Day 24: Write About A lesson You have the Learnt The Hard Way

It has to be “Catch the signals and act on them” 

We often hear about “it was happening in front of me but I ignored and carried on” or “I could sense it but never thought it will happen to me”.  We often miss the signals and they are pretty much all around us.   That is a lesson I have learnt the hard way. 

I started this blog to describe my experience of deathly illness, and in it I have described extensively, how not catching the signals landed me in the trouble. When I think about my life in general, I lost many opportunities and just ignored the signals and could not achieve my potential to the fullest because of this. 

I will give you an example of my professional life. I worked with an IT company and my team had the maximum number of transformation projects. Every two year we had some or other transformation but one particular time, it got really tricky. We saw many execs leaving, restructuring was beyond our understanding, the new leadership had no passion and it was a signal. 

The time was right to make a move. I knew it was not going in right direction. I should have moved out but I didn’t . I loved my organisation and team that I worked with and I wanted to stay and thought I will always have a place here.

Its another thing I fell sick and I had to leave any ways but what would have happened if I had stayed? there were so many people asked to leave. Professionals always get into dilemma about professional loyalty, but we must be aware that same organisation lays you off once they cant afford you and you cannot afford to be unemployed. So catch the signals and act on them. 

At some level, we all get these signals  in our professional and personal life, but we don’t act on them thinking that worst things wont happen to us, or we will be able to mange it. But once they happen, they are devastating  and sets you back. So catch the signals and act!