How do you stay resilient in hard times?

Everyone experiences moments of struggle in life. Sometimes circumstances test our strength, while at other times, even those closest to us may turn away. It is natural to feel discouraged during such moments. But no matter how difficult the crisis may be, the strength to overcome it lies within us. Rather than waiting for circumstances to change, it is more important to learn how to steady ourselves. After all, it is the difficult times that reveal our true inner strength.

I am saying this quite honestly, based on my own personal experiences. Of course, am I old enough to talk about my experiences? The answer to that is definitely “Yes.” But do I have enough experience to share with others? My answer to that is a little different.

We all tend to interact with people who belong to more or less the same economic and social background as ours. That is what makes meaningful communication and mutual understanding possible. Therefore, the good and bad experiences we encounter in life, as well as the struggles we go through, are often not very different from one another. There may, of course, be a few exceptional situations that differ.

That is why, to a great extent, you may find my experiences quite similar to your own.

For middle-class people like us, financial crisis is one of the biggest challenges in life. It often strikes us quite unexpectedly. Sometimes, without any valid reason, or even over a very trivial issue, we are dismissed from our jobs. The period of unemployment that follows, until we find another job, makes life extremely difficult and leaves us feeling helpless.

This is an incredibly challenging phase of life. Unable to bear the pressure and despair, some people even go to the extent of taking their own lives. Such is the devastating and life-threatening nature of this difficult period.

For middle-class people like us, financial crisis is one of the biggest challenges in life. It often strikes us quite unexpectedly. Sometimes, without any valid reason, or even over a very trivial issue, we are dismissed from our jobs. The period of unemployment that follows, until we find another job, makes life extremely difficult and leaves us feeling helpless.

This is an incredibly challenging phase of life. Unable to bear the pressure and despair, some people even go to the extent of taking their own lives. Such is the devastating and life-threatening nature of this difficult period.

I can proudly say that throughout my career, I have always worked with my resignation letter tucked away in my pocket. This is perhaps the only way one can survive in the field of journalism. When you leave home in the morning as a journalist, you never know whether you will return in the evening as an unemployed person. That is why, to survive in such a profession, you must always have Plans A, B and C ready.

While pursuing journalism, I have even sold spices to make ends meet. I would walk as far as 20 kilometres, visiting hotels and shops to sell spices. Sometimes, the income from selling spices was even higher than my salary from journalism.

I certainly did not become wealthy from those earnings, but they enriched my self-respect. They also strengthened my ability to face difficult situations and overcome crises.

Even today, at the age of 62, I keep myself actively engaged in work. And I believe my past experiences have played a major role in shaping this attitude.

कठीण काळ आपल्यातील सामर्थ्याची ओळख करून देतो….!

आयुष्यात प्रत्येकाच्या वाट्याला संघर्षाचे क्षण येतात. कधी परिस्थिती आपली परीक्षा पाहते, तर कधी जवळची माणसेही साथ सोडतात. अशा वेळी मन खचणे स्वाभाविक असते. पण संकट कितीही मोठे असले तरी त्यातून बाहेर पडण्याची ताकद आपल्यातच दडलेली असते. परिस्थिती बदलण्याची वाट पाहण्यापेक्षा स्वतःला सावरणे अधिक महत्त्वाचे असते. कारण कठीण काळच आपल्याला आपल्या सामर्थ्याची खरी ओळख करून देतो.

मी हे अगदी प्रामाणिकपणे स्वतःच्या अनुभवावरून सांगतोय. अर्थातच अनुभव सांगण्याचं माझं वय आहे का? तर त्याचं उत्तर “होय” असंच आहे. याबरोबरच समोरच्या व्यक्तीला सांगण्या इतका अनुभव आहे का? याचं माझ्याजवळ जरा वेगळं उत्तर आहे. म्हणजे आपण सगळेच जण समान आर्थिक आणि सामाजिक पातळी एक असेल तरच एकमेकांशी संपर्कात रहात असतो. त्यामुळेच तर आपल्यात सुसंवाद शक्य असतो. तेंव्हा आयुष्यात चांगले-वाईट येणारे प्रसंग आणि संघर्ष फार वेगळा नसतो. काही आपवादत्मक प्रसंग वेगळे असू शकतात. म्हणूनच बऱ्याच अंशी माझे अनुभव तुम्हाला पण समान वाटू शकतात.

आपल्या सारख्या मध्यम वर्गीयांच्या आयुष्यात आर्थिक संकट हे सर्वात मोठे संकट असते. ते देखील अगदी अचानक आपल्यावर कोसळते. विशेषतः काहीही कारण नसताना किंवा अगदी शुल्लक कारणावरून आपल्याला कामावरून काढून टाकण्यात येते. मग दुसरी नोकरी मिळेपर्यंतची बेरोजगारी ही आपल्याला जगणे असाहाय्य करून टाकते. हा काळ आपल्याला अतिशय अवघड असतो. कित्येक जण हे सहन न झाल्याने आत्महत्या देखील करतात. एव्हढा हा जीवघेणा काळ असतो.

मी अभिमानाने सांगू शकतो की मी राजीनामा खिश्यात ठेवूनच आजवर नोकऱ्या केल्या. पत्रकारितेच्या क्षेत्रात अशाच पद्धतीने नोकरी केली जावू शकते. सकाळी पत्रकार म्हणून निघालो की कधी घरी येताना बेरोजगार म्हणून परत येऊ हे सांगता येत नाही. त्यामुळे अशी नोकरी करायची म्हणजे प्लॅन A, B, C तयार ठेवावाच लागतो. मी पत्रकारिता करताना अगदी मसाला देखील विकला आहे. अगदी वीस -वीस किलोमीटर पायी चालत जावून हॉटेल, दुकानातून मसाला विकला आहे. कधी कधी नोकरीच्या पगारापेक्षा मसाला विक्रीतून उत्पन्न जास्त मिळायचे. या कमाईतून मी श्रीमंत नक्कीच झालो नाही पण माझा स्वाभिमान श्रीमंत झाला. संकटाला तोंड देण्याची ताकद वाढली. आज देखील वयाच्या ६२ व्या वर्षी मी स्वतःला कामात गुंतून ठेवतोय ते यामुळेच.

:-MUKUND HINGNE.