It is important for us to not dwell in the past or regret decisions - and move ahead in life especially when it comes to career. This is exactly what Samridh Seth, a student of Indian-origin at Boston University in the USA says in his book, Past Dwellers. Samridh used the lockdown as an opportunity to write this book - after he got a lot of time to look back at his past. He says, "This book is meant for youngsters like me who dwell on the past and drain their energy rather than moving forward. If I had not committed mistakes then I would not be the person that I am today. We must revisit our past not to regret things, but to see how things can be made better in the future."
The book, Past Dwellers is a summation of various lessons including - making wise choices; being conscious of the value of time; knowing the people you spend time with; using your senses to observe and absorb your environment; understanding your abilities and being able to tap them carefully, and most of all, building a strong foundation and never stopping learning, evolving
and growing.
Excerpts:
What led you to write the book Past Dwellers?
Unlike most students, I went through a gap year to decide what I wanted to do. When I came home during the lockdown, I started thinking of what I have done in the past and what I wanted to do in the future. In this phase, I also observed how all the things have come together to strike a chord in my life. This lockdown gave me extra time to think about myself. Meanwhile, I spoke to my friends on a daily basis and they would regret things constantly or dwell on their past mistakes and decisions they had taken. That's when I felt that it was time to share my experiences of a gap year and why one must move ahead rather than dwelling up on the past.
Can you tell us some of your experiences in the gap year and why you chose to study Physics?
When I was 12 years old and spending my summer vacations with my grandfather, we read about the discovery of the Higgs Boson. A week later, my grandfather was invited to a high energy conference in Koresia and we accompanied him. We actually met the Director-General of CERN where they had actually discovered the Higgs Boson. While I asked him a list of questions, he went on answering them and my love for Physics went deeper.
My parents actually advised me to explore other options for higher education. They told me not to ignore other options just because I liked Physics and later regret pursuing it. Hence, I went ahead and took a gap year soon after my class 12. During that phase, I took up nine different internships which included everything from investments, aviation, banking, shipping etc. But it was Physics that I enjoyed the most. I am sure that this work experience in other sectors is going to be beneficial in the future. Even during this Corona pandemic, I also created an Early Investors programme for youngsters about investing in the right product or service in the market.
As we know, most students don't take a gap year as they fear losing a year. But what bases should they cover to ensure the gap year is utilised well?
My grandfather and I were actually against the gap year. I felt that it was the worst idea ever because you will delay your education by a year. If you don't have a plan for a gap year then it is obvious that you will pass time just by watching videos or playing games on the phones or meet friends once in a while. Therefore, it is important that you must have proper plans for what you want to do during a gap year. I went through the entire process of planning my gap year for more than a month.
What is your advice for people who dwell on their past rather than moving ahead to shape their career?
The very first suggestion or an advice that I give is to acknowledge what you have done in the past and not just ignore it. I also studied psychology in the first semester and I learnt a lot from it. For instance, if you ignore something, then that's exactly what you will hold on to. If somebody has messed up an exam due to fear or lack of time for preparation, then don't dwell on it and mess up the rest of your exams. Think on why did you mess it up and solve the issues. Tell yourself that you are gonna work towards rectifying the mistakes and not repeating them while you move ahead. The most important factor in one's life is to balance energy and time. If you exhaust yourself by burning the night oil and the day, then you will be sick and never be able to manage time or energy.
How much time did you take to complete this book amidst the online classes you have to attend?
I came home in March and the classes went on till the month of May. I took at least 15 days to gather my thoughts, experiences and talk to my friends about why they dwell on the past etc and finally wrote it. But it took me a month to finalise the pictures for my book, get the content edited and publish it.
What are your future plans in terms of career?
My main focus is Physics and I would like to become a researcher working at CERN.
