Learning in First Retirement : The Art of Under-achieving

The world is flooded with icons who have achieved a lot in their lives. Their achievements are mostly measured by the wealth/ companies they created and in some cases, the legacy they left in their world (in terms of any subject be it science, technology, humanitarian or philosophy). Though nowadays, it is all matter of publicity. This blog is not about that. This blog is about the so-called under-achieving.

I sometimes think how my life would have been if I did not do well in my exams or if I was just a mediocre student. True I could not have won bunch of personal battles but at the same time, life would have been easier too as long as I meet my basic necessities. Nobody cares what mediocre people do in this world. My successful past will not chase me from behind. It is comparatively easier to ignore what others think of yourself, it is very difficult to undermine what you think of yourself. 

What if just being a traveler is not enough? When your technical self keeps bothering your travelling self, whom to listen? When you are too connected to impact lives in other domains (say education sector for underprivileged), can you just listen to your own callings? That analysis I did a while back.

In the final year of my undergrad days, someone from USA visited us in IIT Kharagpur and told that most of us tend to underachieve. I did not like that comment since in my little world, I always wanted the impractical dreamy people to be appreciated for who they are. Today I have an answer to that comment. It is OK to under achieve as long as you are happy. Being an underachiever is a curse if your tend to do the biggest mistake (one can do in life) – compare ones life with another. Actually if something should be banned in this world, that should be the act of comparison. It is the most common cause of despair in human society.

First - Lets say, you realize the act of comparing is a bogus concept as it depends on your exposure and surroundings. Mostly it depends on your surroundings. If your surround yourselves with people who have achieved less than yours, your ego is boosted. If it is the opposite , you are down. I have seen peoples' smiles turning into despair when they see some pictures or news about their acquaintances in social media and found out their own lives are not as happening. So turn off the social media if that happens to you, I am serious!!

Second - Who is an achiever? Mostly we consider the ones who achieve highest materialistic wealth or fame. Is that achieving something? I do not think so. Achieve knowledge, achieve virtues, achieve  something that can make you - the best you. The real achievements can not be weighed or compared. Because this is only your scale and everyone must carry their own scales if you really wanna offer some constructive criticism to your own life. 

Third - We live in moments. Even if you did a bunch of things in the past, pretty much your last action decides your state of mind. I learned it a bit early (fortunately) so I do whatever I feel like. That is my definition of success. Do what you feel like!! Does my past chase me, yes!! Do some of my friends think I have wasted 18 months in jungles and mountains, they do!! Do I care? I do but I am trying to master the art of underachieving too. If you make peace with the fact that your happiness matters more than your so called underachieving, it is a good thing!!! Because no matter what I do or what I can do, there are millions ahead of me and millions behind.... I do not want to look ahead or back... I want to look beside me and enjoy those little moments from the perspective of one out of 7 Billion souls. 

When I started running half marathons ten years back, in the first few runs, I used to look at someone ahead of me for motivation. Later I just started smiling at people next to me after a happy eye contact, because that is the journey of life. DO NOT ANALYZE too much, just enjoy the moments and make peace with the uncertainty of next. When the journey gets boring or suffocating, try your best to change the route.

Finally you wont care what you achieved on paper as long as you have many memories to cherish.Something I learned during my travels. 

You may achieve more or less compared to your own expectations ......