for selfish reasons to travel across the globe and get paid for it. Today I'm glad none of them worked out well.”

This story was about Leo Saldana, who is a happy human and living his life to the fullest. He is working with Indiahikes (not during the lockdown) He is spending this lockdown by being involved in activities like: Introspecting, self-reflection, meditating, lazing around the house watching memes and working out every day (Perfect lockdown activities, I must say)