“From Setback to Comeback“

Amit ne apne kandhe seedhe kiye aur conference table ke saamne kursi par baith gaya. Glass ke parre se dikh raha tha—log haste hue, laptops par typing karte hue, jaise sabki zindagi ek smooth track par chal rahi ho. Lekin Amit ke liye, yeh meeting room ek battlefield tha.

AC ki thandi hawa bhi uske andar ke garm khayalon ko nahi rok pa rahi thi. Pasina uski ungliyon ko chipchipa bana raha tha, aur usne dheere se apne trousers par haath ghas diya. HR manager ki muskaan shayad ek formality thi, lekin Amit ke liye woh ek udaan ki umeed jaisi lag rahi thi.

“Yeh interview mere liye ek naukri ka chance nahi hai… yeh ghar ka chulha jalane ka sawaal hai. Ma ki tabiyat abhi utni acchi nahi… Papa ki dawaariyaan kabhi rukti nahi… Riya ki school fees ka notice fridge par chipka hua hai, jaise roz taana deta ho. Aur main? Main bas ek sahara dhund raha hoon.”

“Tell me about yourself, Mr. Bajaj.” HR ki awaaz soft thi, lekin Amit ke kaan mein yeh ek bell ki tarah goonj uthi.

Usne halka sa muskaan banaya aur bolna shuru kiya. Har shabd nikalna mushkil lag raha tha, jaise pet mein baithe darr ko daba kar nikal raha ho. Dil dhadak raha tha—tez, itna tez ki khudko lag raha tha HR bhi sun legi.

“Strong communication… team handling… 17 years ka experience…”

Words toh nikle, lekin uske peeche ek aur awaaz thi—sirf uske dil ko sunayi deti:

“Bas ek chance mil jaaye… Riya ki aankhon mein wo guilt na dikhna pade ki papa ne uski khwaahish adhoori chhod di. Bas ek chance mil jaaye… ghar mein ration ka packet khali hone se pehle agla aa jaye.”

 

The Rejection

Interview ka process khatam hua. Amit ne jaise hi HR room se bahar kadam rakha, uske haath kaam ke papers ke saath kaamp rahe the. Usko pata tha—yeh sirf interview ka result nahi, yeh uski zindagi ke ek chhote se decision ka indicator hai.

Do din baad, HR ne email bheja: “We regret to inform you that you were not selected for the position.”

Dil ka bojh aur zyada badh gaya. Par ghar wapas jaane ke raste mein Amit ne apne aap se kaha:

“Yeh sirf ek naukri ka rejection hai, meri life ka end nahi.”

Ghar jaakar usne Ma aur Papa ki help ki. Ghar ke bills aur ration ko organize kiya, Riya ke liye school projects kharide. Har kaam mein ek naya purpose mila—apni family ke liye, apne liye, aur apne dignity ke liye.

 

Planning the Comeback

Amit ne decide kiya ki bas sirf ek naukri pe dependent rehna galat tha. Usne apne 17 saal ke IT experience ka analysis kiya—projects, client handling, team management. Fir ek spreadsheet banaya aur dekha ki kaunse services ya solutions freelance aur consulting ke liye marketable ho sakte hain.

 

Freelancing aur consulting ka plan: Amit ne LinkedIn aur freelance platforms par apna profile setup kiya. Apni expertise ko highlight kiya.Upskilling: Market trends dekhe aur cloud computing aur cybersecurity courses join kiye.Networking: Purane colleagues aur industry contacts se contact kiya, coffee meetings aur virtual calls schedule kiye.

 

Har raat Amit ghar lautkar apne desk par baithta aur ek spreadsheet update karta—daily progress track kar raha tha. Family ke liye, apne liye.

 

First Break

3 mahine baad, Amit ka pehla freelance project aaya—ek medium-sized company ke liye IT process optimization ka kaam. Client impressed hua aur referral se dusre projects bhi aaye.

Ek saal ke andar, Amit ke paas multiple streams of income ho gaye—freelancing, part-time consulting aur ek chhota sa IT training course jo wo organize karta tha.

Ek din, uske purane company ka ek client direct approach kiya—“Amit, humare naye project ke liye sirf aapke skills chahiye.” Amit muskuraya aur politely decide kiya ki ab wo sirf apne terms par kaam karega.

 

Personal Transformation

Amit ne sirf professional growth hi nahi ki, balki apne personal life ko bhi balance kiya:

Riya ke liye regular outings aur hobbies arrange ki.Ma aur Papa ke medical checkups aur comfort ko prioritize kiya.Apne liye bhi time nikalna shuru kiya—gym, reading, aur mental wellness.

Usne samjha: setback ek opportunity hai—agar aap usse strategically tackle karo, to aap sirf survive nahi karte, balki stronger aur independent ban jaate ho.

 

The Lesson

Ek naukri pe dependent mat raho—hamesha apne skill ka alternative income source create karo.Upskill aur network karte raho—market tough ho ya easy, prepared rehna hi key hai.Family aur self-care ko priority do—stress ke waqt support system aapka biggest asset hai.Setbacks ko learning opportunity banao—rejection ek nayi direction ke liye push karta hai.

 

Amit Bajaj ka journey sirf ek interview rejection ki kahani nahi hai, balki resilience aur smart planning ki misal hai.

 

💡 Har setback ek comeback ka shuruaat hai. Bas himmat aur planning ki zarurat hai.