We all learn about decision making in undergrad school; but what is the result of our decisions. Most of our career is molded by the decisions we take right after college. Bhavini Desai took one such decision to change her own life.
Up until college, your choices are periodical. You get to make major life decisions once in 2-3 years. But the day college gets over; you realize that choices are to be made every day in real life.
“It was ironic that the first choice I made pushed me into an abyss of my own confusion,” says Bhavini – Founder of Once Upon A Conversation, talking about how her career began after graduation.
As a BMM graduate with Advertisement majors and insane inclination towards writing, it was a taken that she would venture into copywriting(writing for ads) because that’s the nearest job that pays writers well. Turned out, the pay mattered less and less with each passing day of her first month. “I didn’t sleep the night before the day of my first salary, questioning myself if this was what I wanted to get paid for?” For writing according to industry norms that didn’t agree with her, not growing creatively, or stimulating even 1% of her mind, which was on full throttle throughout college.
But societal boundaries compelled her and she continued working for another three months until her senior sat her down one day and said: “If you weren’t scared of failure today, what would you do?” And her prompt spontaneous reply to that was “tell stories”. And that was it. That conversation brought her closer to herself. She left her job.
Two of the most important aspects of her understanding of the world came together and created what became ‘Once upon a Conversation,’ a micro-storytelling platform on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook where stories are told through conversations. “It was a long struggle to create it and is a longer one to keep it on its feet.”
Today her work is more than just writing. It fills her day with curating, graphic making, media planning, analyzing, managing and brainstorming. She has failed to generate readership on some days and brought out intense emotions from readers on others. She knows she is going to have good days and bad ones and then again better ones. “But I am going to have them while I tell stories with 10 amazing people who share this feeling and work tirelessly with me.”
And choices? She keeps making new ones every day without fear of falling into a pit. Because what is the worst that can happen? It will be a bad one! That’s fine by her.
“At least I will end up making a great story out of it.” If you’re looking for some motivation, follow and read these great stories that Bhavini and her team have written on Facebook and Instagram. On Snapchat, she is as onceuponaconvo.
That was a big and proud step for Bhavini. How about you? Are you daredevil enough to give up what you have, follow your dreams and make a great story out of it?