My Work Is Who I Am

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” — Paulo CoelhoSkitterphoto | Pixabay

I am a highly passionate person. I will never learn how to be mediocre because for me things or people mean I am all into it.

Surviving eight years of corporate trauma while working in the different streams of work taught me a lot.

It taught me how to be humble while working with an arrogant and half-brained boss. It taught me how to be more creative while pretending I know nothing at all thing. It taught me how to never stop learning new things while working as a multitasker.

It all added to my growth. And I am not talking here about monetary growth.

It helped me in growing as a person. It rolled the dice on my table to shape my personality and ideologies. I am proud of who I have become. I handled a team of more than 60 people at one time and still they never had any bad thing to say about me. Do you know why? Because I was so honest with them.

I taught them how to ask for a leave without lying about it. I taught them how to stand up for themselves and keep on learning new things because you never know what life may bring to you at the next step. I taught them how to trust themselves more than others that’s where their power is.

But corporates didn’t help me a lot. So, in September 2017, due to personal and professional crises, I had to say goodbye to my job. I don’t regret that decision at all.

I happened to discover myself. I discovered the new me — My Passion and Creativity.

And there are different sorts of work that I do and I am very peaceful while pursuing each one of them.

#1 Professional Author and a Freelance WriterMy Second Poetry Book Is Coming Out Soon :)

I took writing into my hands as my long-lost love. I was missing writing my thoughts while trying to gain some self-confidence to face the world again. Writing opened doors for me. I started getting paid for the writing projects.

I no longer support charity writing. I write for myself. I write what seems to be of interest to me. It is never forced on me. I take my decisions and write about what truly lit the spark in me.

By the grace of God, I can market two poetry books, and side by side, I have been writing two novels and one of them is based on my Domestic Violence Survival journey.

#2 The Painter/Artist in MeSketch by Gurpreet Dhariwal

As a child I once made a drawing of more than eight teddy bears enjoying their rides in an amusement park. It was immediately taken away from me by my Art Teacher. She told me you had a gift, and you will be able to draw many more magnificent pieces like this one but I am keeping it to showcase to others what I never taught you and how you came up with your idea. I was studying in the fourth standard at that time, and I didn’t know the importance of her appreciation to me. But today I do.

Last year was fascinating and I started drawing, sketching and painting again. I am peaceful with my work. It defines the chaos in my mind. It defines the creativity in my spirit. It defines me as a person. I usually sketch women because I want to change the view of the world on women through my artwork. I hope it soon starts getting recognition by women so that they never allow anyone to degrade them.

#3 Working Out and Going on Bike RidesMy Bike :)

Some people consider work as a medium of earning money and paying off their bills. I am thankful to God that I am not that person. Whatever money I get from my Freelancing projects I utilize it well. That’s how I gifted myself a bike this year and completed 600+ Kms.

You need not buy an expensive gym membership or lucrative shoes to go on a run. All you need is a plan. That’s it. On my bike rides, I feed stray dogs and that’s again a part of my work. They bring joy to me and when I say joy I mean real joy. I don’t see that in human beings.

I have gained some weight, but it doesn’t feel like it. That’s what working out for years does to your body. It starts getting accustomed to being active knowing your lifestyle. I worship my body and in return, it worships me back. I don’t fall sick frequently or visit doctors a lot. Corona was a different thing but usually, I am my doctor and a fitness trainer.

I hope you find peace in your work like the way I have found in mine.

— -“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” — George Lorimer

Gurpreet Dhariwal is the author of “My Soul Rants: Poems of a Born Spectator.” Her eBook is now available at Google PlayStore , Amazon , and Kindle. Connect with Gurpreet at www.gurpreetdhariwal.com

My Work Is Who I Am was originally published in Fortune Favors the Bold on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.