Show me the money!

This piece is an attempt to hit on the moment when I realized the value of money. When was it that I became au fait with the power of money? When did I suddenly realize that one has to work hard to get something in return and that something is called money? How my perception of money as a system of exchange changed over the years? How did I overcome the phase of not being able to differentiate between those 10/20/100/500 rupees notes from Nava Wyapar and the 10/20/50/100 rupee notes that my papa would carry in his pouch?
How could I mould myself into this money-making business without giving much of trouble to myself? How could it come so naturally? How can we so naturally have an urge to earn money? And what about those who say, money does not matter for them?

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It was December cold of my fifth standard in school. I was happy that I was an inch taller that December. And I demanded a new school uniform to my papa just to hear a straight, big “No” from him. It was important for me. I was desperate to show it to my friends and more than that I was keen on narrating my friends the story of “my height and the school uniform”. But papa’s “No” just washed off all my plans. I remember how I wondered on why papa straight away refused to buy me a brand new set of school uniform in the middle of the year.

I remember his words exactly. He had made a firm statement, “It’s already December. You will anyways get a new uniform when the school opens after summer vacations. I don’t want to waste money now on that thing.”

I kept thinking how this money-matter came into picture?

I think this is the first sharp memory I have when I realized, “money matters!”

By the time I was eligible for appearing for the Board exams that were to mark the beginning of my professional training; I was thorough with all the reasons why money is important. My teachers, my parents, my friends, my parents’ friends, my relatives, television, and all the career consultants had bombarded me with enough of knowledge. They successfully made me believe that to build a career of your own meant to excel in whatever you do and to earn good money. I suddenly started finding myself a part of the conversations in our school group that very often broke into some serious discussion over career matters.

This is how the conversation went on for me. (Read me in the brackets. The stars can be replaced by any field of your choice)

“Oh no! Never go for *** it does not have much scope.”
(Oh ok there is something called scope that again has to do with money. If a field would not earn you good amount of money, it meant to have no scope.)

“Yeah I know *** is damn good. My Didi’s friend did that and even before she completed the course, she got the job too”
(Hmmm…so you also need to get the job. Again, the job has to earn you money.)

“My Dad consulted one of his friends in the US. He asked him to put me into ****. Dad said, I would be earning in Dollars if I do so!”
(Yea!!!! Dollars! So merely earning money was not enough or what? If you earn in Dollar, it has more value! I only know Dollar is the currency that is used in the US.)

“Damn…! You mediocre people! You will never come out of this clerk mentality of yours! You will never dream big, will always play safe! I am going to be on my own. Even if I suffer losses in the beginning, one day I will have my own empire of crores!”
(zzzzzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrr! People are serious! Am I the only dumb, ignorant, and meek creature here who has no opinion on this? Am I still to grow up? Aaaaah!)

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I completed my BA (History) after dealing with a lot of resistance from friends, parents, teachers who thought I was making a bad career decision.
To affirm the truth, I was still to evolve to surrender myself to be governed by the laws of the world.
I now believe that you require a lot more maturity and strength to obey the rules of the world than to flout them. Till then I was taking the easier path of carving my own rules about career by not thinking about earning money. I was all set to try out as many things as I could to find the best that would suit my temperament and my aptitude!

(All this to realize that once you set the goal as earning money, the temperament and the aptitude hardly matter! You start enjoying everything that pays you. And even if you don’t, money makes you discreet enough to justify everything that you do!)

And so did I! I was happy earning a meager 4000 bucks per month when I worked with a news paper as a trainee reporter! I was quite a girl on the move that time! And I thought this is what I would do throughout my life! That satisfied all my itches…of writing, of being creative, of being adventurous, and of being novel, and what not! After a year I was left with 25000 in my hands and I decided to buy a brand new Scooty for me! Believe it or not I was to my bicycle till then. And I bought a new Scooty (kick start as the button start would go out of my budget) after expending all my savings.

I could feel contractions in my stomach after the feeling of smugness for buying my first vehicle with my own money grew fainter. I could also feel a sour taste in my throat for the next few months after realizing that I was left with no money!

I did not give up. May be I still had not evolved!

I perked up myself. After all I enjoyed writing and that was what I was doing. I was at least not like the others who worked day in and day out just to earn the damn rupee! I decided to try some other fields in writing so that I could explore new “horizons” in the field of writing. I tried copy-writing. I also had a stint as a script writer for some documentaries. Suddenly I started feeling a strong force that was drifting me away from these. I could enjoy nothing of this. By now I knew it for certain that I did want to earn good money.

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I became a technical writer, thus embracing the sun-rise industry that is best known as the highest paying industry in the dollar economy. The only approval I had while entering this field was that, I would still be “writing”.

Now, I earn good money, live a good life style that I am sure I could not have attained so fast had I continued to be in the same old profession. And I am stable now.

I hear of my colleagues speaking about job satisfaction now. Think, it’s inexpensive to talk about “job satisfaction” once your pocket is secured. I too participate in their conversation although with a dull motivation.

I now can cay, “I am evolved and grown up!” I am set on the tougher path now- obeying the rules of the world!