Haven’t you ever had a job you hated? Chances are the answer is yes.
According to a Timesjobs survey, eight out of ten employees in India are not happy with their work. To be dissatisfied is obviously quite common. Negative or unhappy feelings about the work you do can stem from various reasons: long hours, low pay, an unsupportive boss, lack of recognition, no scope for promotions, work-life balance, sheer boredom… I could go on and on.
Unhappy employees tend to crib, complain, evade work and make mistakes. But sometimes they also decide to take charge and try and change things – sometimes they resign.
It’s not such a big deal. People change jobs all the time for both predictable factors, like the ones mentioned above, and also for deeply personal or even downright bizarre reasons.
Zaira Wasim, a rising star in Bollywood, chose to quit.
5 years ago I made a decision that changed my life and today I’m making another one that’ll change my life again and this time for the better Insha’Allah! 🙂 https://t.co/ejgKdViGmD
— Zaira Wasim (@ZairaWasimmm) June 30, 2019
Clearly, she didn’t like what she did for a living. We must respect her choice and give her the freedom to choose her own path. After all, she is barely 19.
There are enough studies to show that the millennial mindset and approach to work is different from the older generation. For them, flexibility and choice are most important. They tend to prioritise work-life balance, they are more open to experimentation, learning, and personal development even if it is at the cost of a regular career path. This is a rising global trend.
Why should Zaira be any different, just because she is a Bollywood star?
Zaira Wasim has been bold enough to make a choice, unconventional as it may be.
The world of glamour and films has a soft seductive spell that is often hard to ignore. The dream for making it big in Bollywood is common. Millions of star-struck fans emulate their heroes, and pretend to be who they are not in the safe confines of their bedrooms.
This is why perhaps her decision is a difficult one to understand for so many. How could she give it all up, so easily?
But she has decided to do exactly that.
Her reasons are complex, no doubt, especially since they are religious. She talks about her personal turmoil and finding a balance with her faith. But in a long social media post justifying her decision, she also spoke of how she has “struggled to become someone else” for a long time.
“As I had just started to explore and make sense of the things to which I dedicated my time, efforts and emotions and tried to grab hold of a new lifestyle, it was only for me to realise that though I may fit here perfectly, I do not belong here,” she wrote.
These lines hold true for just about anyone itching for a change. It resonates with so many of us who have felt the same and done the same.
Zaira said that she was “identified as the role model for the youth” but it was something she never aspired for. She doesn’t want that job. We must accept that.
Very simply, she said, “I am not truly happy with this identity i.e. my line of work” and put in her papers in the full glare of the public.
And just as we do with our colleagues, we should, as her audience, her fans and her fellow citizens, be gracious, promise to remember her and wish her well for the future.
Featured image credit: YouTube Screengrab