Barren | ✓

m a r o o n

success often comes at a price.

it's not one that we are consciously aware of when striving for it, but something we notice once we reach the pinnacle and look back to all that we've left behind.

i was 21 when i had completed my graduation and wanted to work abroad. the scope for my profession hadn't boomed here yet and i knew that better waters lay in the best.

at 21, it seemed like the chance of a lifetime.

my relatives thought i was being insane to leave the comfort of my life and head to a strange land that wouldn't even have dal chawal when i needed it.

my parents were more relenting, but the apprehension in their eyes did not go amiss.

"what if he never wants to settle back here again?"

"it's just for a few years, after that i'll happily return and be there for you when you need me."

my friends shared my vision and thought be incredibly lucky. they helped translate my vision and passion to my parents and finally, they agreed.

i had a job in hand with a start-up that was paying handsomely for a beginner. the prospects looked great, the future bright.

i stepped out.

when i reached dublin, i won't lie. the place was beautiful. but it was nothing like home. the people were strange, the food was strange, the language impenetrable. i had grown up in a traditional indian family.

this was all new.

it was scary several of the nights. some days it was loneliness, some days it was homesickness, other days it was just destitute. but i knew i had come here for a purpose. i wanted to make a life for myself.

the opportunity cost would be worth it.

a return on investment was imminent and heavy.

typical financier, i tell you.

i started off with the start-up and moved my way up the ranks slowly. it was gruelling to work by the strict defiance of their corporate schedule even though life was otherwise okay.

being a consultant was no joke.

over the next five years, things were only tougher for i was reaching a crucial junction of life and my career both. the promotion was right within my grasp.

so was my marriage.

my parents asked me whether i intended to shift back. with a slightly guilty heart i told them that i had more to explore, that as long as they were strong for each other still it would be okay.

they agreed lovingly.

life was good. by 26 i had saved enough to buy my first house back home and still have savings.

my wife shifted with me to dublin and within six months we shifted base to singapore, where i was made chief consultant.

my work hours remained the same.

two years later, we had our first child - a daughter. she was the most angelic thing i'd seen and life felt a lot more content.

by 28 i had bought my first car and had managed to transfer most of my savings back home for my parents to lead a comfortable life.

my work hours didn't change.

three years later we had another baby girl. by 31 i had bought my first condo in munich had a stronger base set there. life was luxurious yet within my means.

everything was perfect.

four months later, my mother passed away. I wanted to shift back with my father and spend whatever time i had left with him.

he refused. he said he was still strong enough to manage. he was proud of who i was and didn't want me to throw away the life i had built.

i toiled with more determination and he passed away three years later.

it's been seven years since then and as i look out of my window today on the 53rd floor of the building, it makes my eyes moist.

touching the pinnacle of ceo was not easy.

people always had opinions to contribute on the way, none of them better than the other. there were several points where things felt futile, the load just monotonous.

contrary to popular belief i never switched jobs even during the company's worst phases - instead, i stayed back and help make it what it has become today.

there were days when work was my only life, my family forgotten in the toss of time. where i felt inadequate for everything they'd given me in return.

there were a lot of sacrifices that went into fulfilling this dream, not just my own.

my parents sacrificed all their time with me for my success.

my wife sacrificed her life back home to ensure my dream remains afloat.

my children sacrificed their foundation years with me barely around so that they could never be a burden on me.

i sacrificed everything combined so that i could make their lives better.

today as i tower over the peak of my age, the sacrifices feel paramount. but the returns were certainly worth it.

i made what i had to of my life. and i was lucky to be backed by people who understood the purpose of what drove me at the end of the day.

this pinnacle was collectively ours to own.

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- by a courageous man willing to pay up for his ambitious dreams

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