This November the 30th, I took a leap of faith into uncertainty.

A couple of weeks after that, on the 14th of this month to be specific, I went a step further.

I packed all my stuff and left Bangalore and with it, a stable and well-paying job and any chance of returning to corporate life.

As my train rolled out of the platform, I remember a strange feeling of excitement and nervousness building up inside me. After all, it was not one of those decisions which you take overnight.

I have been thinking about it for more than half a year before I found myself in a position to actually decide.

Back in 2009, when I came to Bangalore, I knew that I am not going down to settle down here (or in any city), I knew I would leave. What I did not know was when. So that night as my train slowly moved ahead, leaving Bangalore behind, I felt quite happy to realize that I finally have managed to take the plunge. But anyway, I think I would talk about why rather than when.

Firstly, over the times I have realized that life is nothing but a trade-off. You trade your time for the things you want. This made me question myself if I actually was doing it right. Trading the limited time that I have here in this world for the things I was getting, was it worth it? Was I having fun in whatever I was doing? I am already thirty (okay 31!!) and if I don’t start doing things I wanted to do now, ten years from now I won’t be able to even think of doing them.

So, I decided to leave. It was not that I hated my job but I was definitely not having fun. Thankfully, over the past year or so, I have realized that we can actually have fun while you do the work you want to if you are ready to put in a little more (read a lot) hard work than we generally do. I knew I am never afraid of hard work so that helped.

By now if you have started to think of me as yet another quit the job and travel the world guy, sorry to disappoint you but I am not one, I don’t intend to be one. People who are doing that after knowing every aspect of such a life are way more organized and hard-working, I am not.

Plus, if I do anything repeatedly I get bored and I am sure it will be the same if I travel continuously. So, no, that’s not what I plan to do. Instead, what I plan to do is to have time for the things I want to do and work on the projects and ideas I have always wanted to work on. If I want to travel for a month continuously, I should be able to do that without worrying about having to return to the office a week later. I should be able to work from wherever I want, for as long as I want.

I also want to give more time to reading (if only I could tell you how long my TBR list is 😉 ) and writing. Two things I seriously enjoy but have held back because I could not make enough time. Then there are few travel-related ideas I want to work on here in the north-east and they will need their own time, something I would not have been able to give while in a job and far away from here.

I figured I preferred to work in the unexplored territories of North East India (my part of the country) rather than sitting in an air-conditioned office and doing what lacs of other engineers were doing.

And last but not the least, I realized that over the past few months I have come to enjoy uncertainties. I figured success tasted so much better when you did things you took up and went with the flow, taking things as they come. I want to now continue doing the same, taking things as they come.

After all, what’s life without some surprises on the way. Isn’t it the journey that ought to be enjoyed just as much as the destination, if not more :).

By now, I am sure at least some of you must be thinking how will I be earning. Well, to be honest, I haven’t completely figured that bit out. Like I have said above, there are few ideas I am keen on trying and experimenting with. Will they see what works and what doesn’t.

To stay afloat I have my freelance IT consulting bit which I have been doing for a while, you can find more on that here. So, now you know whom to get in touch with, in case you or anyone you know needs help with their websites, custom software, or IT related stuff 😉 .

And last but not the least, thanks to all the people who have directly and indirectly inspired me by the choices they have made and the paths they have chosen to walk, listening to their hearts. Not to forget those who have been very encouraging to this idea of mine and have generously shared their experiences and suggestions with me helping me remain optimistic.

And of course, I could never have been able to any of this with my ever so supporting wife. It is because of her love and unconditional support that I have been able to take this big step. I can’t thank her enough ♥ .

I hope life ahead is adventurous and I have fun in whatever I do. Cheers to the uncertainties to come!

Did you too listen to your heart and decided to do what you always wanted to? Why not share it here? Believe me, it inspires.