“I want to be happy”, I’d reply earnestly when my father would ask a young me what I’d want to be when I grow up. In a way, I have been one of those who knows at an early age what they want out of life. For me, it’s always been important to find what makes me happy. Knowing what that is, however, hasn’t always been easy.

Being an electrical engineer from one of the renowned institutes of the city, there is always an unsaid pressure of pursuing the same profession post your graduation. But I have not been one to pay much heed to that. As most engineers you’d know, although with a genuine curiosity to quench, I ventured into the IT consulting space with a tech mogul. Over a year of consulting international clients, I had adequately quenched my curiosity. But I was struggling to find the much spoken about job satisfaction we Millennials so desperately crave.

Imagine being on a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean, having all the resources, but not knowing the direction for land. Having the good fortune of being able to choose what I wanted to do in life, I was in a momentary lull in Time… facing somewhat of a pre-occurrence of a mid-life crisis. It was time to redirect my yacht towards my ultimate goal of being happy in life. I soon realized that the only way to get there is by aligning with a purpose that you feel strongly for. As I contemplated what I wanted to devote my knowledge, skills and time to, I gravitated towards the social impact space. I like to believe that my journey of growing up in an eclectic city like Mumbai, kept me sensitized to the struggles of the less fortunate. I felt that not only was it something that I wanted to do but also felt that it was my responsibility to use my knowledge and learning to help those who weren’t as privileged or fortunate.

Here at the Piramal Foundation, I got exactly what I was looking for. A purpose I wanted to work towards and a role that allowed me to leverage my education and talent. Today I work towards finding and implementing technology solutions for the complex social challenges that the Foundation is aiming to tackle and it has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Today there is a drive in me that pushes me out of my bed. Today, my work makes me happy.

So if you happen to find yourself in a mid-life crisis, take a moment to ask yourself, what is the fuel to your fire?

Sahil works as Manager Technology at Piramal Foundation. He enjoys sports, music and is always planning his next adventure.