The Element of Adapting and Its Hope For Thriving Even When Our Life Doesn’t Go in a Straight Line

This is a picture of my life.

I started at the bottom of one hill and climbed it successfully, only to find myself at the bottom of another hill.

The first of these hills was climbed in India.

It started with some writing I had done for the local newspaper. This was noticed by my sister’s friend Mela, who worked in an ad agency. When a vacancy arose for a copy cub in that agency, she called our home.

“I have a job for that sister of yours who writes for the newspaper. Tell her to come see me.”

The next thing I knew I was in advertising.

“Aha, this is what he meant,” I said to myself, thinking back to a boyfriend, who had told me I would make a good copywriter. When we were dating, I used to create these cards for him with silly puns. On one occasion, he looked at one of these cards and said, “You know what. You would make a good copywriter.”  “What does a copywriter do?” I asked. “You know those billboards you see for Kitply on Mahatma Gandhi Road? Those were written by a copywriter”  “I’d like to do that” I said.

3 years to that day, I was in advertising, thinking his words had been prophetic. 

Getting that first job changed me. It gave my life, which had been aimless for a while, a new direction and purpose.

In the 2 years leading up to the job, I had been skipping college, writing middles for the newspaper, tutoring foreign students in English, and composing silly songs like the one I told you about in Why I Can Never Get a Job at Google.

Now I threw myself into my work; and looking at the ads in Ad Age and Art Directors Annual, I dreamed of becoming an advertising great like Mohammad Khan.

Step by step, I climbed the advertising hill.  

I would eventually wear the Copy Chief hat at one agency, and an Associate Creative Group Head hat at another, before hanging out my own shingle, Purple Patch.

With 4 copy cubs, a typist and a driver, I felt quite at the top of the hill - and enjoyed the view from there.

And then I moved to America.

A brand new hill awaited me.

When the resumes I sent out to ad agencies didn’t produce any results, and the money I had brought was running out, I quickly switched to a new plan.

I was a fast typist, my English was good – I could look for secretarial work.

I enrolled in Goodwill’s Institute of Career Development to learn Word, Excel and Power Point and close the gap in my computer skills.

After 3 temp jobs, I landed my first permanent job as an Admin Assistant at Palm Inc.

My work was a far cry from creating and pitching advertising campaigns.

I booked conference rooms and hotel rooms.

I carried mail to the mail room.

I picked up mail from the mail room.

I made phone calls.

And I did runs to delis to pick up sandwiches for meetings.

When I was given the chance to do commissions for Palm, I adapted again.

Yes, my advertising career was cut short by my move to America.

And my professional arc was the exact opposite of Peggy Olson.

But I grew as a person.

Having to start all over again in an invisible role tested my resilience, my humility, my ability to roll with the punches.

I had to rise up to do all of that.

And I had to resist the temptation of comparing past to present.

Adaptation means we never take out a mental weighing scale... and put what we had in the past and what we have in the present on it.

This is especially true when we go from a high-profile, bigger bucks or more socially desirable position, to a low profile, smaller bucks, less socially desirable position.

See our lives can be like this

Or like this

Or like this

But we all have the ability to adapt.

Whatever role we have to play at any stage of our life, we should throw ourselves into it and enjoy it for what it brings.

If we were once a heroine, who is now pitched only for roles as a character actor, we should throw ourselves into it, and enjoy it for what it brings.

If we were once a boss-woman or boss-man, now relegated to the role of wing-man or wing-woman, we should throw ourselves into it, and enjoy it for what it brings.

If we were once a pilot, who now has to settle for being only a co-pilot, we should throw ourselves into it, and enjoy it for what it brings.

If we were once a woman or man of action, now on the sidelines as a commentator or adviser, we should throw ourselves into it, and enjoy it for what it brings.

If we were once Don Quixote, but we are now Sancho Panza to our erstwhile Sancho Panza, we should throw ourselves into it, and enjoy it for what it brings.

An MVP can become just another player on the team – and enjoy the new role for what it brings.

A top 100 chart performer can become just a steady Eddie, or a background singer, or club singer – and enjoy the new role for what it brings.

A charmer can become just a companion – and enjoy the new role for what it brings.

We may even find ourselves cast as villains from heroes.

Or be sidelined for someone less deserving (as the older brother in the biblical story of the Prodigal Son).

But we can adapt and make the most of any card which life deals out to us.

We are not our egos.

Each one of us is capable of being bigger than any bitter, resentful or cynical thoughts produced by our egos, and being able to talk ourselves out of those negative thoughts.

When we train ourselves to stay positive when our luck changes, we are liberated from the toxic messages delivered by our egos, and our false fixed ideas of ourselves.

I, for one, am happy my life did not go in a straight line.

If my life had gone in a straight line, I would not have gone to Goodwill’s Institute of Career Development to learn Word, Excel and Power Point, and I would not have met Krysia.

If my life had gone in a straight line, I would not have gotten a job as an admin assistant at Palm, and I would not have met Gerri, April or Nina.

See, when our lives are going in a straight line, the future is circumscribed, and the road ahead is one of probabilities.

But when our lives take a detour or turn, the future becomes wide open, and the road ahead is filled with endless possibilities.

The boundaries are gone, the existing routines are gone, the existing circles are gone, the existing mental habits are gone, the existing false fixed ideas of what and who we are, are gone.

Possibilities open up.

To meet new people

Make new friends

Move in new circles

See new places

Experience new things

Pick up new skills and hobbies

Wear new hats

And learn a whole lot more about ourselves, about the world, and about life.

Above all, when our lives take a turn, we find out we are designed, not just to survive, but to adapt and thrive.

Yeah!!

So here’s to adapting and thriving, even when our lives don't go in a straight line.

As always thanks for reading and have a great day and week…..M…..a Pearl-Seeker like you.  Thanks to everyone for their votes and comments on my last post on Facebook, including Ajay, Betty, David, Rosie and Subhakar. Much appreciated.