Building a New Door

In these hard times, sharing something personal that is helping me to go on.

This year was meant to be the best year for my business. I had four mega hotel projects signed; two in Japan, one in the Maldives, and one in Thailand. I was elated. Years of hard work and honing my skills was gonna pay off.

And then it all crumbled.

I had to close my company that I had set up in 2008. I went back to working the way I used when I started out. I looked at life with a fresh pair of eyes to find an untrodden path to take me somewhere new.

Over the years I had dabbled into writing. For the last 8 years, I have been writing a small weekly column on Feng Shui in The Khaleej Times. I always found solace in writing. I believed that everything was transient except words. Last year I had started writing a fiction but was not able to focus due to workload. Now with the lockdown and canceled projects, I have ample time to polish my words.

My writing has kept me alive and focused. I have no clear vision on the way forward. But a dream that this book may open doors. I have no agent, no publisher, no connections. May be someone somewhere will see value in reading about lost souls finding their path through the love of a cat. Netflix may pick it up or Oprah may include in her book club or it may just remain on my desk. But for now, I have decided to keep going.

I have chosen to be like a loose rubber band. Flexible and ready to bend at will. Everyone tells you in these times to think outside the box. I am choosing to create a completely different box. I am grateful that I am able to write. That I was still able to find something meaningful to remain useful in my own eyes. In the end, all that mattered that I chose a different dream to keep going.

Don’t give up. Some door will open. If not, then build a door. But don’t give up. It’s not yet time!