‘Talk like TED’ is a book by Carmine Gallo, which I borrowed from a friend. A part of a chapter of the same reads as, “What makes your heart sing.” It really caught my attention because it had a deep message within itself which has been with me ever since.
According to the author the idea is of replacing “What are you passionate about?” with “What makes your heart sing?” The answer to the same is obviously more deep and profound, certainly due to the choice of words, which makes us think with both our mind and heart. With most of us being still in college, it is really important for us to realise what actually makes our heart sing, before it gets too late.
The reason why I am writing about the same is because we must understand which direction we are heading towards. While enjoying our time in college is an important part of our lives, “only” enjoying may prove to be fatal. It is important that we give a conscious thought, as to what we really want, so that we can gear up towards the same. When I say “What makes our heart sing?”, what I exactly refer to are the things that would make us happy while we do them, things that fill us with joy as we do them. I am pretty sure that when you read this question there must be something that strikes your mind.
Let me substantiate this with an example. In the first year of a law school, we come across numerous new terms (at least for me) such as research papers, publications, internships, moot court, law firms. Many of us without giving a conscious thought, start shooting arrows in the dark by writing papers, applying for internships, etc. The main reason being that no one actually told us the purpose of writing a research paper, participating in a moot court and related activities is to actually assess your ability to analyse and apply law rather than just building your CV. However, if a corporate job is not something that makes your heart tick, then building a CV holds lesser importance. Same is in the case when the whole bunch of students after their third year appear for the CDS exam without realising that may be that isn’t what they really want.
If you see the records of various other colleges, including ours, not all lawyers became lawyers, not all engineers became engineers and not all doctors became doctors (the cliché examples). The intention is obviously not to discourage anyone, however, to make people realise that we must identify what is that one thing which actually gives us the edge.
To be good at something, one must be passionate about the same. No one asks for a life where one has to sit for hours and regret the job they’re doing. But if we actually decide on that one thing which we really want to do, the scenario will be altogether very different. Hence, in my opinion it is high time to come out of the societal stereotypes that we face. Let’s identify ourselves and take risks in defying these norms. A conscious thought is all that is required and nothing else.
