Where do you see yourself in 5 years or 10 years?
Having interviewed tons of candidates, I’ve realized this is the toughest question most people face. Yes, it’s a ridiculous question.
Let’s face it. Interviewers ask this question not to see if you are going to actually achieve whatever you say, but to see if you capable of answering such question and if so, how you will.
Now that creates an illusion and a problem. It appears as though the society expects you to have a plan and follow it. But the reality is, no one does or no one can. Why? Because the world changes, not only the outer world you are living in, but also the inner world.
Maybe the job you wanted doesn’t exist by the time you plan to do it. And most likely, you change your mind. It’s said that approximately 70-80% of the people change their mind of what they want to do in the career from their first internship or first job. Why is that so? As they start shifting from the comfortable classroom environments into the real world, they are suddenly exposed to a different environment, industry or idea and realize what they had planned to do is not available, realistic, or most likely, not what they wanted to do.
It all comes back to the Concept of Impermanence. According to the teachings of the Buddha, life is comparable to a river. The river of yesterday is not the same as the river of today. The river of this moment is not going to be the same as the river of the next moment. So does life. It changes continuously, becomes something or the other from moment to moment.
According to this concept, that everyone changes, it is a natural flow of a human to be having several interests. Wouldn’t it be true then, that someone who seems like they have had the same interest for 10 or 20 years, is not actually not real?
Perhaps that’s why so many people now change jobs after few years, why people get separated or divorced without spending the entire life time together, why people change cities.
Do you choose to follow what the society expects from you (not to change and stick with what you started with) or do you choose to live in your unique way and be who you are?
I feel many of us, including me, are afraid to be the authentic self because 1. We fear people will not accept who we really are or what we really want to do. 2. We fear we won’t be able to earn money trying to be the authentic self. 3. It’s just too much hassle and work to even find this authentic self so better just continue what you’re doing and be inside the comfort zone.
It’s up to you. It’s your life, so you should do whatever you want! (Of course, to an extension that you are not harming anyone or violating anyone else’s life)
I think the first step of being authentic to who you are is to do what you want to do, now, even if it’s something you’ve never done before, or does not fit in with your CV/Resume, or even if it doesn’t make sense to your profile.
Do what feels right now, and I feel you will be going to an unexpected, but right direction, for you.
I’ve decided to take my first step to become more of who I am, by creating this website and starting this project! What about you?
I like this idea and want to contribute!
